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Why We Need Scripture to Know God | John Calvin · Reformed Thinking

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  Welcome to Reformed Thinking, a program dedicated to exploring
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  God's truth as revealed in His Word and applying it to our
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  lives today. Join us as we examine Christian
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  doctrine through a Reformed lens, seeking clarity and
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  understanding in a world full of questions.
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  Hello and welcome to the deep Dive where we take your source
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  material and distill its most potent insights, cutting through
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  the noise to get to what truly matters.
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  Today we're embarking on, well, a really crucial deep dive, I
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  think, into the indispensable place of God's word and truly
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  knowing him. We've got a collection of
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  sources here today, some excerpts from a significant
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  theological work. It addresses how we as humans
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  perceive God. Our mission really is to pull
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  out the core insights from these texts.
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  We want to help us all understand why Scripture isn't
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  just, you know, a helpful guide. No, it's presented here as a
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  divine and absolute necessity for knowing God properly.
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  This analysis it's vital for anyone who really wants to grasp
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  the Creator accurately and purely.
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  That's right. And this whole discussion, it
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  really starts with understanding God's self revelation.
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  How does he make himself known? We'll look at how God reveals
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  himself, you know, universally through his creation, this
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  general revelation. But then, and this is key, we'll
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  move to his specific is essential provision, his written
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  word, special revelation. And this framework, it helps to
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  see why special revelation isn't just some kind of add on.
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  It's a necessity, especially because of our own human
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  limitations, our spiritual state.
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  OK, so let's start right there at the beginning with the
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  natural world creation. Our sources say God's presence
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  is, well, pretty openly displayed for everyone, right?
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  Absolutely. The sources use phrases like
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  God's presences portrayed in his creatures, and this is across
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  heaven and on earth. It makes his existence
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  undeniable to all, without exception.
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  There's this brightness, a sort of glory that's borne in upon
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  the eyes of all men. Aren't you just have to look
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  around, don't you? The scale of the universe, the
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  detail in a leaf, it's all pointing somewhere.
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  And the sources bring up passages like Psalm 19.
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  You know, the heavens declare the glory of God.
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  The firmament chose forth the works of his hands.
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  It's constantly testifying. Man, it's not just visual is it?
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  No, not at all. The text mentions God's awesome
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  voice to it resounds in creation.
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  Think about Thunder, wind storms.
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  Psalm 29 talks about this. The power you see in nature.
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  It's another way God announces himself, His Majesty.
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  It's always there. Right.
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  So this general revelation, this constant display in the world,
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  it's described as more than enough to withdraw all support
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  from men's ingratitude, which means basically no excuses,
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  right? Everyone is accountable because
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  the witness is universal. It points to God's existence,
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  His glory. Exactly.
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  It leaves humanity without excuse.
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  But, and this is a huge but in the sources, while creation is
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  glorious, it's also insufficiently effective.
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  Insufficiently effective, that is, to lead someone to a saving
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  knowledge of God. OK, that's the point I want to
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  get to. If this display is so grand, so
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  unavoidable, why does it fall short?
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  Why isn't looking at the stars enough for, you know, true
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  spiritual understanding? What's wrong with us?
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  Well, that's where the sources detail our inherent frailties.
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  It's about our internal condition, our limitations after
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  the fall. First, the human mind itself is
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  described as tossed and agitated.
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  It's unstable, restless, Not a clear mirror, you know.
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  Like trying to see a reflection in choppy water.
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  Yeah, that's a good way to put it.
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  Our thoughts about God, left to themselves just don't stay
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  focused or pure. We wander.
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  Second, there's what the text calls a slippery fall into
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  forgetfulness of God. We see his glory one minute and
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  then we just forget or push it aside.
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  A kind of spiritual attention deficit.
