August 02, 2023—Answers to a study guide on an essay by Matthew Barrett
This is the first post in a series about the doctrine of scripture:
Matthew Barrett wrote an essay on TGC titled “Scripture as Divine Revelation”.
Here is the definition and summary given by Barrett:
Scripture is the written form of God’s special revelation for his people, both the Old Testament and the New Testament, which provides them with an enduring, permanent witness through which the Spirit brings them into union with the resurrected and ascended Christ.
Divine revelation, which is a remarkable and gracious gift of God, comes in both general and special ways. General revelation is given to everyone everywhere is broad (though far from empty) in what it says about God. This kind of divine revelation is found in creation and in every person’s conscience. Special revelation, on the other hand, is specific in its content and omnipotent in its effect. Through this revelation, God communicates the mysteries of the faith and personal knowledge of Christ to his people. Scripture is the written form of special revelation, providing God’s people with an enduring witness to the work of God in Christ. This Scripture has been “breathed out” by God through his Spirit, carrying along the authors of Scripture as they wrote.
These are my answers to a study guide given by my pastor. Hopefully my answers correctly summarize the essay.
Scripture is the written form of God’s special revelation.
It is special revelation, in contrast to general revelation.
Scripture is from God.
Scripture is for God’s people.
Scripture includes the Old and New Testaments. It includes God’s self-revelation. It includes the mysteries of the faith, and personal knowledge of Christ. It includes an enduring witness to the work of God in Christ.
No, scripture is an enduring witness.
The Holy Spirit accomplishes the revelation of the Christ through scripture. It is through this witness that the Spirit brings God’s people into union with the resurrected and ascended Christ. In other words, the Spirit makes Christ known to us in a saving way.
General revelation is revelation that is available to all and less precise in what it reveals about God. It includes the knowledge that God is divine in nature and very powerful.
Special revelation is more specific in its content. Also it is omnipotent in its effect whereas general revelation may be suppressed by people. General revelation is also distinct in that it is received through man’s internal conscience and through the created order, as opposed to special revelation which God communicated through various other mediums.
It is extraordinary that God has spoken to us because he is such an exalted being, higher than us brittle creatures, and utterly impossible to comprehend fully. And also because he is so very holy in contrast to us who are so very sinful. It is across these two great gulfs that God has spoken a gracious, redeeming word.
General revelation reveals that God is creator. It also reveals many of his divine attributes. However it does not reveal the Trinity or the person and work of Christ.
Scripture is different from other mediums of special revelation in that the witness in scripture is enduring and permanent. Prophets died and many of their visions and dreams were not recorded in scripture and thus have been lost. Even Christ, who is himself the message and supreme self-revelation of God, ascended into the heavens and in that sense is not with us any longer. Scripture, on the other hand, is the Spirit’s enduring, ever-present gift to God’s people. We do not know Christ apart from the word of Christ inscripturated.
Yes, God revealed his written word progressively over time. In Barrett’s words, “[it] did not fall from heaven all at once. Rather it was revealed progressively over the course of history and through human hands.”
No, not all later prophets had to ascend Sinai like Moses to bring down God’s written word.
Inspiration is key for understanding the scriptures. It does not indicate that the human authors merely recorded their religious experience by “inspiring” events. Instead, all scripture is breathed out by God, meaning they originated with God.
He intended to summarize 2 Peter 1:21 which states that men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. By “concursus” he meant that there was a simultaneous operation between the human and the divine author, though the divine author is primary.
The greatest testimony to the inspiration and divine origin of scripture is the very common refrain in the scriptures that Jesus fulfills the covenant promises of God in them.
This is a helpful reminder that the first cause of scripture was not God’s people. And therefore the organization of God’s people (“the Church”) was not the first cause. Therefore we do not need to import or appeal to any other authority than that of God himself.