We live during a time where it seems easy to learn about anything. Using any connected device opens up a world of knowledge at our fingertips. I used to love being good a trivia and learning lots of useless stuff, but who needs to do that today when your cellphone can pretty much tell you anything you want to know. When we talk about God though, this seems so limited. Sure I can look up what a Church believes or read articles and books from Christian authors, but how can I find out more about God, who He is or what He truly wants for me?
We can know about God from the four major sources of knowledge.
- Authoritative Knowledge
This is knowledge gained from what we have been taught. This knowledge comes from a trusted source i.e. a person you respect. We often get advice from people we respect about our finances, our marriage or our parenting. The key here is the reliability of the source. The better the source, the more weight we place in the information being gained.
When it comes to knowledge or belief in God, we have two authoritative sources, the Bible and Jesus Christ. A key aspect of these two sources is that each has many evidences that support their claims of authority.
A. The Bible
This is a collection of books written by many sources which have been recognized as Scripture or Special Revelation from God. This has been considered the major source of knowledge about God for centuries.
2 Timothy 3:16–17 (NIV)
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
The claims of the Bible can be supported by scientific, manuscript, archeological and prophetical arguments.
B. Jesus Christ
Jesus came to earth and left His mark as the only one who could speak definitively for God. Not only His words, but His actions were consistent in displaying a life that not only fully obeyed God but actually embodied the very nature of God Himself. He makes God known to us.
John 1:18 (NIV)
No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
Hebrews 1:1–3 (NIV)
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets…2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.
The claims of Jesus can be supported by historical, prophetical, resurrection centered & logical arguments.
- Rational Knowledge
This is knowledge gained from what we have pondered or thought through. This knowledge is acquired after we have wrestled with observations and information brought to us. This is the use of logic to think through a question rationally to produce an answer. It is usually achieved in two distinct ways.
A. Deductive Reasoning
This is when we start off with a general observation and boil it down to a specific truth.
An example of deduction would be,
if A is true then that would cause B, C, and D to be true.
A is true.
therefore we can deduce that B, C, and D are true.
For example:
- All men are mortal.
- Isaac Newton is a man.
- Therefore, Isaac Newton is mortal.
The results of deductive reasoning are either valid or invalid.
1 Corinthians 15:12–19 (NIV)
But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
Paul uses the false general statement, “There is no resurrection” to deduce the following specific statements:
- Christ has not been raised
- Our preaching is useless
- Your faith is useless and futile
- We are false witnesses about God
- Your sins are unforgiven
- Those Christians who have died are forever lost
- We are to be the most pitied of all people.
This was a negative example to should how you can use deduction to prove things.
B. Inductive Reasoning
This is when you start off with specific observations and bring them together to uncover a general truth.
An example of induction would be
B, C, and D are observed to be true
Since if A is true, that would cause B, C, and D to be true.
therefore A might be true.
For example:
A large enough asteroid impact would create a very large crater and cause a severe impact winter that could drive the flightless dinosaurs to extinction.
We observe that there is a very large crater in the Gulf of Mexico dating to very near the time of the extinction of flightless dinosaurs
Therefore it is possible that this impact could explain why the non-avian dinosaurs became extinct.
The results of inductive reasoning are strongly probable, though not proven perfectly.
Romans 1:20 (NIV)
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
Paul uses the creation of the world to induce some general things about God, i.e. His great power (Creation) and His divine nature (orderly, consistent, etc…)
When it comes to knowledge or belief in God, we can make many rational arguments regarding the creation of the world, the beginning of life, the creation of man, the truth of the cross, etc…
Acts 17:2–3 (NIV)
As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead.
Paul reasoned from specific scriptures that Jesus was the suffering messiah.
- Empirical Knowledge
This is knowledge gained from what we can measure. This is being able to know something through our five senses: Seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, and smelling. We can answer questions such as how tall are you? How old are you? What color is your hair & eyes? This knowledge is capable of being verified or disproved by observation i.e. the scientific method.
Most things proven empirically are done through repeated testing and verification. This process however only works for events that are repeatable. One-time events such as accidents, miracles and creations cannot be repeated, but we can still use eyewitnesses to verify.
When it comes to knowledge or belief in God, the miracles scattered throughout the Bible have given us knowledge about God through the senses of others.
Matthew 11:4–5 (NIV)
Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.
Acts 17:31 (NIV)
For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
1 John 1:1–3 (NIV)
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
- Intuitive Knowledge
This is knowledge gained from what we intuitively feel or sense. This often involves having insight into the correctness of something considered. It is the pursuit of hunches or taking educated guesses. Although this is considered a weak source of knowledge because it does not point to something concrete, it must not be simply overlooked. Often with time and experience we come to the correct conclusions about things that we don’t have enough information to decide with otherwise. This is how a parent can often detect problems with their children before any evidence presents itself or how an expert in the field can detect patterns before they have been accurately tracked. The best counseling comes from people who are sensitive enough to follow their intuition to uncover underlying issues that are harming people.
When it comes to knowledge or belief in God, many people feel the presence of God and His Spirit both before and after they decide to follow Him. We also develop deep feelings towards God after experiencing a relationship with Him over time. I have felt God’s love during difficult times and felt His direction and presence during times of indecision. Many others have experienced the power of prayer to heal the sick and help others.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV)
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
God has set an emptiness and restlessness in human hearts that only He can fill. Many try to fill this need with physical pleasures and worldly pursuits.
1 Corinthians 2:12–14 (NIV)
What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.
There is a knowledge about God that is discerned by those who have the Spirit of God. This is intuitive knowledge. There are truths about God that we may not be able to prove but we know and feel they are right.
God speaks to us in many ways. Are we listening? What are some ways that God has communicated truth and knowledge to you? Please comment down below.