The Heavens Declare, Part 2 … (August 2025 Update)
How can we know about God? Theologians tell us that there are two main ways we can learn about God. The first, is through General Revelation. The other is called Special Revelation. When we talk about God’s revelation, we say that God has revealed Himself in two ways – through General Revelation and through Special Revelation. General Revelation is primarily through creation. Special revelation is primarily through God’s Word. We will focus on special revelation another time. But, for now, let’s compare and contrast these two ways God reveals Himself.
First, General revelation is called general and universal because its content is general and because it comes to all of mankind. Special revelation is sometimes called particular revelation because it reveals particular things about God. For example, through general revelation, we might be able to know that there is a god who created everything, but we would not know exactly what that God expected of us. General revelation tells us about God in general. But we need special revelation to tell us specific and particular things about God’s will and God’s character.
Second, General revelation is “mediate” and natural while Special Revelation is “immediate” and supernatural. The terms “mediate” and “immediate” are philosophical terms which indicate how we receive information. Mediate means that the information comes to us through a medium or a mediator. It is not direct – it comes through something rather than coming directly from God. General revelation is called mediate because it comes through creation or nature. On the other hand, special revelation is called “immediate” because it comes directly from God. Therefore, it is supernatural revelation rather than natural revelation.
Third, General Revelation focuses on the Works of God or what we see that God has done – primarily through His great work in creation. But Special Revelation focuses on the Words of God because God Himself has spoken directly to us.
Fourth, General Revelation can produce what is called a “Natural Theology” or a theology based on what we can learn from nature. Special Revelation is based on what the Word of God says and so it forms the foundation for what we call Biblical Theology.
We most often call this General Revelation because it is not specific – there is no propositional truth conveyed. There are no clear facts gained by General Revelation. So there is a need to observe what we see in General revelation and draw conclusions. The information we gain from creation is general rather than specific. The danger can be that we can easily misinterpret what we observe from General Revelation.
Second, General Revelation is also called Universal Revelation because it is God’s communication with all people at all times in history and in all places. Through creation and conscience, God has revealed His existence to all people – universally.
So it is also called General and Universal because, first, its content is general and universal and, second, its audience is general and universal – the same information is available to all people everywhere. All people can observe the same universe and all humans can observe the same types of behavior in all cultures. So it is universal.
Some theologians also suggest that we can develop a Natural Theology from General Revelation or from Nature alone. This might be possible but it would not be sufficient because the knowledge we can get about God from creation is too general to tell us enough about God.
Now there are three questions that we need to raise about General Revelation. First, is General Revelation (by itself) clear? We would answer that there are some things that are made clear by General Revelation. For example, General Revelation tells us that there is a creator. But General Revelation is also not clear. Without special revelation, General Revelation cannot tell us what this God desires. Does He want us to throw our babies into the Ganges River or throw virgins into a volcano to appease His anger or does He want something else? So we would conclude that, while General revelation is important, it is not sufficiently clear for us to really know about God.
Second, can we construct a Natural Theology? In other words, can we derive a theology sufficient enough to really know enough about God simply from nature alone? Again, we would answer that General Revelation and Natural Theology may provide some evidence about God but not with any clarity to create a complete theology simply based on creation.
Finally, that brings us to the third and most important question: Can a person be saved through General Revelation? While General Revelation is important, it is not clear enough to lead to salvation. It is not even sufficiently clear to know details about the God of creation much less what the God of creation desires from us.
If General Revelation cannot provide a Natural Theology and is not sufficient for salvation, then why do we need it?
General revelation matters first of all because it is biblical. Psalm 19 tells us that the heavens declare the glory of God and, in Romans 1, Paul reminds us that everyone has seen the reality of a Creator from the creation and they are therefore without excuse. General Revelation is a biblical idea.
Second, General revelation is important for us in doing Apologetics for evangelism. Many non-believers will not accept the authority of the Bible – God’s special revelation. But they can see creation and human nature and draw conclusions that might provide opportunities for discussions. So general revelation provides a bridge to evangelistic conversations.
Third, General revelation can be very important for Missions. Since many cultures emphasize nature in their belief systems, being able to discuss the reality of the One who created everything opens the door to introducing cultures without the Bible to the God who created everything. This is what the Apostle Paul does in introducing Christianity to the Greek philosophers in Athens in Acts 17.
