Lesson 3: First Principles – The Existence Of God; General And Special Revelation
Introduction
Hello, and welcome to lesson 3 of An Introduction To The Christian Faith. In this lesson, we will finally begin to work our way through The Baptist Catechism starting with question 1. Remember, the first six questions of The Baptist Catechism establish first principles, that is to say, they establish the most fundamental of truths – the foundational truths upon which other truths are based. The one who wants to read must first learn their A-B-C’s. The one who wants to do algebra must first learn to count and add. Those who wish to grow in their knowledge of God and the Christian religion would be wise to pay careful attention to the first six questions in our catechism. They are like the A-B-C’s and 1-2-3’s of Christian doctrine. In this lesson, we will only be considering questions 1-3.
Question 1: Who is the first and chiefest being?
Answer: God is the first and chiefest being.
Question 1 of our catechism asks, “Who is the first and chiefest being?”, and answers, “God is the first and chiefest being.”
It is worth noting that this is one of the 18 questions and answers in our catechism that differs from the Westminster Shorter Catechism (WSC). Question 1 of the WSC is very famous. It asks, “What is the chief end of man?”, and answers, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” This is a wonderful statement. It teaches that man’s chief end – or we might say, his highest purpose – is to glorify God, and to enjoy God forever. To glorify God is to honor, worship, and serve him. To enjoy God is to delight in him and to love him. Some have noted that the very best way for us to glorify God is to enjoy him, that is to say, to have him as our greatest love. WSC 1 is correct. This is the purpose for which man was made and this ought to be the purpose of our existence. In fact, men and women will find themselves very dissatisfied if they do not live for this chief end. St. Augustine put it beautifully in the opening paragraph of his book, Confessions: “You stir man to pleasure in praising you, because you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you” (St. Augustine of Hippo, Confessions, 1.1).
Why would the Baptists replace this famous question with another? Did they disagree with the statement? Certainly not. But I do think they wanted to start their catechism in a different place. Instead of asking about man’s chief end, they ask, “Who is the first and chiefest being?” The answer is, “God is the first and chiefest being.” And so The Baptist Catechism begins where the Scriptures begin – with a statement about God. This is a very good place to start when doing theology – with God! Furthermore, by asking “Who is the first and chiefest being?”, and answering, “God is the first and chiefest being”, The Baptist Catechism strongly implies what WSC 1 directly states. God is the first and chiefest being, and he is to be honored as such by us. It is implied that man ought to live for the glory of God and to enjoy God given that God is indeed the first and chiefest being.
Why this question first? Let me give you two reasons.
One, by beginning with the question, “Who is the first and chiefest being?”, and the answer, “God is the first and chiefest being”, the Baptist Catechism imitates Scripture. You probably know that the Scriptures begin with a simple declaration concerning God’s existence. Listen to Genesis 1:1. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1, ESV). So, in the beginning, before there was creation, there was God. And listen also to John 1:1. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:1–3, ESV). Genesis and John both start with declarations concerning God’s existence and so our catechism begins here to imamate the pattern found in Scripture.
Two, there is a theological reason for this starting point. If we want to know the truth about God and what God requires of us, we must start with God, and not with man. I will not spend much time on this point given that this is an introductory course, but I would like to at least put this thought in your mind. True religion begins with God. It is dependent upon God for its existence. Those who practice true religion and those who believe true doctrine will start by submitting themselves to God, who is the first and chiefest being, and to his Word. False religion and false doctrine, on the other hand, will always begin with man or with some other created thing. Men will use their intellectual powers, their creativity, and their craftsmanship to make gods for themselves out of the things of this world. This is idolatry. And so it is good, theologically speaking, to have this as our starting point. Q: “Who is the first and chiefest being?” A: “God is the first and chiefest being.”
God Is The First Being
What do we mean when we say that “God is the first being”?
Before I answer that, let me tell you about a helpful little resource called, A Scriptural Exposition Of The Baptist Catechism, by Benjamin Beddome. It’s a commentary of sorts written in the 18th century. I will not quote from it very often in our study, but I cite extensively here.
What do we mean when we say that “God is the first being”? Beddome helps us see that God is the first being because he was before all others. Isaiah 44:6 says, “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god’” (Isaiah 44:6, ESV). Furthermore, God is first because he is the first cause of all other beings. All other beings are brought into existence by him and for his glory. “Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” (1 Corinthians 8:6, ESV). Beddome goes on to note that God is also the first in providence – he upholds and sustains the world as the first cause of all things. As Paul the Apostle says, “In him we live and move and have our being… For we are indeed his offspring” (Acts 17:28, ESV). God is also first in the world of grace. By this we mean, we have faith in Christ and salvation in him only because God, by his grace, first took the initiative to save us. Listen to Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:18 – “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself…” (2 Corinthians 5:18, ESV). Connected to this idea, God is the first to love. 1 John 4:19 says, “We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19, ESV). Finally, God is the first to give, as Romans 11:35 says, “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” (Romans 11:35, ESV). Beddome has more to say, but this will suffice for now. I hope you can see that God is, in many different ways, the first being.