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  You could say that it's a deeper thing, though, a tendency to
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  become spiritually numb to his presence, even when it's all
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  around us. Third, there's a great tendency
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  to every kind of error. Our minds naturally distort
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  truth. We draw the wrong conclusions
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  from what we see. So we might see power, but
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  misunderstand it or attribute it to the wrong thing.
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  Precisely. Or we ignore the parts of God's
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  character revealed in nature that we don't like.
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  Maybe his justice or holiness. We filter it through our own
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  skewed perspective and 4th, and this is really telling, there's
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  a great lust to fashion constantly new and artificial
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  religions. We have this internal drive to
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  invent gods. Instead of accepting the God who
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  is actually there. Exactly.
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  We want to create a God in our own image, one that fits our
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  desires, our comfort zones, our cultural biases.
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  History is littered with examples.
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  Wow, so agitated minds, forgetfulness, prone to error,
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  and this constant desire to invent our own deities.
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  That's quite a predicament. It is, and it means that, but
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  without some other help, our minds are left with only a
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  confused and incomplete knowledge of God.
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  We might see a God, like the sources say, but not the God
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  upon whom they are to look, not the true and living God.
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  That's the core issue. Our natural vision is just too
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  blurred, too distorted by our fallen nature.
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  The sources even say that even those who seem spiritually firm
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  would soon melt away without extra help.
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  That's a stark thought. It is.
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  It shows how deep the problem runs.
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  General revelation is vital. It makes us accountable.
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  But it simply can't overcome our internal spiritual blindness on
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  its own. We need something more.
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  OK, so given that diagnosis, our inherent limitations, this
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  blurred vision, the deep dive naturally turns now to God's
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  solution, His gracious provision.
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  And that, according to our sources, is the light of His
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  Word Scripture. Yes, the Word is presented as
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  another and better help. Its purpose is to direct us, a
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  right, to the very creator of the universe.
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  It's called a special gift. It's for those God chooses to
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  draw more closely and intimately to Himself.
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  It's not just information. It's a relational tool, a
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  specific act of grace. Because God knew creation alone
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  wouldn't be enough. Exactly, the sources say he
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  foresaw that his likeness in the universe would be insufficiently
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  effective for saving knowledge because of our condition, so he
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  provided this direct help. No, there's a really helpful
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  analogy used here. Scripture compared to
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  spectacles. Can you unpack that for us?
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  It really brings the point home. Sure, imagine, as the text says,
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  old or bleary eyed men and those with weak vision trying to read
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  a most beautiful volume. They can see there's writing,
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  they might recognize it's a book, but they can scarcely
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  construe 2 words. The meaning is totally lost to
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  them because their vision is impaired.
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  They know something's there but can't access it.
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  Right. But then, with the aid of
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  spectacles, suddenly they will begin to read distinctly.
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  The spectacles don't change the book, do they?
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  They don't add words or alter the text.
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  They simply correct the reader's vision.
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  OK, so the spectacles are like scripture.
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  Precisely. The sources draw the parallel
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  directly. So Scripture, gathering up the
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  otherwise confused knowledge of God in our minds, having
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  dispersed our dullness, clearly shows us the true God.
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  It takes the blurry, confused picture we get from creation,
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  distorted by our sin, and brings it into sharp focus.
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  It corrects our spiritual sights.
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  We can see God as He is. So it helps us see the true God,
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  not just a vague notion or our own invention.
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  That's the idea. It clears away the fog.
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  And it's God speaking directly, isn't it?
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  The text says he not merely uses mute teachers like Creation, but
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  also opens his own most hallowed lips.
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  Yes, it's personal instruction, God communicating in words
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  directly to us, not just showing, but telling,
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  explaining, revealing his mind and will.
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  And this wasn't just a sudden thing, right?
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  There's a history to this special revelation.
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  Definitely the sources trace it back.
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  God made himself known to the early patriarchs Adam, Noah,
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  Abraham, through oracles and visions or by the work in
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  ministry of men. Direct encounters.
