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Knowledge of God Essay
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An A grade essay on the topic of the knowledge of God's existence
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Madison CharlesRevealed theology is superior to natural theology when seeking knowledge of God
Most Christians would agree that the way we ‘know’ God is different to the way we ‘know’ things on an
everyday basis. He cannot be known solely through empirical or rational knowledge, instead we must
use what Bonaventura described as our “Eye of Contemplation”, a way of knowing which goes beyond
both empirical and rational, it is a type of knowledge that requires faith. Through faith, most Christians
make a distinction between natural theology: knowledge we gain about God through the powers of
human reason and revealed theology: knowledge we gain about God from what he has revealed to us.
Both are valid ways of gaining knowledge from God, however revealed theology is, in some ways,
superior to natural theology.
Firstly, revealed theology comes straight from God, either immediately or mediately. Examples of this
include prophets such as Moses who experienced immediate revelation and then passed it on to his
followers through mediate revelation. In this sense there is little to no way that the message can be
corrupted, hence it is superior to natural theology which relies on the intellect, reason, and observation
of humans. Furthermore, humans can be considered to be corrupted by Original Sin and therefore
incapable of gaining knowledge about God independently, as Calvin states: “in this ruin of mankind no
one now experiences God as either Father or Author of salvation, or favourable in any way, until Christ
the mediator comes forward to reconcile us”. Therefore, revealed theology is a superior way to seek
knowledge of God as it does not rely on the observation and interpretation of corrupted humans.
Furthermore, revealed theology is superior as it includes the Bible, which is indisputably a key source
when gaining knowledge about God. It is more than a historical document of events, the Bible acts as a
witness to God’s action in the world. Although it is debated as to whether it is truly the “speech of God
as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit” (Catechism 105) and therefore whether it
is immediate revelation or mediate revelation, the significance of the Bible prevails. Even though natural
theologians recognise the importance of the Bible, the Catechism warns that “the Christian faith is not a
“religion of the book” and instead is the religion of the “eternal Word of the living God” (Catechism
108). In spite of this, the Bible is still a valuable source for gaining information about the knowledge of
God and hence it can be argued that revealed theology is a superior way to seek knowledge of God.
In addition, when Calvin said we need “Christ the mediator” to “reconcile us” Calvin references his own
concept the ‘duplex cognitio Domini’ (the two-fold knowledge of God), whereby he makes the
distinction between knowledge of God as a creator and knowledge of God as a redeemer. Calvin argues
that knowledge of God as a creator can be found through natural theology and by observing the natural
world: “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have
set in place" (Psalms 8:3-9). However, knowledge of God as a redeemer can only be known through
revealed theology, specifically through “Christ the mediator”. Calvin believed that the Bible should be
read in a trinitarian light and that the only true knowledge is in the salvation of Christ. Here, revealed
theology is superior as not only does it confirm natural theology, in this case, the knowledge of God the
creator, but it also reveals truths about God that could not have been worked out by human reason,
such as the concept of God as a redeemer. Furthermore, revealed theology is a superior way to seek
knowledge about God as Calvin argues that true knowledge about God comes from Jesus Christ.
Despite this, it can be argued that natural theology appeals to a more reasonable concept of empirical
knowledge, knowledge we can gain from our senses and by looking at the “skilful ordering of the
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