God Is The Chiefest Being
Now, what do we mean when we confess God to be the “chiefest being”?
We do not use the word, “chiefest” very often. Chiefest simply means highest or supreme. When we say that God is chiefest we mean that God is the highest being. God is the chiefest being – no one outranks God. Exodus 15:11 says, “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” (Exodus 15:11, ESV). To clarify, the “gods” that Exodus 15:11 refers to are no gods at all but are rather idols crafted by men or created things worshipped by men as if gods. God is above them all. No one can compare to him. And so Beddome says, God is “above all pretenders.” As Psalm 95:3 says, “For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods” (Psalm 95:3, ESV). God is chief in heaven, that is to say, in the invisible heavenly realm that he created in the beginning. Listen to Psalm 89:6-8: “For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord? Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord, a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him? O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O Lord, with your faithfulness all around you?” (Psalm 89:6–8, ESV). And God is chief on earth, that is to say, in the visible earthly realm that God created in the beginning. Psalm 97:9 says, “For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth…” (Psalm 97:9, ESV). There are two more points that Beddome makes. God alone is chief. He shares his supremacy with no one. He is God Most High. See Psalm 57:2, which says, “I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me” (Psalm 57:2, ESV). Lastly, it must be confessed that God will maintain his supremacy forever. Psalm 92:6-8 says, “The stupid man cannot know; the fool cannot understand this: that though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever; but you, O Lord, are on high forever” (Psalm 92:6–8, ESV).
Application
Before moving on to Baptist Catechism 2, I think it would be good to pause and think about the powerful implications of the basic truth communicated in Baptist Catechism 1. I’ll lean on Beddome again. If it is true that God is the first being (which it is!) then God should be first in our thoughts (see Psalm 1:1–2) and first in our esteem (see Psalm 73:25). We should give ourselves first unto him (see Romans 6:22–23). And if God is the chiefest being (which he is!), he should be chiefly loved by us (see Luke 10:27) and chiefly feared. As Deuteronomy 10:12 says, “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 10:12, ESV). Happy are those who worship God supremely. Psalm 144:15 says, “Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall! Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!” (Psalm 144:15, ESV).
Friends, I want you to think about how impactful and life-changing this basic truth is. If you answer the question, who is the first and chiefest being? by saying from the heart, God is the first and chiefest being, you are off to a very good start. You still need faith in Christ, of course, and we will get to that in our study. But this is a good start. Stated negatively, to answer the question, who is the first and chiefest being? in any other way means you’re on a very dark path.
Question 2: Ought everyone to believe there is a God?
Answer: Everyone ought to believe there is a God;
and it is their great sin and folly who do not.
Let us now move on to Baptist Catechism 2. It asks, Ought everyone to believe there is a God? The answer to this question is obviously, yes. But our catechism says more than yes, and I am glad that it does. Answer: Everyone ought to believe there is a God; and it is their great sin and folly who do not.
Why does our catechism say that it is a great sin to not believe in the existence of God? After all, isn’t it possible for someone who does not believe in the existence of God to be a relatively good person? Perhaps you can think of someone you know who claims to be an atheist and yet they are rather nice. They might even live a morally upright life, relatively speaking. They show honor and respect to others. They are a faithful husband or wife, mother or father. They do not lie, steal, or cheat. They may even give to the poor, being content with what they have. Why does our catechism say that their denial of the existence of God is a great sin? The answer is, that while they, by God’s common grace, may do many good things and abstain from heinous sins (see Baptist Catechism 88), they do not do their good works or abstain from heinous sin to the glory of God. Something else motivates their good deeds and moral uprightness. I suspect it may be the desire to glorify self. Furthermore, to deny the existence of God cuts a person off from being reconciled to God through faith in Jesus Christ. Denying God’s existence does not change the fact that God does exist, that all people are alienated from him because of sin, and are in need of a Redeemer. To deny God’s existence cuts one off from reconciliation with God in a most sharp way. Lastly, though there are atheists who are relatively good people (thanks be to God), quite often the denial of the existence of God does lead all kinds of immorality. If God (who is holy) does not exist, then it is hard to see how we could say there is a standard for right and wrong. Furthermore, it is difficult to see what the motivation for doing what is good and avoiding that which is evil would be.
