What is the relationship between truth and revelation?

When first deciding to write on this topic I was not sure what direction to take. Defining the relationship between truth and revelation can become quite difficult. There may be many different approaches that can be taken in answering this question; however, in attempting to answer the question “What is the relationship between truth and revelation?” I have realized that first I need to come to a clear definition of truth and also a clear definition of revelation. Once I have defined each of these, I can then move on and begin discussing their relationship in correspondence with each other.
Truth is defined as “Sincerity; genuineness; honesty, the quality of being in accordance with experience, facts, or reality; conformity with fact…actual existence”. Although this is the technical definition of truth, we must also keep in mind that truth has many different aspects that need to be considered. I am not going to go into great detail here about truth and the value of truth because we have been covering it in great detail in class, however, I do want to point out a few important aspects of truth. We know that there are varying degrees of truth. Some of these include: absolute certainty, which is infallible and no doubt can exist; moral certainty, in which the conviction is reached after thoughtful study; and opinion, which is based on judgment about a person, place, or thing. This is certainly not a complete list of the degrees of truth, but this gives us an idea as far as how complicated truth becomes. We also know that there are differing theories pertaining to the situations in which truth or a certain truth is applicable. For example, some things are absolutely true which means that the truth presented exists no matter the circumstances surrounding the truth. Some may say that God exists is an absolute. Some would say that murdering is wrong is universal because that truth applies to all situations and all people. Some may say that some truths are objective and are dependant on reality and that which is outside of the human. As we can see from looking at the surface of a few of the theories surrounding truth, there are many aspects to truth. Knowing what is true can become a tedious process and will require critical thinking to begin to understand the concept of truth better.
Now that I had discussed truth somewhat I will now move into defining revelation. Revelation is defined as a disclosure of something that is not known, but is made known to human beings by a divine or supernatural power; God. Just like there are different kinds of truths, there are different kinds of revelation as well. The two types of revelation are general and special. General revelation is that which is revealed about God through what we can see in nature; God’s creation. We see this kind of revelation discussed in Romans 1:20; “For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse (Holy Bible). By studying and surrounding ourselves with nature we may learn that God exists, God is in control and brings order to this world in the midst of chaos, and God is concerned for his creation and cares about our wellbeing. This concept of general revelation is stated well by Coleson when he says “The beauty of the world communicates God’s love for us”, however, through general revelation we are not able to discover the plan of salvation (Coleson, 267). We are not able to come to an understanding of the gospel and plan of salvation through logical reasoning. Although as Christians we believe our hope in Christ and his plan of salvation to be true, we come to this conclusion by revelation as we are told in Galatians 1:11-12 “I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ” (Holy Bible).
As we know by know there are many different aspects to teach truth and revelation that make this topic a bit difficult to address. It may seem hard to compare the two; truth and revelation, however, when we look closely we can see that there is a distinct relationship between the two and they do relate to one another on more than just a surface approach.
As we can conclude from the definition of truth we know that truth is that which conforms to facts. Truth corresponds to reality, whereas revelation does not necessarily correspond with what that which is actually existent. As I have discussed earlier there are two different kinds of revelation; general and special. General revelation, being that which is revealed by God through nature, does indeed correspond with that which actually exists: nature, however, special revelation cannot be compared in the same way. Special revelation might be revealed in a dream or a vision, which does not correspond to that which actually exists. The dream or vision has actually occurred, however, the actual events of the dream or vision may not have been experienced by the individual. Is this to say that special revelation is not truth? I do not believe so. Special revelation is given by God and therefore must be truth.
The Bible is full of revelation, in fact, an entire book in the New Testament is devoted to revelation and is appropriately titled Revelation. Although many of the events and details given in the book of Revelation have not come to be as of yet, that does not take away from their credibility. This idea of these revelations not being fulfilled as of yet, but still maintaining their truth, corresponds to the theories of truth mentioned previously. The events mentioned in the book of Revelation are indeed true, but some have not happened yet. One can argue that this would be an example of the events in Revelation being true today if this statement comes true in the future, and false today if this statement never becomes true and the events never happening. I believe however that if God has said it will happen, then it will happen, even if we do not live to see it happen. We may not ever experience the results of that which is revealed to us by God, however, this does not take away from the credibility that God’s word is true.
As we study the basis of revelation we are told that God uses revelation to reveal himself and truth to his children. We have been learning in class that we can arrive at truth and know truth in a variety of different ways. Revelation therefore, may just be one more way in which we discover truth and truth is revealed to us.
As we look more in depth into the relationship between truth and revelation we can conclude that it is no easy task to discuss the two multi-faceted topics by themselves, let alone discuss how they relate to one another. I may never fully understand the concept of truth or the concept of revelation, or how they relate to each other. I think the biggest thing as far as understanding is to continue seeking to answer the tough questions we are presented with. If we are to uncover any of the tough questions that life throws our way, we must be willing to seek out the answers and be willing to study the things that we do not understand in order to gain a better insight.

