General Revelation

Remember that general and special revelation are presuppositions of Christian theism.  This worksheet will help you learn about general revelation.  Later on, you’ll learn about special revelation and the problems with worldviews which hold that no revelation exists.

General Revelation

God has given everyone some knowledge of who He is.  God’s act of giving this knowledge to us is calledgeneral revelation.  This means that everyone is held responsible to God because of the knowledge He has given us.  We have no excuse for rejecting God.  All of us have gone far beyond just rejecting God, though.  We’ve tried to bury the truth about Him and lift up other things that we can worship as gods.  For this assignment, we’ll discuss Romans 1:18-32 together and fill out the discussion questions.

Discussion Questions

1. Read Romans 1:18-32.  Because of general revelation, even non-Christians know certain things about God.  Make a list of the things that everyone knows.  (Pay special attention to verses 18-20 and 28-32.)
2. How do they know these things about God?  How has He revealed this knowledge to them?  (Pay special attention to verses 18-21.  You may also want to read Romans 2:12-16.)
3. What have non-believers done with their knowledge of God?  (Pay special attention to the way the word “suppress” is used in verse 18 and the word “retain” in verse 28.)
4. Why do you think non-believers suppress the truth about God?  Are you ever tempted to do the same thing when you’ve done something wrong?
5. What have non-believers become because they suppressed the truth?  Give evidence from Romans 1:18-32 to support your answer.
6. What are some of the substitute “gods” that the unbelievers in Romans 1:18-32 worship?  List some of them.
7. List some of the false gods our culture has lifted up today to replace the true God.
8. How would you respond to someone who says, “I’m not guilty of any sins because God never told me how to live His way”?  Explain part of Romans 1:28-32 to him as part of your answer.
9. If everyone has some knowledge of God, why do most of them say that they don’t know God – or say things about God that contradict Romans 1:18-20?  Hint: This has something to do with “suppressing” (v. 18) the truth and choosing not to “retain the knowledge of God” (v. 28)
10. Find a passage in the Bible other than Romans 1 that teaches about general revelation.  Copy down at least one verse and reference from the passage.  Explain the original meaning of the passage.
11. Now that you know more about general revelation, explain how this knowledge affects they way that you live.  Do you still try to suppress some of the knowledge of God?  How do you think God wants to change you?
12. Explain how your knowledge of general revelation should affect the way you see non-believers.  Will all non-believers be receptive to the gospel?  How can this knowledge help you share the gospel?
13. Do some Web or library research to find a religion or philosophy that says that no general revelation exists. (If you need help getting started, you may want to look at agnostics, who say that they don’t really know whether or not God exists.)  Explain the areas where you think that religion agrees with the Christian worldview.  Then explain the areas where you think that religion disagrees with the Christian worldview.

References

“Theology.” Lightbearers: A Biblical Christian Worldview Curriculum. Ed. David Noebel, Pat Maloy, and Kevin J. Bywater. Manitou Springs: Summit Ministries, 2004.

“General Revelation: God’s Reality Is Known to All.” Concise Theology:A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs. Packer, J.I. Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. 1993. 9-10.