One of the hallmarks retained from the reformation out of the Roman Catholic Church is that Scripture alone is the foundation of all true knowledge. Every reformed person would have heard it expressed in Latin as sola Scriptura. But, you may wonder, how is it then that we confess in Article Two of the Belgic Confession that we know God by two means: first from creation and second from Scriptural revelation? What then do we know about God from creation, the so-called general revelation? And what impact should Scripture revelation, the so-called special revelation, have on general knowledge obtained from things observed in creation?

In an article published in the previous Una Sancta¹attention was given to how Scripture itself, in Romans 1:18ff, teaches that the Gentiles who have not heard of God from Scripture revelation are left without excuse for sin because they could have known about God from what is evident in creation. At the same time it was pointed out that Scripture also teaches that only those who truly trust in Christ will be saved. Knowledge concerning Christ and what He has done is only given in Scripture revelation. Scripture revelation is therefore essential for someone to know about Christ in order to believe in Him. See how the Lord Himself reveals this through the Apostle Paul in the Romans 10. However, the question that now receives attention is how much we, who already know the Lord and believe in Him, can learn about Him from things we observe in creation.

At times, it appears as if Reformed authors give equal value to general revelation and special revelation. For example, Scott B. Rae in the introduction to his book on ethics ²discusses how the reformed had difficulty with accepting the validity of general revelation and gave priority to special revelation. While acknowledging the reasons for doing so, he argues that in ethics room should remain for what can be understood about natural law from out of general revelation. He argued that it is valid for reaching ethical decisions, especially where Scripture revelation appears to be contradictive or is unclear.

That authors of reformed background write this way should not entirely surprise us. Already in the 1950s the (synodical) Reformed Churches in the Netherlands³were busy with the question of whether Scripture revelation really has anything to say to modern science. A report was written with the title God with us⁴in which suggestions were made about how Scripture is a textbook for religion but of no value for other subjects such as mathematics, geography, sociology, etc. A number of years later a similar synod deputies' report was drawn up among the Christian Reformed Churches in America. It became commonly known as Report 44 and had the title: Limitation and Extent of Scripture Authority. At the time it became the centre of much controversy among these churches. This report, similar to its Dutch predecessor, maintains that Scripture authority is limited to the religious sphere. It insists that Scripture is not a book you would pick up to learn about mathematics, agriculture, medicine or any other science. At the time it was especially in the context of geology that this report received much attention. In that context the suggestion arose that the knowledge concerning the layers of rocks and their development as evident from general revelation as seen in the earth's crust is just as valid as Scripture revelation. Actually, with this report in hand, the implication even went a step further by suggesting that it may be important within the religious sphere to recognize that God created everything in six days, but that this is not conclusive for those who are busy studying in the context of the geological sphere.

In more recent times men conclude that all knowledge begins with some kind of unproven theory or assumption and that therefore there are different kinds of truth systems. Thus, instead of men speaking about differing spheres of study, they speak of different truth systems depending on the context in which men work. This makes the question of Scripture authority pressing: Does it have authority in every context of life or only in the religious context?

Actually John Calvin already gave this matter some attention in his Institutes.⁵He argued that God gives His children better knowledge through Scripture revelation than what can be seen from things observed in creation. It is not that Calvin has the last word when settling disputes, but his arguments in this matter appear to be Scriptural and sound. His argument includes that our perception of things seen in this world is blurred through our sinful inclination. Moreover, the things we see in creation are things that have been affected by the fall into sin. It is not as if the things seen and observed from creation are still perfect. They have become corrupted. In Romans 8:20-22 we are told how creation groans under the futility into which it has fallen. Thus, Calvin says, we need to wear Scripture like glasses to clearly and correctly observe what we see in creation. So it is that upon reading Palm 19 we look to the skies with awe at what God has created. We look at the layers of rocks through the glasses of the Lord telling us that He created all this in six days. In this context we may certainly add that we also look through the glasses of knowing the world-wide flood in Noah's day and so forth. In short, Scripture revelation (i.e. special revelation) has priority over and above what we can observe from creation (i.e. general revelation). This should be kept in mind too when observing, for example, the animal world where contrary to how it was from the beginning, animals did not eat each other, nor did man eat flesh. We know from God's revealed Word that these things all changed after the fall into sin.

While the Dutch and later Christian Reformed reports on Scripture authority have a point in observing that Scripture is not an arithmetic or medicine handbook, these reports go off track by insinuating that Scripture only has authority in the areas of faith and religion. However, when reading Scripture it soon becomes clear that it has implications for all of life. Understanding from Scripture that God remains that Almighty Creator and Sustainer of everything that exists, the Word that he speaks directly in Scripture must have bearing on all aspects of this life. Neither a geologist nor a mathematician can put the Bible aside when doing his work. All of mankind is under obligation to hear and apply God's Word in every part of their lives. After all, it is there, in His Word, that God speaks to us directly. He does not speak to us in the same clear way in the things we see in creation. Like we maintain in the Belgic Confession it is in Scripture that God makes Himself more clearly and fully known ... as far as is necessary for us in this life, to His glory and for our salvation.

Here, too, it would be good to keep the sad reality in mind that there are many who in this regard remain blind in their hardness of heart. It is through the Holy Spirit that the Lord grants the blessing of knowing His will and Word.