How Do You Know? Knowledge By Revelation

Knowledge is something we really take for granted. We use the phrase, “I know (fill in the blank),” but have you ever stopped to think about how you know it? This is especially important when it comes to whether or not you’re a Christian.

Two forms of knowledge that are frequently cited by atheists are empiricism and rationalism. Empiricism holds that the only things that can be known are those which can be detected by our senses – seen, tasted, touched, felt, and heard. It has several presuppositions, some of which include that senses can be trusted, that they accurately relay information about the world around us, that they are the only faculties that can do so, and that the physical (material) world is all that exists. An extension of this is the belief that science (i.e. the scientific method) is the only source of knowledge since it (only) tests for things that can be verified with our senses. (Interestingly this also assumes the validity of the scientific method which itself cannot be tested by anything.)

Rationalism, on the other hand, holds that the only way to know anything is through logic and reason. In other words, we can only say we know something if our propositions are true and our reasoning process is valid – i.e. if our conclusions can be rightly drawn from the premise(s). This method also has its own presuppositions, including the validity of logic itself and the existence of non-physical/immaterial things like laws of logic, propositions, and the mind (atoms don’t evaluate arguments and form conclusions, they just move where they’re pushed. Consequently we must have an immaterial mind if we say we rely on reason for knowledge).

If done correctly, empiricism and rationalism can give us glimpses of knowledge. But can we always trust our senses? Do we always properly think through something to draw the right conclusion? Obviously the answer to both of these questions is no. There must be another way we can know things, and that is by revelation.

Revelation simply means the revealing of something previously unknown or unrecognized.  If you stop and think about it, there are many things that we know based on revelation.  The easiest example is love – I know my wife loves me because she tells me so.  Her revealed love is also substantiated by empirical knowledge (a warm embrace) and rationality (her actions are consistent with her profession).  It is only in light of her revelation that the empirical and rational evidences make sense.  The empirical and rational evidences are important, but I can only know she loves me because she tells me.

Knowledge is not simply a belief…it is a justifiably true belief.  To know something by revelation requires the revealer to be an authority on the matter in question.  My wife’s friends and family could tell me she loves me, but they are not adequate authorities.  Only my wife, in charge of her own heart and feelings, has the authority I can trust to know that she loves me.  Let’s call this revelation by authority.

Another example of how revelation by authority works in my life is the existence of black holes.  While one may say they can be empirically measured and rationally discerned from the data, I personally could never know they exist because I don’t have access to the measurements and don’t understand the calculations.  Stephen Hawking, however, does have such capabilities.  And since he has proven to be a reliable authority on black holes, I personally can know they exist because I trust his revelation concerning them.

So lets apply this to Christianity.  God has revealed Himself to us in generalities through nature and in specifics through communication over the centuries with His prophets.  Jesus of Nazareth affirmed the Hebrew collection of revelations (a.k.a Old Testament) and solidified His authority for further revelation by performing miracles and rising from the dead.  Furthermore, the apostles also had authority because they personally knew Jesus before and after His resurrection, and they confirmed their authority by miracles.  This collection of revelations is known today as the New Testament.

It is because of God’s revelation that I can confidently say that I know God exists, that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that I have a personal connection to Him.  God’s revelation also teaches me a number of other things, including the dual nature of the universe (material and immaterial), the existence of objective morality, and the purpose of all creation, just to name a few.  Only after I accept knowledge through God’s revelation does everything else make sense – my empirical and rational knowledge about myself, the universe, morality, and reality finally fit together into a cohesive system.  Without God’s revelation, however, our bits and pieces of knowledge may be useful but end up being inconsistent and arbitrary when combined together as a system.  As in the example of my wife’s love, empiricism and rationalism can only give glimpses of our world and (if one is willing to admit it) its Creator.  Only the Creator Himself has the authority we can trust to fully know and understand our world, His ways, and ourselves. 