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  God personally interacting with them.
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  Yes, and in doing so he was, as the text puts it, engraving firm
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  certainty of doctrine in their hearts, making sure they learn
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  directly from him. Building a foundation of truth.
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  A foundation that rendered faith unambiguous forever.
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  A faith that should be superior to all opinion.
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  It was grounded in divine testimony, not human ideas.
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  But then God took another step to make sure this truth would
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  last, that it would abide forever in the world and survive
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  through all ages. He.
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  Had it written down. He had his pleasure to have
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  recorded, as it were on public tablets, these truths He
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  committed his word to writing. This wasn't accidental.
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  It was a deliberate act to preserve his revelation, to
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  protect it from being a lost or corrupted through just oral
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  transmission over centuries. And that led to the scriptures
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  we. Have yes.
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  The process unfolded historically.
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  The Law was published and the prophets afterward added as its
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  interpreters. It shows God's plan unfolding to
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  give us a reliable written record of His truth for all
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  time. OK, so Scripture acts like
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  spectacles, bringing the true God into focus.
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  Let's explore that a bit more. How exactly does it help us
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  distinguish the true God from, well, all the other ideas about
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  God out there? Well, the word, according to the
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  sources, adorns with unmistakable Marks and tokens
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  the one true God. It gives us his specific
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  identifying features, his unique attributes.
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  It details his role as the one who has created and governs the
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  universe. This clarity prevents him from
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  being mixed up with the throng of false gods that people
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  invent. So it gives us the actual
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  characteristics of God, His Holiness, His sovereignty, His
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  love, His justice, things we might guess at or get wrong just
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  looking at nature. Exactly.
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  It defines what we ought to think of Him.
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  It provides the correct interpretation, the divine
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  perspective. This steers us away from
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  wandering off on devious paths, seeking some uncertain deity,
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  which is our natural tendency. It brings clarity in order to
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  our understanding of who God really is.
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  It. Stops us from just making things
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  up based on feelings or, you know, limited observations.
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  Right. And the sources then make a
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  really interesting distinction. They talk about two kinds of
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  knowledge of God that we get from Scripture.
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  Two kinds. OK, what are?
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  They well, the first sort allows you to grasp who that God is,
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  who founded and governs the universe.
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  This is about understanding God as the Creator and ruler.
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  Scripture helps here by describing God vividly from His
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  works, His power in creation, His wisdom in Providence.
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  But it does so according to the rule of eternal truth, not our
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  own depraved judgment. So it takes what we see in
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  creation and gives it the right interpretation, free from our
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  sinful biases. It confirms he's the maker and
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  sustainer. Yes, it solidifies that
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  foundational understanding. But then there's the second
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  sort. This is called the inner
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  knowledge, and the text says this is the knowledge which
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  alone quickens dead souls. Quickens dead souls.
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  That phrase really jumps out. That sounds like more than just
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  information. Oh.
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  Absolutely. It implies spiritual life,
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  resurrection. It's transformative.
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  So what defines this inner knowledge?
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  What makes it different? It reveals God not only is the
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  founder of the universe, but also in the person of the
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  Mediator as the Redeemer. This is the game changer.
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  It's the knowledge of God, not just as our Creator, but as our
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  Savior through Christ. Yes, it's knowledge founded in
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  Christ. And this, the sources say, is
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  what has always separated believers from unbelieving folk.
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  It's moving from acknowledging A cosmic architect to knowing the
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  God who provides reconciliation, who delivers us from sin.
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  So that's what quickens dead souls, knowing God as Redeemer.
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  That's the heart of it. It's the Holy Spirit using the
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  Word to bring spiritual lives, enabling us to see our need for
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  salvation and to find it in Christ.
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  It changes everything, our hearts, our wills, our
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  direction. Think back to those patriarchs,
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  Adam, Noah, Abraham. They knew God this way through
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  his promises. Looking forward to the Redeemer.