Now, let’s take a look at Psalm 19. We can divide Psalm 19 into 3 sections: 1st, General Revelation (vv. 1-6); 2nd, Special Revelation (vv. 7-10); and 3rd, Wonderful Benefits (vv. 11-14).
In terms of General Revelation, the Psalmist tells us 4 things.
First, he points us to the Cosmos or the universe as evidence for God. Author Paul David Tripp mentions creation as being a “road sign” to God. He states, “…a sign points you to a thing, but the sign is not the thing. Creation points us to the Creator.” To observe the natural world, with all its beauty and complexity, without desiring to know and understand the Creator makes as much sense as being so enraptured by the Mona Lisa that you would rather gaze at the painting than sit down and have tea with the creator of the masterful art piece. Just as the Mona Lisa showcases the talent and craftsmanship of DaVinci, creation stands witness for the attributes of Almighty-God, the Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer of the earth. “The heavens declare the glory of God!”
Second, he tells us that the witness of creation is Constant … Through the constant repetition of day to night to day to night, the glory, wisdom, power, and faithfulness of God are continually revealed. There is never a time when this witness to God is silent. It is seen by all people everywhere.
Third, this revelation is Clear … As we saw in the first two verses, these phrases are reiterating the voice of creation as it “declares” and “proclaims” God’s glory. But what is the “voice” that David is referring to? The sun does not have language. The clouds do not give an audible shout as they drift by overhead. We do not walk through a forest and hear the trees suddenly burst into song. Rather, their “speech” is embedded in their very nature. The heavens declare God’s glory by simply doing what it was made to do – by providing light to mark the days and the seasons. The earth shouts praises to its maker by fulfilling its calling to bring forth vegetation, to flower and grow and provide food for other living organisms. The language of nature is therefore a universal language, which is why, in Romans 1:20, Paul states that all men are “without excuse” for denying the power and existence of God, because it has been “clearly perceived…in the things that were made.”
Fourth, this revelation is Universal … This final statement is like a bookend with verse 1 to the first stanza of Psalm 19. It declares the universality of the sun’s influence. Just as the “heavens declare the glory of God” (v. 1) loudly enough to leave all men “without excuse,” so the heat of the sun touches everything in its path.
General revelation through creation is universal, it is clear, and it is constant.
In verses 7-10, David switches from General Revelation to Special Revelation. While General revelation is important for all people everywhere, special revelation is better and more clear than general revelation.
In verses 7, 8, and 9, David has 6 couplets about the Word of God. In each of them, he tells what the Word of God is and what it does. In verse 7, he says it is perfect and trustworthy and that it refreshes the soul and makes the simple wise. In verse 8, he says it is right and that it gives joy to the heart and light to the eyes. In verse 9, he says that the fear it produces is pure and that it is sure, and that it lasts forever and is completely righteous. Then in verse 10, he says it is better than even the sweetest honey.
In verses 11-14, David then explains the wonderful benefits of the Word of God. In verse 11, He says that it warns us about sin in our lives and that God rewards those who live by His word. In verse 12, he tells us that the Word even reveals our hidden faults by showing them to us. Finally, in verse 13, he says that the Word can protect us even from willful sins so that they will not rule over us.
So, Psalm 19 is about God’s revelation. In verses 1-6, David points out that we all have General Revelation about God. But then in the rest of the Psalm, he shows us how the Word of God is a much better revelation than creation because it is specific and tells us exactly what God desires – that’s Special Revelation.
Creation is a wonderful vehicle for telling us that there is a God who created everything we seen. In creation, we can marvel at His beauty and His majesty. But creation alone does not tell us about His love or His mercy. And it does not tell us about His demands for salvation. It merely tells us that He Is! And most of all, it cannot tell us about His Son and the salvation that He alone provides for us. This is why we need evangelism and missions. As Paul reminds us in Romans 10: “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” General Revelation is important. All the heavens declare the glory of God to all men everywhere. But General Revelation cannot tell people about the love and salvation of God. And it cannot tell about the salvation purchased for us by Jesus on the cross. That’s why missions exists. And that’s why we must share the gospel to everyone everywhere.