Psalm 14:1 says, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” So, the denial of the existence of God is the beginning of a foolish life. The very next words in Psalm 14 are, “They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good” (Psalm 14:1, ESV). Typically, the denial of the existence of God leads to corruption and abominable deeds.
Perhaps you noticed that the good deeds I mentioned earlier – the showing of honor and respect to others; being a faithful husband or wife, mother or father; not lying, stealing, or cheating; giving to the poor and being content with what you have – are all related to the last six of the Ten Commandments. They have to do with loving your neighbor as yourself. Is it good to keep the last six of the Ten Commandments? Yes! Thanks be to God, many within society do keep the last six of the Ten Commandments to some degree. But do not forget about the first four of the Ten Commandments. They all have to do with worshipping the one true God. An atheist may pride himself in loving his neighbor as himself (see Matthew 22:39). He may take pride in living by the golden rule, which is, do unto others as you would have them do unto you (see Matthew 7:12). But two things must be remembered. One, these laws are not only to be kept in an external way, but from the heart (see Matthew 5:27-28). Though many may keep these laws externally and imperfectly, no one keeps them perfectly from the heart. Two, the law to love your neighbor as yourself is the second greatest commandment, and it summarizes the second part of the Ten Commandments. According to Christ, the great and first commandment is, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37, ESV).
To keep the second greatest commandment and the last six of the Ten Commandments partially and superficially, does not make one a good person, truly. No, to fail to keep the first four of the Ten Commandments (and the great and first commandment that summarizes them) makes a person a great sinner. And it should be clear to all that it is one thing to believe in the existence of God and fail to love him with all the heart, soul, mind, and strength – it is another thing to deny his existence altogether.
Our catechism speaks the truth when it says, “Everyone ought to believe there is a God; and it is their great sin and folly who do not.”
Question 3: How may we know there is a God?
Answer: The light of nature in man and the works of God plainly declare that there is a God;
but His Word and Spirit only do it fully and effectively for the salvation of sinners.
The last question for us to consider in this lesson is question 3. It asks, “How may we know there is a God?”, and answers, “The light of nature in man and the works of God plainly declare that there is a God; but His Word and Spirit only do it fully and effectively for the salvation of sinners.”
How may we know there is a God? That is a very good question.
The first thing we should say is that if man is to know God, then God must reveal himself to man. Stated negatively, if God did not reveal himself to us, then we would not be able to know him, for he would be hidden from us.
To reveal is to uncover. Whenever I think about the topic of revelation, I picture a car in a showroom – maybe a new prototype – with a cover over it. Everyone in the room wants to know what the new car looks like, but they cannot know, unless the car is uncovered, or revealed. And eventually, it is. To reveal is to uncover. Man would be incapable of knowing the truth about God were it not for the fact that God has revealed himself to man.
God knows himself. God’s knowledge of himself is perfect and thorough. But if man is to know God at all, God must reveal himself to man. Our catechism is right to teach that God has done this. Our God is a God who speaks. When God made man, he made him in such a way that man could hear his voice. Stated differently, when God created men and women he created them with the ability to hear his voice, to contemplate him, and to commune with him, and he also spoke to us. The words, “plainly declare” in our catechism point to the fact that God speaks and that he speaks clearly to his creatures.
So then, God has revealed himself to man. But notice that our catechism mentions two forms of revelation. Firstly, our catechism speaks of what is called general or natural revelation. Secondly, our catechism mentions what is called special revelation.
Let us first consider general or natural revelation. This is what our catechism is referring to when it says, “The light of nature in man and the works of God plainly declare that there is a God.”
When our catechism speaks of the light of nature in man it is referring to the fact that we can see evidence for the existence of God in man, and that man is capable of seeing evidence for the existence of God in the world that God has made. The Scriptures teach that man is made in God’s image. Now, this is not the place for a full explanation of what that means. For now, it will suffice to say that by looking at man, or by considering the nature of man, we can see evidence for the existence of God. For example, man is a moral creature (in a way that the other animals are not). Man is also a rational creature (men and women are able to think rationally and can even think about God!) Man is a relational creature (we can relate to each other and to God). And man is a religious creature (we are compelled to worship). All of this points to our Maker.
When our catechism speaks of “the works of God” it is a reference to God’s creation and his providence. We will consider these things more carefully in the future. For now, it is important to see that when we look at the world around us, it plainly reveals that God exists. The atheist might say to the Christian, how can you believe in a God that you cannot see? And the Christian would be right to reply to the atheist, saying, how can you not believe in the existence of God given all that we do see? The fact that the world exists and that we exist in the world, must prompt us to ask, where did this come from? As we consider the complexity and order of the universe and all of the creatures that live within it, we find very compelling evidence for the existence of God, the good Creator of all things seen and unseen.
