Knowledge of God's Existence

Duplex modus view

Aquinas

• Way of reason + way of revelation

Way of reason:

• Natural human intellect can prove certain foundational truths about God without aid of divine revelation (5 Ways)

Way of revelation:

• Divine mysteries exceed capacity of human reason to discover - like doctrine of trinity or incarnation

• SO can only be known through revelation

i.e. natural theology lays down the framework and revealed fills in the gaps

Natural theology: Calvin, CREATION

• Damage done by the fall, so meaningful things about God cannot be revealed through creation

• But everyone has innate sense of God - sensus divinitatis

• We experience it through beauty, intellectual capacity for reason, conscience - natural feelings when we do wrong/right means we have natural understanding of God’s goodness

DUPLEX COGNITIO DOMINI - two fold knowledge of God as Creator and as Redeemer

• Knowledge of God not purely through either

Calvin analogy of the world

• God’s sculpture

• Creation is God’s mirror (general revelation)

• This aspect of God - understood - is “PRINCIPLE OF ACCOMMODATION” - accommodates himself by adapting to human needs in order to communicate with us

• There is “SPARK OF GLORY” in observable world

Calvin principle of accommodation

God became human in person of Jesus because he accommodates himself to our actual physical + mental condition

Christ is MIRROR and MEDIATOR of divine

• MEANS by which sinful humans reconciled + brought into knowledge + love of God

Augustine argument for innate knowledge of God

TRINITARIAN ANTHROPOLOGY

• We are made in imago dei, therefore have innate knowledge of God

• Functions of memory, reason and will are distinctly real in our mind, but all comprise one unified mind - imago dei

Calvin’s conclusion

Humans are fallen - cannot reach God by own efforts, totally depend upon him for salvation

• Require a saviour

• Natural knowledge as a STARTING POINT - correct response to this sensus divinitatis is to turn to scripture to find out more about God

Paul on natural knowledge of God

• Part of our “natural instinct”

Calvin’s Si Integer Stetisset

“if he had stood upright”

• If Adam HADNT sinned, we wouldn’t need anything other than natural theology

• However he did - we need to believe in Christ the mediator to be reconciled with God

• Knowledge of God is experiencing salvation

• To know God is to experience union with God

So second part of duplex cogito domini:

• Distinctive knowledge of God the redeemer, mediated by Christ

• So we can have complete relationship with God

FIRM AND CERTAIN knowledge comes from faith, Christ alone, sealed with Holy spirit

Strengths of Natural theology

• Available to EVERYONE avoids bias

• Physical evidence for God - route for theology on basis of REASON

• LOGIC to this idea that creator will be revealed through their creation

Universal consent argument, supporting Calvin’s natural theology

• There is no “nation so barbarous, no people so savage, that they do not have a pervasive belied that there is a God”

• CICERO - so many people believe in God, must exist or at least be reasonable to believe in God

Objection to Calvin’s Natural theology:

Aquinas: this so called “sensus divinitatis” arises from custom - as if they are brought up with this as a natural and self-evident knowledge… but actually just cultural

We can know existence of God but not his essence … for this we need faith to supplement

Calvin on Jesus

Literally God in human form - God incarnate

• Jesus was both God and man - uniquely placed to bring human beings knowledge in accessible way, “self-revelation” of God, Principle of accommodation?

“Whoever has seen me has seen the Father”

• Jesus brings personal knowledge of what God is like, whereas General Revelation just tells people that God exists

Calvin on what constitutes knowledge of God

We know God not when we understand that he exists, but when we understand what is right for us to understand about him

• theology should always be done from a faith perspective - no purpose of academic discussions about possible existence of God

Catholic Church on natural theology

• It is insufficient to gain full knowledge of God

• Fall didn’t cut off humanity from knowing God - original sin has simply distracted + confused our desire for Him

• Out of fear, humankind hide from God, flee from His call

FAITH AND REASON should work together - both gifts from God…. also we need grace

Dawkins on reason and faith

FAITH is always devoid of reason

• Faith is “cop out”, excuse to avoid critical thinking

Formed faith

INTELLECT and WILL join together:

• Mental assent to divine truth

• And will actively joined to God in love

Unformed faith

• Intellectual assent to what God has revealed, without loving God, no presence of DIVINE CHARITY

• Remains purely in the intellect

Catholic Church - Grace required

• Grace as a gift of God, imparted through power of the Holy Spirit

• CATECHISM - THIS is moment when person enters real intimacy with God

Brunner

• Uses Calvin’s Spark of Glory metaphor

• BUT the natural theology is insufficient to receive salvation…. General revelation through his creation only provides a point of contact with God, nothing more

• Conscience - experience of guilt when we do wrong makes humans aware of God’s law - point of contact

IMAGO DEI - at FALL only “material” physical + emotional part of the image of God destroyed - “FORMAL” spiritual level of humanity made in God’s image remained UNCORRUPTED

But TRUE knowledge only received through GRACE by FAITH in Christ - Renewal of material self

True knowledge “far surpasses” general knowledge

Barth objection to Brunner

Human nature COMPLETELY corrupted by Fall - nothing in nature that enables humans to know God

• Only GOD can reveal himself to us

• Brunner has given human reason too much importance - undermines UNIQUENESS of faith as outside of reason

1) “Formal” self cannot inform “material” self of god’s existence

• Fall - destroyed ability of material self to know anything about God

2) No points of contact - Guilt and conscience only happen after a person has encountered God, result of his mercy + grace

3) Order of creation - not basis for morality of salvation

It is by God’s grace alone that we know God - known via his GRACE

Plantinga for revealed theology

• Belief in God doesn’t have to stem from natural theology to be rational - it is a “basic” and “warranted” belief, just as rational as not believing in God

Knowledge of God is a “properly basic belief”, a FOUNDATIONAL belief

Warranted agreement - reasonable to believe it to be true - ASSUMED

• Onus is on those to show that basic belief would be better explained by more reasonable beliefs, which would become new basic beliefs

Not irrational to believe in God - no less rational to believe in God than for an atheist not to believe in God

John 1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God

John 10:30

I and the Father are one

Roman Catholic Church: Catechism on Bible

• Must not be reduced to the Bible - Christian faith is not a “Religion of the book” but the “eternal word of the living God” - so Bible provides SOUL of sacred theology, whilst still taking Natural theology seriously

• Bible needs MAGISTERIUM to ensure current interpretations reflect original intention of Gospel writers and God

• Bible cannot be separated from SACRED TRADITION and teaching authority MAGISTERIUM

Calvin

Impossible to obtain knowledge of God without using Bible, which contains all correct knowledge of God

• Bible is more than historical collection of religious experiences, but witness to God’s active and specific action in world

• Bible is inerrant

Bible

Record of God’s revelation to humanity:

E.g.

Old testament - speaks directly to prophets

Gospels - God comes to earth in the person of Jesus

Bible tells story of JESUS - most important part of God’s revelation to humanity