Colson, Charles: The Good Life: Tyndale House Publishers Inc. 2005.
NIV Study Bible. Dan. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1985.

Who should I be?
In today’s world there is so much emphasis placed on who we are and what we are becoming. It seems that most individuals in our society today are task oriented and trying to better themselves; whether it be by financial gain, success, fame, or becoming a better person in general there seems to be a movement toward self fulfillment. This may explain why there are so many “self help” books available today. People seem to have a desire for something more; it seems that everyone is searching for a way to become something else than what they currently are. They are seeking new opportunities and new ways to become what they desire to be. But with all this emphasis placed on who we are becoming, how do we know who we should be? Who do we turn to to be our guide?
Answering the question of who we should be seems to be a somewhat easy task at first, but as we ponder who we should be it appears that it is not a simple task after all. The fact is that many different people have differing opinions as far as who or what dictates our purpose in life and in return shapes who we are and who we are becoming.
Although it is clear that as Christians we should look to Christ to be our guide and example of who we should be, there are some many differing views in our world today. In today’s society we are constantly being told who we should be, what we should look like, how we should act, and what we need to become in order to make it in this world. Just turn on the television for a few minutes and it is clear to see that the media plays a huge part in telling us how we need to act, what we need to look like and essentially who we should be if we are to be anything in this world. We are also constantly told by our peers and the people that influence our lives who we should be. Besides all of this pressure to conform to the ways of the world, the Bible even goes to great lengths to tell us who we should be and who we are to become. With all of these opposing views it may sometimes be difficult to really develop an unshakeable assessment of who we are really suppose to be in light of God’s view of us and who he wants us to be and become.
I can have confidence and assurance of who I should be by relying on God’s word to provide me with purpose and direction in life and shape me into the person He has called me to be; however, this is not the case for all people. Many people in today’s society have ruled out God as an authority figure and someone to look to to tell them who they should be. Many people let society or peers shape who they are. In our world today there are many differing views concerning this very topic. Many people believe that you should simply be who you want to be. The view that says “whatever makes you happy and leads to a fulfilling life for you is what you should be doing”, is upheld by many in our world today, but this view is not consistent. In fact it is contradictory. If I choose to do what I want I might not necessarily be doing the best for everyone involved. In doing things out of selfish motives and desires we often harm others in our way and by doing so we often go against guidelines set before us by the law. For example, if I simply lived by the notion that I should be who I want to be, and therefore do only that which pleases myself, I might decide that I would love to have my friends brand new Mustang convertible. If I am a person that only looks out for myself and does only that which pleases myself then there is nothing that is going to hold me back from stealing my friend’s new car and claiming it as my own. In doing so I have become greedy, selfish, and a thief; but if I uphold the belief that I should be whoever I want to be and do whatever makes me happy, then this should be fine. As we can see we cannot live like this. We can attempt to live like this, but if we were to implement a society in which everyone simply looked out for themselves and no one else and only did what made themselves happy we would soon find that other people’s decisions would infringe on our own freedom, thus disregarding our own happiness. The truth is I can be whoever I want to be, but sometimes with unrestricted freedom comes greater consequences.
Truett Anderson brings up this interesting point when he states that “identity should be fluid and flexible, in order to adjust to the kaleidoscope features of a postmodern culture. There is no final truth of how humans ought to be.” Although this is an interesting point, I believe his statement to be false. I believe there is a standard to which we need to live by and a code of conduct for us that instructs us in who we should be. The fact is, whether we choose to believe the Bible to be truth or not, the fact is it still is the dictator of who we should be. We can hold to our relative point of view and believe that you can be whoever you choose to be; however, our beliefs would be wrong. As pointed out previously we cannot simply be whoever we chose to be without facing the implications of those decisions. There has to be guidelines that are somewhat set.
The Bible is very clear on who we are instructed to be. There are various verses that give us instructions regarding our actions that dictate who we are. Ephesians 4:2, 1 Peter 3:8, and Ephesians 4:32 speak about being humble and compassionate (Holy Bible). In Romans 12:2 we are instructed to be transformed and to be separate from the world (Holy Bible). While reading the Bible we gain insight into the person we are to be and the person God desires for us to become. As Christians we need to be set apart. We are told that we are to be in the world and not of it. Also we are told to be “salt of the earth” in Matthew 5:13 (Holy Bible). Therefore it is clear that we must live differently than the majority who uphold relativistic views. The fact is whether we choose to believe it or not, we do not answer only to ourselves in regards to who we are and who we become, but we answer to God as well.
So in conclusion, who I want to be and who I should be can be two very different things. I want to be successful and acquire wealth. I want to be irresponsible at times and ditch class. I want to be a kid again. These things are all things I want to be; however, they are not necessarily who I should be. If I was to act on every impulsive desire and actually be the person I sometimes desired to be, there would be severe consequences. Also my desires of who I want to be contradict each other. If I acted on the impulsive of being irresponsible and ditched my classes, eventually I would miss so many classes I would be doing poorly in school and the likelihood of passing and getting my degree are slim. If I do not get my degree, the likelihood of me fulfilling my desire to be successful and acquire wealth becomes less likely. As we can see there are many things we might want to be, but when it comes own to it we should be who God wants us to be. Although this may seem like an easy cop-out or a “christianese” answer, it is not as seemingly easy to identify as we may thing. In order for us to understand who God desires for us to be, we need to become familiar with His word and be active in our relationship with Him and seek an understanding of His purpose for our life. Only then can we fully know who we should be.


