I BELIEVE IN REVELATION, by Leon Morris

A Brief Book Summary from Books At a Glance

by Steve West

 

About the Author

Leon Morris was the principal of Ridley College, Melbourne, Australia. He was one of the finest NT scholars of his generation, producing numerous commentaries and books that are still widely used today.

 

Introduction

This contribution to the I Believe series sets forward a positive theology of revelation and also answers criticisms and objections to the doctrine. Morris approaches the topic irenically from a conservative evangelical perspective, writing succinctly but not sacrificing depth of thought or analysis.

 

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 The Place of Revelation
Chapter 2 “General” and “Special” Revelation
Chapter 3 Christ and Scripture
Chapter 4 Formative Revelation
Chapter 5 A Word from God
Chapter 6 Revelation and the Individual
Chapter 7 Salvation and Scripture
Chapter 8 The Authority of the Bible
Chapter 9 Revelation Outside of Christianity

 

Summary

 

Chapter 1: The Place of Revelation

Today the doctrine of revelation is being challenged on a variety of fronts. Some reject the possibility of God revealing himself to the human race, while others deny the relevancy of Scripture. Revelation is disclosure. In revelation, God discloses truth to us that we could never know apart from him communicating it. It is a gift of God’s grace, rather than a human discovery. In church history, revelation has been accepted as a theological axiom. How God has revealed himself has been understood in a variety of ways, but at its heart is the idea that God has disclosed himself. Whether God’s revelation has been propositional or personal (or both), revelation is essential for theology. Throughout the Bible, the claim is clearly made that God speaks.

Many people today believe that the Bible is simply the fallible product of human beings, and its words can be weighed and rejected just like the words of any other book. Have Christians been wrong about the nature of the Bible for 1900 years? Should the Bible be given no more respect than the writings of the church fathers or modern theologians? Although we all have presuppositions, reading the Bible does not need to be purely subjective; we can learn from it and understand what it says. Even if we are subjective interpreters, that does not mean that God has not spoken. . . .

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