Welcome to Defenders, the teaching class of Dr. William Lane Craig. Today, the Doctrine of Revelation

Part 3. For more information and resources from Dr. Craig, go to reasonable faith.org.

We've been talking about general revelation, and last time we looked at some of the functions of General Revelation.

And today we want to turn to the topic of the relationship of General Revelation

to natural theology. Now natural theology is that branch of theology which explores justification for God's existence

apart from the resources of authoritative divine revelation. Set aside what we know about God

from his authoritative revelation in Scripture, for example,

and what can be known about God simply on the basis of human reason alone.

So the project of natural theology is to construct various arguments for God's existence.

And the question we want to ask now is, what is the relationship between general revelation

in nature and the project of natural theology of arguing for God's existence?

And the question that arises in this context is how we should understand what Paul says in Romans

chapter 1 about the knowledge of God that is available through his revelation generally in nature and in conscience.

Namely, is this revelation such that it is an inference to God's existence from, for example,

the order in nature, or just the existence of the creation, or the moral law written on our hearts and our grasp

of objective moral values and duties, do we then infer that God exists?

Is there sort of argument here that Paul is presenting?

Is he endorsing, in other words, the project of natural theology in Romans 1?

Or rather, is the knowledge of God that is available through general revelation more like

perception that is to say, as you look at nature, you just sort of see that it was created by God. It's not an

inference to God's existence. It's not an argument. It's more like an insight. You look at nature

or you sense the moral law within, and you simply perceive in that God's existence and goodness.

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