Trying to ascertain the Biblical view on other religions is an important task in our pluralistic world, but it is also a very large and varied task. There are a number of different approaches that could give insight into how other religions were viewed by Jews and later by Christ and the first Christians, and how they are to be viewed today. The approach that we shall take here will focus on general revelation, and its relation to this endeavor to understand how the Bible approaches other faiths. Ascertaining the way God has revealed Himself to all people throughout the world can provide a foundation for entering dialogue with people of different faith traditions.
As Christians, we hold the special revelation of the Bible as the authoritative self-revelation of God to humanity, which reveals the only name under heaven by which we are to be saved, Jesus Christ. Yet, even as we confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we acknowledge that God has revealed Himself to all people through creating and upholding the world. The Bible testifies to this general revelation, and it is to this Biblical testimony that we shall turn, narrowing our focus to the Old Testament, as we look to begin formulating a Biblical approach to other religions. In looking to a number of Old Testament texts, we assert that God has revealed Himself to the whole world through general revelation, but this revelation is not sufficient for sinful humanity to come to know God. We shall then briefly discuss the implications of this for dialogue with other religions.
There are a number of Old Testament texts which testify to the general revelation of God. Undoubtedly one of the best known is Psalm 19, which begins, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands" (v. 1). This Psalm proclaims God as the creator of the world, and affirms that this world which God created testifies to its maker. Undoubtedly, this text does provide an important foundation for any assertion that God has revealed himself to the world through the testimony of His creation. Yet, a careful look at Psalm 19 helps us qualify this understanding as well. Following six verses proclaiming the testimony creation gives to God its Maker, verses 7-11 turn attention to God's law. Although creation testifies to God, it is God's law which is "trustworthy" (v. 7), "right," "radiant" (v. 8), and "altogether righteous" (v. 9). Even as the psalmist proclaims the general revelation of God in creation, God's law is lifted above this revelation, for it is the law, and not creation, which makes God's will and nature most fully known. It is the law which makes know God's desire for humanity, as the psalmist proclaims, "By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward" (v. 11, emphasis added). Psalm 19 is an example of a text which clearly proclaims that God has made Himself known as creator of the world, but it also uplifts the unique and central character of specific revelation, which more fully reveals God to creation.
Another important Old Testament text which deals with general revelation is Jeremiah 10. In this chapter, Jeremiah is condemning idol worship, and is contrasting the living God to the idols that people worship. Reminiscent of Psalm 19, Jeremiah acknowledges God's creative majesty, as he proclaims, "But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding" (Jer. 10:12). It is God who sends lightning, thunder and rain. Yet, even as God is unlike idols, in that he is the creator of the world, and his actions are seen in the things of nature, Jeremiah makes clear that this general knowledge is not enough. He writes, "Everyone is senseless and without knowledge; every goldsmith is shamed by his idols" (Jer. 10:14). Earlier in chapter 10, Jeremiah relays God's message to Israel. "This is what the LORD says: Do not learn the ways of the nations�" (v. 2). Although God is known to all the world through creation, it is the special revelation which God has given to Israel which sets them as a people apart.
A third Old Testament text to which we shall look as we develop a Biblical understanding of general revelation is Ecclesiastes 8:16-17. The writer of Ecclesiastes recognizes the importance of the fear of the Lord, and the vanity of human pursuits. In this passage, the Teacher, as the author is referred to in 1:1, speaks of the limitation of human wisdom, which, along with creation, is another locus of general revelation. The Teacher has looked to human wisdom and labor, and concludes that these efforts are unsuccessful for finding meaning or seeking God, asserting, "No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all his efforts to search it out, man cannot discover its meaning. Even if a wise man claims he knows it, he cannot really comprehend it" (Eccl. 8:17). Just as God's nature is not fully revealed to an uncomprehending humanity through general revelation seen in creation, so too human labor and wisdom fall short. Humans may endeavor to construct an understanding of God, and may even base it on God's universal revelation in nature, as the Teacher points out in verse 17. Yet, these efforts will all be in vain, for on its own, human wisdom and understanding is not able to comprehend this revelation, and is not able to come to God on its own.
Through a very brief look at three Old Testament texts, we have begun to see that the Bible acknowledges that God has revealed himself universally to the world. Yet, even as this universal revelation is attested to, and even as it is acknowledged that creation points to God its Maker, this knowledge is not enough, and relying on it alone, humanity is led astray. Humans strive to come to understanding on our own, but our efforts are fruitless, and instead of faithfulness, we construct idols. It is only in God's special revelation, seen as the law in the Old Testament, that God's identity and nature are revealed to the world. As Donald Bloesch concludes, "While the biblical testimony allows for the fact that all people have some sense of the impact of God's universal working in nature and history, it insists that this knowledge is suppressed by the natural person and is thus rendered deceptive rather than dependable." The New Testament carries on these same themes, and carries them further, as it asserts that God has revealed Himself to the whole world, yet in our sin, the world does not see God. It is in Jesus Christ that God reveals Himself to sinful humanity. Thus, our Biblical survey of general revelation has pointed to an understanding that while general revelation is a way in which God reveals Himself to the world, it is insufficient as a foundation of knowledge for a sinful humanity to come to know God. We shall now look briefly at the implications of this understanding for dialogue with other faiths.
Acknowledging the presence of general or universal revelation provides a foundation for dialogue with other faith traditions. In recognizing that God has truly made Himself known to His creation through the works of His hands, we are led to acknowledge that people from around the world, and from all faiths and traditions, are influenced in some way by this general revelation of God. Thus, they do genuinely have insight into who God is. As Christians who recognize God as the Creator of all the world, we can dialogue with others whose understanding of that creation differs from our own, as we are always seeking deeper knowledge of God and His mighty acts. Yet, it is also important to uplift the human limitations in apprehending God's general revelation. Even as we see signs of God's identity, we distort them in our sinful human way. It is only in God's special revelation, culminating in Jesus Christ, that we find true knowledge and salvation. This must be reflected in our dialogue, for even as we respect other faiths, and acknowledge the contributions they can make, these must always be referred back to God's self-revelation in Christ, and in God's revelation through Scripture, through which God has bridged the gap to sinful humanity in the power of His Spirit, and made known His identity and works, and the way of salvation in Christ.
In this brief look at a Biblical understanding of approaches to other religions, we have chosen to look to general revelation as a way to build a foundation for an understanding of how to approach dialogue with other faiths. We further narrowed our focus to the Old Testament, and looked at texts from Psalms, Jeremiah and Ecclesiastes, which pointed to the existence of general revelation, and also made clear its limitations. The Old Testament both acknowledges that God does reveal Himself to all people, through creation and human wisdom, and that this revelation is incomplete, leading to false ideas and idol worship, unless it is accompanied by God's special revelation, seen in the Old Testament as the law, and which culminated in Jesus Christ. With this foundation, we are led to careful dialogue with adherents of other faiths, seeking to gain knowledge and insight from their points of view and experiences, but always appealing finally to the Bible, and to Jesus Christ. |