The key question then becomes “what is your authority?” As a Christian, one submits to God’s authority as He revealed it to man and is recorded in the Bible. Non-Christians reject God’s authority and supplant it with something else. Over the years they have tried to use their minds, senses, or a combination of both. Honestly, though, non-Christians place themselves as the ultimate authority – they will be the judge of what they claim as acceptable knowledge using a combination of methods that they deme as worthy to achieve their desired conclusion. This rejection of God’s authority for our own was the first sin ever committed and it is the one sin shared by all of humanity today.

There are many things you know already that are based on the authority of someone else.  If you haven’t already done so, I urge you to open the Bible and ask your Creator to reveal some knowledge to you today.  You might be surprised at what you learn and find yourself wanting more!

Understanding John 15:7 & 16:23

Have you ever wondered how the apostles John and Peter could so confidently say to the lame beggar "get up and walk" in Acts 3:6?  Furthermore, have you ever wrestled with Jesus' promise in John 15:7 and 16:23 that if we abide in Him and ask anything in His name He will do it?  I personally have always had trouble reconciling these clear promises of Jesus to answer prayer with the reality of Him not always doing so.  Maybe I'm not abiding enough?  Maybe I'm not asking correctly or believing enough? 

Such confusion and self-condemnation inherently comes when we interpret Jesus' promises in John 15:7 and 16:23 to mean that He is talking to us today.  This is the way I've always heard these verses taught -- usually they are pulled out of context and used to support the larger notion that Jesus obliges Himself to answer our prayers if they are in the right form.  Recently, though, I discovered that this is a wrong interpretation of these verses.  They do not apply to us today.  While that may sound disappointing at first, it is actually liberating and has actually strengthened my faith in the Scriptures.

Let me start by stating the difference between Scriptural interpretation and application.  Interpretation is the meaning that the passage of Scripture is trying to convey.  It is a function of the historical and Biblical context, the original audience, the literary form (hyperbole, poetry, parable, narrative, etc.), and of course the words used.  Application is simply how we apply the passage's meaning to our every day experiences.

What then is the proper interpretation of Jesus' promises in John 15:7, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you," as well as similar promises in John 14:14, 15:16, and 16:23? We must first examine the context -- who is Jesus speaking to?  He is speaking to the eleven disciples who would soon become His apostles, Christ's officially sanctioned witnesses who would spread the Gospel after His ascension.  It was to these men, and these men only, to whom Jesus obliged Himself to answer every prayer offered in His name.

This was critical since these men would later use miracles as a confirmation of their apostolic authority (2 Cor 12:12).  Let's use the previous example of Peter and John -- they weren't "led" by some intuition, or "received a word" to go heal the beggar.  They saw an opportunity to glorify Christ and they confidently took it, knowing their prayer would be answered because Jesus promised it would be.  These men claimed to carry God's message and their miracles affirmed their authority.

The fact that this promise is for the apostles and not for me does not dwindle my faith; rather, it increases it.  No, I can't claim that Jesus is obliged to answer my prayers if I do everything correctly.  But I do have more confidence in the authority of the New Testament and the apostles who originally proclaimed it, based on the historical accounts of their miraculous signs in Jesus' name.  My faith is strengthened in their Gospel message.

Now, although Christ's promises in John 14-16 do not apply to us today, the principles and application contained therein still do.  We are commanded to abide in Christ (15:4-6), keep His commandments (14:21), pray in Jesus' name (16:24), etc.  We also learn a lot about the role of the Holy Spirit (14:16-17, 26; 15:26; 16:7-13), God's love for His followers (14:23), God's promise of eternity for believers (14:1-3, 16:22), the tribulation we will face as believers (16:33), etc.

Knowing that Jesus' promises in John 14-16 are not for me is a relief -- I am no longer confused and disappointed in God when my prayers go unanswered, even when I try my hardest to abide and pray.  John 14-16 still has a lot of valuable instruction for me that I hope to grow in.  And I'm at peace knowing that Christ entrusted the founders of my faith with His promises and affirmed their authority with signs and wonders.