11/27/13

From Jim McGuiggan... Can we find God by unaided reason?

Can we find God by unaided reason?

I don’t believe humans can uncover the will of God by unaided reason and by reflecting on the creation. I don’t believe the will of God is written in our DNA (though I don’t know how environment affects the genes of a developing human or the infant child). I think God revealed foundational moral and relational truths to us from the beginning and that he added to those through prophets, priests and leaders. I think too that he enables us to use those foundational truths and additional materials in daily living and experience so that we can develop other moral truths from them. (The biblical Wisdom literature—Proverbs, for example—shows that God teaches generations through prior generations.) I believe that God has acted in self-disclosure in history through pivotal events and people and covenants he established.

I believe David knew the heavens declare the glory of God because he was taught it that rather than deducing it by unaided reason. And the God whose glory he spoke of was not some Aristotelian conclusion—it was the God of Israel so we shouldn't generalise Psalm 19.

I don’t believe Romans 1:18-32 is talking about truths deduced by unaided reason but about truth God revealed and was illustrated in the creation. No one came up with all the moral truths of Romans 1:18-32 by making rational deductions without special revelation.


©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.