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Cornelius Van Til – Natural Revelation, Special Revelation, and the Holy Spirit

11 Nov

Van Till

In paradise [Eden], supernatural revelation, that is, thought-communication on the part of God, accompanied God’s revelation in the created universe. Natural revelation therefore required supernatural revelation as its supplement even apart from the fact of sin. Even in paradise Adam had to regard all the facts of his natural environment in the light of the goal that God set for man in his supernatural revelation.

After the entrance of sin God in his grace revealed his plan of redemption for man and the universe. And it is this supernatural-redemptive revelation that we find inscripturated in the Bible. It is therefore not to depreciate natural revelation to say that it must, to be understood aright, be seen in terms of the system of truth revealed in Scripture.

And Scripture in turn cannot be seen for what it is except it be by the testimony of the Holy Spirit enabling man to see the Bible, and therewith natural revelation, in their true light.

~Cornelius Van Till~




The Defense of the Faith (Phillipsburg, NJ; P&R Publishing; 2008) p. 205.

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Cornelius Van Til – Life and Light

13 Aug

Van Till

The conception of man as entertained by modern thought in general cannot be assumed to be the same as that set forth in Scripture. It is therefore imperative that the Christian apologist be alert to the fact that the average person to whom he must present the Christian religion for acceptance is a quite different sort of being than he himself thinks he is. A good doctor will not prescribe medicines according to the diagnosis that his patient has made of himself. The patient may think that he needs nothing more than a bottle of medicine while the doctor knows that an immediate operation is required.

Christianity then must present itself as the light that makes the facts of human experience, and above all the nature of man himself, to appear for what they really are. Christianity is the source from which both life and light derive for men.

~Cornelius Van Till~




The Defense of the Faith (Phillipsburg, NJ; P&R Publishing; 2008) p. 92.

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Cornelius Van Til – Our World is Not Normal

6 Aug

Van Till

Men are glad to read the utopias that dreamers have dreamed; they are glad even to include the story of Genesis in their repertoire of light reading for leisure hours, but men rebel against being told that their ethical ideals must be judged by the ethical ideals of Adam.

The real meaning of this opposition to the original perfect ethical ideal is nothing short of hatred of the living God. If God does exist as man’s Creator, it is as we have seen, impossible that evil should be inherent in the temporal universe. If God exists, man himself must have brought in sin by an act of wilful transgression. Hence, existence, as it now is, is not normal but abnormal. Accordingly, to maintain that existence, as it now is, is normal, is tantamount to a denial of man’s responsibility for sin, and this in turn makes God responsible for sin, and this simply means that there is no absolute God.

~Cornelius Van Till~




The Defense of the Faith (Phillipsburg, NJ; P&R Publishing; 2008) p. 85.

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Cornelius Van Til – A Definite Conception of Everything in the Created Universe

15 Jul

Van Till

It is not a sufficient description of Christian theism when we say that as Christians we believe in both the transcendence and the immanence of God while pantheistic systems believe only in the immanence of God and deistic systems believe only in the transcendence of God. The transcendence we believe in is not the transcendence of deism, and the immanence we believe in is not the immanence of pantheism. In the case of deism transcendence virtually means separation, while in the case of pantheism immanence virtually means identification. And if we add separation to identification, we do not have theism as a result. As we mean a certain kind of God when as theists we speak of God, so also we mean a certain kind of transcendence and a certain kind of immanence when we use these terms. The Christian doctrine of God implies a definite conception of the relation of God to the created universe. So also the Christian doctrine of God implies a definite conception of everything in the created universe.

~Cornelius Van Till~




The Defense of the Faith (Phillipsburg, NJ; P&R Publishing; 2008) p. 32.

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Cornelius Van Til – Bible Based Theism

11 Jul

Van Till

To engage in philosophical discussion does not mean that we begin without Scripture. We do not first defend theism philosophically by an appeal to reason and experience in order, after that, to turn to Scripture for our knowledge and defense of Christianity. We get our theism as well as our Christianity from the Bible.

~Cornelius Van Till~




The Defense of the Faith (Phillipsburg, NJ; P&R Publishing; 2008) p. 28-29.

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