This first form of revelation is sometimes called natural revelation, for God does declare the truth about his existence through nature, that is to say, through the world he has made. Psalm 19:1-2 speaks of natural revelation when it says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge” (Psalm 19:1–2, ESV).
This first form of revelation is also called general revelation. The word “general” reminds us of two things. One, this form of revelation is encountered by everyone in the world generally. Psalm 19, which I cited just a moment ago, goes on to say, “There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world” (Psalm 19:3–4, ESV). The meaning is that through creation God speaks to everyone. It does not matter what language you speak. When you look up at the stars on a moonless night, you hear and understand their voice. Or when you look upon a newborn baby, you get the message. God speaks to all people generally through his creation. The word “general’ also reminds us that the message delivered through creation is general, or generic. The created world declares that God exists, that he is good, wise, and powerful. In this way, it reveals that God deserves to be praised (see Romans 1:18-32). But we cannot know anything more about God than this through our consideration of natural or general revelation. Creation, for example, does not clearly reveal to us that God is Triune. We know that God is Triune, but how do we know it? The Scriptures reveal it! And though we might see reflections of God’s tri-unity in creation, his tri-unity is not clearly revealed there. Here is another example: we know that salvation is received through faith in Jesus Christ alone, but that information cannot be found by staring at the stars, or by contemplating the trees. Where is the gospel of Jesus Christ found? Not in natural or general revelation, but in the Word of God.
Thankfully, there is a second form of revelation. It is often sometimes called special revelation. And this is the form of revelation that our catechism refers to when it says, “but His Word and Spirit only do it fully and effectively for the salvation of sinners.”
Why is special revelation called “special”?
One, because it reveals the truth about God and what he requires of us, not in a general, but in a special or specific way.
Two, not all have access to this form of revelation. Everyone can hear the “voice” of natural or general revelation. Not everyone hears the “voice” of special revelation.
Three, it is this form of revelation that delivers the special knowledge of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
Now, where is this special revelation found? Answer: It is found in God’s Word.
By the way, theologians sometimes refer to general or natural revelation as God’s world book and special revelation as God’s Word book. I’ve also heard general or natural revelation called the book of nature, and special revelation referred to as the book of Scripture.
So then, this special revelation comes to us through the Word of God. When I say the phrase, “the Word of God”, you probably think of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, and that is good! In fact, Baptist Catechism 4 will ask, “What is the Word of God?”, and answer, “The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, and the only certain rule of faith and obedience.” That is true. Where do we find the Word of God? In the Holy Scriptures!
But special revelation is a little broader than that. Consider this: God spoke to and through Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. He spoke to and through Abraham, Moses, and the prophets of Old. Supremely, God spoke to and through Jesus Christ, the eternal Son or Word of God, incarnate. All of these are examples of special revelation. And where do we find the divinely inspired record of these instances of special revelation? In the Holy Scriptures.
This is what the book of Hebrews is talking about when it says, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world” (Hebrews 1:1–2, ESV). So then, God has spoken to us in many different ways throughout history. Now that Christ the Son or Word has come, we are left with the Holy Scriptures which testify concerning him (see Luke 24:44-49).
Notice that our catechism does not only mention the Word, it also mentions the Holy Spirit. “But His Word and Spirit only do it fully and effectively for the salvation of sinners”, the catechism says. Why is mention made of the Spirit? The reason is this: if the truth of the Word of God is going to be believed by a person – if the gospel of Jesus Christ is going to be received – then the Spirit of God must work within the person in a special way. The Spirit must make the dead sinner alive. The Spirit must open the blind sinner’s eyes so that he can see. The Spirit must unstop deaf ears and enlighten the mind darkened by sin.
In John 3:3 we read, “Jesus answered [Nicodemous], ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God’” (John 3:3, ESV). John 6:44 says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44, ESV). And 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14, ESV).
This is the doctrine of effectual calling. We will return to it in a future lesson. For now, know that Baptist Catechism 3 is correct. “How may we know there is a God?” Answer: The light of nature in man and the works of God plainly declare that there is a God; but His Word and Spirit only do it fully and effectively for the salvation of sinners.”
Conclusion
I hope you can see why these basic truths are so important. They are truly foundational. And by God’s grace will build upon these foundational truths in future lessons.
Q. 1. Who is the first and chiefest being?
A. God is the first and chiefest being.
Q. 2. Ought everyone to believe there is a God?
A. Everyone ought to believe there is a God; and it is their great sin and folly who do not.
Q. 3. How may we know there is a God?
A. The light of nature in man and the works of God plainly declare that there is a God; but His Word and Spirit only do it fully and effectually for the salvation of sinners.
That’s enough for now. Until next time, abide in Christ (see John 15:1-17).