NIV Study Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1985.

“Can you tell me Socrates, can virtue be taught?”
Meno’s question: “Can you tell me, can virtue be taught?” needs to be examined carefully in order to provide an answer that would demonstrate “good thinking” as we have discussed in class sessions up to this point. We cannot simply bring our own disorganized thoughts into this discussion and expect clarity. We must use our critical thinking skills in such a way that provides not only our personal opinion and to the topic addressed, but also incorporates what others have said about this topic of virtue. Our response to the question presented must be thoroughly thought out.
Meno’s question poses a number of problems. One cannot merely answer the initial question without some careful investigation. Not only does the person answering Meno have to take a look at the question in its entirety, but each of the two parts need to be accounted for. The first part of this question is “Can you tell me?”, and the second part is “can virtue be taught?” In order to answer the first question in this two part inquiry we need to first provide a response to the latter part. Additionally in attempting to give an answer for the second part of the question “can virtue be taught?” we need to identify what virtue is. As we can see, the task set before us of answering this two-fold inquiry may become a bit tricky in the process, and careful analysis is required.
Although I came to a definition of what virtue is I discovered that there are many different ideas as to what values or characteristics are genuinely virtues, not to mention which virtues are most desirable. The Webster’s Dictionary defines virtue as: “general moral excellence; right action and thinking; goodness or morality; a good quality or feature” (WEBSTER’S DICTIONARY—change this). As we can conclude from this definition it may not be as easy as simply defining virtue. We need to now look further and consider what “good qualities”, are considered virtues. While investigating the “good qualities” that are found to be virtues, I discovered that what is considered to be a virtue to one person may not be the same for another.
For example, for some the list of desired virtues may include the following: caring, tolerance, loyalty, patience, and humility. Yet for another the list may be quiet different and include gentleness, kindness, self-discipline, peace, and wisdom. As we can tell from comparing these lists we can determine that desirable virtues may vary from one person to the next.
As Christians we are instructed through the scriptures as to which virtues should govern our lives. Love, of course, is a major asset to our lives as Christians. God’s word goes to great lengths to point out that love is essential to our lives as followers of Christ. The Bibles teaches that Love is the central virtue of Christianity and the greatest of all virtues. We arrive at this conclusion by reading several scriptures including 1st Corinthians 13:13 which reads, “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love”, that love is without question the greatest virtue. (Holy Bible, I. Corinthians 13:13).
This then brings up yet more questions in the long list of question that have already been formulated. If God’s word is our authority on virtues we should posses as Christians, then who or what is the authority on virtues that non-believer’s value? Do non-believers even strive to be virtuous in their thoughts and action, and if so what virtues do they deem necessary? I can answer these questions through my limited knowledge of the subject, but what I can say is by no means the absolute concrete answer to these questions. I do indeed believe that some non-believers do strive to posses certain virtues. I have experiences interactions with non-believers that have been more pleasant than some of my interactions with professing Christians. I have seen ways in which non-believers have demonstrated Christ-like qualities such as love, faith, and hope without even knowing Christ. I wonder then if the virtues they displayed were genuine, or just simply a reflection of a virtuous quality. We read from the scriptures in 1st John 4:7, 8 that love comes from God and God is love (Holy Bible, I. John 4:7,8).What I am getting at is that if God is love and love comes from God, then how can someone that does not know God truly love? Although this is an interesting question, I do not feel I am adequately knowledgeable on this topic to make an informed decision at this time.