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  It was an intimate, saving knowledge that came from the
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  word God spoke. And this connects back to the
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  Law and the prophets. Yes, the sources explicitly say
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  their purpose was to teach the way of reconciliation between
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  God and men. And Paul saying Christ, the end
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  of the law, fits right in there. Perfectly, the entire biblical
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  narrative, Old and New Testaments, funnels towards
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  Christ, guiding us to this saving relationship, this inner
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  knowledge that brings life. OK so the Word teaches us who
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  God is, both creator and crucially Redeemer.
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  But you also mentioned it acts as a safeguard.
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  Given our tendencies to forget and air, how does Scripture
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  protects us? Well, it directly counters those
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  weaknesses we discussed earlier. Remember the minds slippery fall
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  and a forgetfulness, the great tendency to every kind of error,
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  the great lust to fashion artificial religions.
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  Yeah, the list wasn't very encouraging.
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  No, it wasn't. But God's written proof of the
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  heavenly doctrine is His provision against that.
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  It ensures truth should neither perish through forgetfulness nor
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  vanish through air, nor be corrupted by the audacity of
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  men. Having it written down gives it
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  permanence. It's a fixed standard.
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  It can't be easily changed by whims or bad intentions or just,
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  you know, memory lapses over generations.
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  Well, it's like an anchor in the midst of all our potential
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  drifting. That's a good way to think about
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  it. God foresaw that just looking at
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  creation wouldn't be enough to keep us on track because of our
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  fallen nature. So he gave us this explicit,
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  preserved word. It's not just helpful, it's
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  necessary because of who we are. Exactly.
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  And there's another powerful metaphor used in the sources
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  here. It describes the splendor of the
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  divine countenance, God's sheer glory, as being like an
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  inexplicable labyrinth for us. A labyrinth, meaning it's
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  complex, easy to get lost in. Yes, and maybe even
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  overwhelming, unapproachable by our unaided minds.
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  Trying to grasp the infinite God on our own is like wandering
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  lost in a maze. We just can't find the way.
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  You just end up confused, going in circles, maybe even heading
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  in the completely wrong direction.
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  Precisely so how do we navigate this divine labyrinth?
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  Let me guess the word. You got it.
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  The Word provides the thread to guide us through.
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  It conducts us along a straight path so we can actually
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  contemplate God without getting lost.
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  Without this thread, the sources warned, we shall never reach the
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  goal and we'll just stagger about in vanity and error.
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  It's better to follow the path God gives, even if it seems slow
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  or difficult, than to run off wildly on our own.
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  That's the wisdom here. And think about Christ and the
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  Samaritan woman again from John 4.
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  Right, he told her. You worship what you do not
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  know. Exactly.
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  They were religious, they were seeking, but they lacked full,
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  accurate revelation, the thread found in the law and prophets
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  which pointed to Him. They were, as Christ said,
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  staggering about it. Shows the real danger of trying
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  to know God without his specific word.
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  It really does, and the sources emphasize that errors can never
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  be uprooted from human hearts until true knowledge of God is
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  planted therein. So you can't just remove the
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  weeds, you have to plant the good seed.
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  That's it. And that true knowledge, that
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  good seed, comes through the Word.
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  By its doctrine, God establishes His rightful rule in our hearts
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  and minds. This allows pure religion to
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  flourish because it actively banishes superstitions and
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  errors. The Word cleans house,
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  spiritually speaking. This is fascinating.
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  The word isn't just informational or protective.
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  It seems to be actively doing something in us.
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  What are some of those direct spiritual effects?
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  Well, let's go back to Psalm 19 again.
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  After praising God for creation, the psalmist immediately pivots
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  to the effects of God's Word, His Law.
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  He says things like the law of the Lord is spotless, converting
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  souls. It has the power to turn people
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  around, to bring spiritual life. Converting souls, That's huge.
