Journal: Journal of Dispensational Theology
Volume: JODT 10:30 (Sep 2006)
Article: The Sufficiency of Scripture
Author: Edward A. Dingess

JODT 10:30 (Sep 2006) p. 63

The Sufficiency of Scripture

Edward A. Dingess

Associate Professor, Tyndale Theological Seminary

The Necessity of Revelation

General Revelation

Cornelius Van Til makes this remark about the natural man and his attempt to reason, “if the natural man is to make any intelligible assertions about the world or “reality” or “fact,” which according to him is what it is for no rational reason at all, then he must make the virtual claim of rationalizing the irrational.”1 Van Til strongly points out that man cannot even reason about reality because his worldview cannot account for reason itself. The minute you begin to reason, you posit structure. This is unavoidable and it is at the thrust of the doctrine of general revelation. Paul says, “That which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them” (Rom. 1:19). Acts 14:17 says, “And yet He did not leave Himself without a witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” God has given all men a revelation of Himself. Paul did not say that this knowledge of God was obscure and insufficient to accomplish its purpose. Paul said that God has made it evident to them. That is to say that God has made it plain to them. Paul went on to say in the next verse, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” (Rom. 1:20). However, according to Bahnsen2 , “Natural revelation was never intended to operate on its own without God’s verbal communication as a supplemental and necessary context for understanding.” Quoting Van Til he continues, “God’s revelation in nature, together with God’s revelation in Scripture, form God’s one grand scheme of covenant revelation of himself to man. The two forms of revelation must therefore be seen as presupposing and supplementing one another….Revelation in nature and revelation in Scripture are mutually meaningless without one another and mutually fruitful when taken together.”3 Man knows and he does not know. Man understands and he does not understand. Paul says that general revelation is sufficient to condemn man and hold him morally culpable for his knowledge of God that he receives through

JODT 10:30 (Sep 2006) p. 64

nature. Man was orig...