There have been numerous debates on the subject of virtue and whether or not it is learned or naturally a part of who we are as human beings. Most of these debates come back to the “nature vs. nurture” argument. Some have suggested that virtues are knowledge of good morals and acting those out. According to John Locke, we when we are born our minds are a “blank tablet”, and we have no ideas. He reasons that all knowledge is acquired through experiences that shape our lives (Sproul, 95).
In The Good Life, Colson contrasts Locke’s opinion when he explains that “this inherent sense of right and wrong is so deeply ingrained in us that even when we deny it, we behave as if it exists. We may not like our conscience to dictate us, but we all long for the goal that conscience prods us towards—justice” (Colson, 253). He also makes this statement that “the simple truth is that you cannot live the good life without conscience, which convicts and guides us” (Colson, 252).
The fact that kids try to cover up their lies points to virtue as being innate and ingrained in each of us. Even children know that lying is wrong and that telling the truth is virtuous. If this was not the case they would not try so hard to make up outlandish lies. Of course, going to great lengths to the cover up of their lies may just be an attempt to get them out of trouble because they have experienced punishment for lying in the past. In which case this would be an example of virtue being taught through experiences.
I tend to incorporate both Locke and Colson’s ideas. I do not believe that virtue is something that is solely taught and not a part of who we are from the very beginning of our lives. I believe that virtue is somewhat characteristic of human nature. All humans posses virtue to a certain degree and therefore, virtue must be instilled in us. I do however; believe that we can be taught virtue as well through experiences. I tend to think that the learning aspect of virtue and the innate aspect are both incorporated and go hand in hand. I do not believe we can have one without the other. In other words, our conscience that was instilled in us from the beginning of our lives, and the experiences we encounter are both needed to shape out view of virtue and if we choose to live a virtuous life.
Through trying to gain a reasonable answer to the initial two-fold question, I feel that I am even further away from the answer to the initial question than when I began. I feel that I have created more questions that need to be addressed rather than answer the one question I was initially presented with. Throughout this process of attempting to answer Meno’s inquiry I have discovered that the more I uncover on the topic of virtue the less I know. But I have begun to formulate my own ideas and opinions regarding virtue.
Based on everything that has been said up to this point, I believe my answer to the first half of Meno’s question is a somewhat hesitant yes. I can indeed answer the question of the possibility that virtue may in fact be taught according to what I believe to be true, although I am not sure I will be able to give the final answer on this subject. I can convey others’ ideas and their perspective of whether virtue can be taught, and I can give my own opinion, but in the end I do not know if I can give a definite, concrete answer.


Works Cited:

Holy Bible New International Version. International Bible Society.Grand Rapids,Michigan: Zondervan, 1984.
Sproul, R.C. The Consequences of Ideas. Illinois: Crossway Books, 2000.
Colson, Charles. The Good Life. Tyndale House Publishers, 2005.