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  It is then the testimony of the Lord is faithful, giving wisdom
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  to little ones. It makes even the simple wise in
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  God's ways, not just for scholars but for everyone.
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  OK, what else? The righteous acts of the Lord
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  are right rejoicing hearts. Understanding God's ways through
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  His Word actually brings deep joy.
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  A joy based on truth, not just circumstance.
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  Exactly. And finally, the precept of the
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  Lord is clear, enlightening eyes.
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  It removes our spiritual blindness, allowing us to see
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  truth clearly. Wow.
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  Converting, giving wisdom, rejoicing, enlightening.
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  So these go way beyond just admiring a sunset, don't they?
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  Absolutely. Creation declares God's glory.
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  But the Word converts the soul. It performs spiritual surgery.
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  It brings about revitalization that general revelation alone
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  simply cannot achieve. This really underscores why the
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  source is called Scripture, the very school of God's children.
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  It's where the actual learning and growing happens.
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  It is. It's the curriculum for the
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  Christian life provided by God himself.
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  And that leads to a really strong statement in our sources.
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  True religion must take its beginning from heavenly
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  doctrine. And get this, no one can get
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  even the slightest taste of right and sound doctrine unless
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  he be a pupil of Scripture. Not even a slight taste.
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  That's putting it strongly. You have to be engaged with the
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  word. That's the assertion.
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  It's non negotiable for genuine understanding.
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  You can't bypass the class from the scripture and expect to
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  learn true theology or live rightly before God.
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  So what kind of pupil does that require us to be?
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  How should we approach this school?
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  Just reading isn't enough, presumably.
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  No, it's about posture. The sources say.
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  The beginning of true understanding emerges when we
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  reverently embrace what it pleases God there to witness of
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  himself. Reverently embrace.
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  It means coming with humility, ready to listen, ready to submit
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  to what God says about Himself, not trying to force our own
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  ideas onto the text. A teachable spirit.
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  Exactly. A heart that's receptive and
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  humble before the teacher. And then there's this crucial
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  connection made. All right.
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  Knowledge of God is born of obedience.
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  Knowledge born of obedience. How does that work?
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  It means true understanding isn't just intellectual.
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  It's tied to actually doing what the Word says.
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  As we obey God's commands revealed in Scripture, our
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  understanding of Him deepens. It's a cycle.
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  The Word enlightens us, leading to obedience, and that obedience
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  in turn confirms and deepens our knowledge and experience of God.
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  You can't truly know God without walking in His ways.
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  So hearing and doing are inseparable for real knowledge.
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  They absolutely are, according to these texts.
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  It's a responsive, submissive approach to God's truth that
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  yields genuine understanding. Hashtag #outro.
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  Well, this deep dive has certainly highlighted something
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  critical. While God's glory is evident all
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  around us in creation, making us aware of Him, it's His written
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  word, Scripture, that's indispensable.
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  It acts like those spectacles, bringing Him into clear focus.
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  It's the thread guiding us through the labyrinth of knowing
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  Him. It's the source of that pure
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  saving knowledge. That's right.
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  It's how we move from seeing a God to knowing the God creator
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  and most importantly, Redeemer. So as you listening, reflect on
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  this. Maybe think about what it means
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  for you personally to be a pupil of Scripture.
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  How does that posture of reverence and obedience shape
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  how you approach the Bible each day?
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  Are you coming to learn and obey, ready to have your sight
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  corrected and your soul converted?
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  What steps could you take maybe this week to engage with God's
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  Word, not just as information, but as that necessary guide and
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  life giving source Some good things to ponder.
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  We really hope this deep dive has brought some clarity to the
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  absolutely essential role of God's Word and knowing Him
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  truly. Thanks so much for joining us.
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  You've been listening to Reformed Thinking.
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  We pray that this analysis of God's Word encourages you in
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  your pursuit of truth and in your walk with Christ.
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  Join us again next time for more Reformed Thinking.