Philip Arthur Bence PhD Thesis - Research@StAndrews:FullText

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Revelation is, therefore, the wisdom God has given to
man. Man's wisdom has been increasing across the
centuries; this is reflected in a Bible which shows man's
developing awareness of God and himself. He described
the Bible, saying it is . .
a Book which from lowly beginnings to great
conclusions records the development of truth
about God and his will, beyond all comparison
the richest in spiritual issue that the world
has ever known. Personally, I think that the
Spirit of God was behind that process and in
it. I do not believe that man ever found God
when God was not seeking to be found. The
under side of the process is man's discovery;
the upper side is God's revelation.17
God gave man his wisdom. Man, in interaction with God,
has recorded some of the best of that wisdom in the
Bible. Thus, "the authority of Scripture lies in the
Scripture itself, in the truth of its message, in the
relevance of its application to 11fe." 1 For Fosdick,
therefore, the Bible is its own testimony; it needs no
doctrine of specific inspiration to prove its value.
III. SETTING-CONSEQUENCES
Where does 'natural man' stand?
Knowledge of and obedience
to the Gospel helps individual
man to realize his
full God-given potential.
Without knowledge of
and obedience to the
Gospel, individual man
faces serious
consequences.'
KR&HF KB RB&PT&JS LJ/
This continuum provides the greatest divergence
between the seven theologians. From Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Con the right) to Karl Rahner and Harry Emerson Fosdick