What Structure Should My Thinking Take?
It goes without saying that thinking is inevitable and unavoidable. You cannot simply not think. Not thinking would require as much or more effort than simply thinking. As stated by Sproul in his introduction of The Consequence of Ideas, “I cannot not think. To not think is unthinkable (Sproul, 11).” Therefore, we as humans are in a constant state of thinking. With this being said, we should evaluate our way of thinking and make sure it is in line with the values we uphold to be true for our lives, but in order to make sure our thinking is in line with our values, we need to first examine our values.
The question is presented, “What structure should my thinking take?” If we are living beings who are bombarded with thousands of thoughts each day, then in what way should we think? Is there a right and wrong way in which to think, or a way to order our thought that is more “right” than another?
As university students, it is apparent, or implied at least, that we are in general concerned with gaining a deeper source of knowledge and challenging our thinking. If we are concerned with increasing our knowledge and being challenge in our thinking, we should stop to ask ourselves “What does out thinking look like at this current time?” and “What should our thinking look like?” In order to answer the initial question proposed we are required to examine our philosophy of thinking.
As Christians we have a set of values which we should not only live by, but think by as well. These values and morals are outlined in God’s word. By taking a look at scripture we can come to the conclusion that God not only designed thinking, but he commands us to use our thoughts to glorify him as well as our actions.

Additionally, as Christians, we should realize that God ultimately holds each individual responsible for his or her thoughts, with this being said, we should first consult God’s word to guide us in the right path as we examine our thoughts. From simply cracking open the Bible, it is clear that God not only values our thoughts, but He also has much to say about the way in which we choose to think. In the Bible there are 136 verses that reference the word “ thought”, 157 that reference the word “think” or “thinking”, and 156 that reference “mind”.
Many of these verses simply demonstrate or outline an individual’s capability to think and reason, however, many scriptures deal with the way in which an individual should think and address our responsibility to allow our thoughts to glorify our maker.
As we read through the Bible and come across verses in reference to the mind or the ordering of thoughts, it is clear to see that there is a distinct correlation between our thoughts, mind, and heart. The idea that there is a clear-cut correlation between the feelings bottled up in our hearts, the thoughts we entertained, and how we react by what we say and choose to do is clearly demonstrated in Matthew. Chapter fifteen, verses eighteen and nineteen state “ But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean’. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander (Holy Bible, Matthew 15.18-19)”. If we compare this verse with Matthew 5:28, “ But I tell you that anyone that looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart”, we can clearly see the relationship between these two verses as they reveal that the attitude of our heart produces thoughts and our thoughts lead to actions.
We need to evaluate our thought process and ask ourselves the questions: “How then are we to change our attitudes in order to change our thoughts?” Ephesians 4:22-24 tells us that we need to put off our “old self”, which is being corrupted with evil desires, to put on the “new self” created to be true and righteous, and to be made new in the attitude of our mind (Holy Bible, Ephesians 4. 22-24). In Philippians we are told that our attitudes should be like that of Christ Jesus (Holy Bible, Philippians 2.5). By comparing these two verses we can reason that we should structure our thinking in a way that reflects the thoughts and attitude of Christ. Later on in Philippians chapter 4 we are told that “…The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Holy Bible, Philippians 4.7). This verse just mentioned is paralleled with the verse following that states that our thinking need to revolve around true, noble, lovely, admirable, righteous, excellent, and praiseworthy thoughts (Holy Bible, Philippians 4.8).
From a close examination of scripture it is evident that thinking in and of itself is simply not enough. We can think all we want, or in some cases do not want, but in the end we need to realize that our thoughts reflect our maker; therefore, we need to be aware of our thoughts and keep a tight reign on how we choose to govern our thinking. Our thinking not only reflects the knowledge we gain, but also what is in our hearts. We can conclude from the preceding passages of scripture that our thinking not only affects our inner thoughts, but can also produce outward actions as well. Our attitude should be as that of Christ Jesus, therefore, our thinking should be modeled after Christ.
Coming back to the initial question “ What structure should my thinking take?”, it is quite obvious that as followers of Christ, our thinking should reflect our relationship with Him, and also be an outward sign of the joy that is in our hearts. Our Structure of thinking should be such that we are able to glorify and exalt Christ through our thoughts and in turn through our actions.

Holy Bible New International Version. International Bible Society. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1984.
Sproul, R.C. The Consequences of Ideas. Illinois: Crossway Books, 2000.

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