Opportunities to Serve and Teach …
As I mentioned last month, this academic year, I will only be teaching one Ukrainian class by myself because nearly my classes will be taught by Ukrainian professors that were my former students! This is what missions is really all about – equipping and training local leaders to do the work of the ministry. Someone long ago told me that the job of a missionary is to work himself out of a job! Even though I now have Ukrainian professors in place, I will still be joining them once a day during classes to answer questions. This has been very helpful for the new professors. Please pray for these Ukrainian colleagues as they work toward teaching on their own. And also pray that I can find someone to teach my remaining class.
Now that I have handed off most of my classes to Ukrainians, I will be transitioning to helping train missionaries going to the field. The biggest need we have been asked to help with so far is theological education. Missionaries face some unique challenges in terms of getting a sufficient theological education before heading to the field. Currently, most of the available education options are expensive for missionaries and many even require a residency period. We have been asked to create a viable theological education for missionaries that is cost effective and prepares them with theological foundations (especially Ecclesiology, for church planting) and the basic ability to understand and interpret the Greek NT. Additionally, we need to create a program that is easily transferable. I’m in my 70s and don’t know how long I can continue to help so we need to design something that could be led by anyone with a theological education. That’s a major task!
So far, I have been able to outline a 2-year program that gives missionaries most of what would be learned in a 2-year master’s degree. It would involve a readings program along with a regular Zoom group meeting for discussion. Students would also be writing position papers for each class module. Finally, we are wanting to create a format that allows both husbands and wives to study together. We believe this is important for missionaries since husbands and wives work together as teams on the mission field (but usually, only the husband has theological training).
Finances are the biggest concern for theological education. Current programs usually cost about $350/credit hour or over $1000 per class. Since a typical Master’s degree program is at least 36 hours (some are up to 96 hours), it costs missionaries over $12,000 for a 2-year program! That’s way too much for missionaries to spend to be trained and equipped for missionary service. Missionaries need to be debt-free when they leave for the field. So, we are trying to put together something that will cost a husband and wife around $2000 total for a 2-year program. We are hoping that even this cost might be able to be covered by scholarships. We will be sharing more about this as we get once we get everything in place.
So, this is my major project for this fall. It will take a lot of designing something that can be helpful and also be transferable so others can use it. I prefer teaching classes, but it seems like this is how I can be most helpful for the Kingdom in the near future. So, please pray for me. It will be a lot of work and time for me to create this program. Hopefully we can start our first group in January or at the latest next fall.
Family …
Summer has been hot but busy. We spent as much time as possible indoors because of the heat and humidity. Usually, Katya and I worked outside (on landscaping or garden) every morning before 7:30 and every evening after 7:30. Then I worked indoors during the hot days. We took breaks for swimming and skating and for seeing off some of our missionary friends from Ecuador. We also had a family of baby birds on our porch that we got to observe daily!
Our big event last month was Camp Harvest. This is the VBS that our church (Harvest Community Church) does every summer. Katya and I worked at the camp last year and we volunteered again for this year. Katya helped with crafts, and I helped with “service projects.” Haven and Harlie joined Kristina and Nadia this year in the camp too. We had a great time!
While summer has been a little slow for us, we know that we still have a few important things to do with our house this fall. We still have baseboard and trim to do, and we need to get the casings done around our windows. Then I also need to paint most of the rooms. Once we do that, we will be just about finished after about 3 years of building. I tell Katya that I’m tired and I’m ready to sit on our porch and relax for a little while. It’s been hard working and building almost every spare moment. But we have been able to save a lot of money, and we have a very nice house that will be a blessing for us for many years to come.
Pray for Ukraine …
Thank you for praying for Ukraine. Our colleagues and students there continue to be worn out by the constant air raids of missiles and drones. Yet they continue to serve their churches and share the gospel. Pray for peace – not just from the war (which we pray daily for) but also for peace in their hearts and in their lives.
Thank you for your prayers and support. We are always amazed at God’s wonderful grace to us over these many years. I have been teaching overseas and in Ukraine for over 29 years now. This has all be possible because of your prayers and support throughout these years.
By His Grace,
Jim and Katya, Kristina and Nadia
If you missed previous updates or just want to read some short theological reflections, you can find these at our website at https://teachingresources.org/ .
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