There is something that needs to be discussed regarding divine revelation, that which is revealed by God to His children. This divine revelation is O! so very different than that which a schoolboy or Marxist might understand in divine scripture to be a meaning of this or that, for there are approximately 41,000 Christian denominations in the world. One could easily make the case that the prayer of Jesus that his followers be one mind and one heart does not include 40,999 of those churches.

Divine revelation is not let up to the individual. Numerous cults and “modern” or “new age” theologies are designed based off such a prideful notion, that one man in one time could throw away the holy intellects of thousands of souls written and spoken throughout the ages in favor of something “new”. That something is new and contrary to something old and truthful, makes what is new, though acceptable and reasonable, false. This new idea, the new church opened this very day, is false if it contradicts divine revelation revealed by God to His followers throughout salvation history.

For instance, say a church on your street opened today and declared that all men are going to heaven because the mercy of God is boundless. This sounds like a church you may want to attend, especially if you feel salvation is out of reach. But, is it a new idea? Or, is the idea divinely revealed? What proofs does this idea have that it is a completion of everything that has been revealed?

Divine revelation cannot contradict other truths. Because of this, the pope of the Catholic Church can never come out of the Vatican and declare that abortion is humane. Abortion, in the Church, has always been a grave evil, and to come out supporting it would not be the divine revelation of God’s will by man, contrary to all salvation history, but the compromise of a fool with the foolhardy. But, when a church springs up today stating that salvation is for everyone and unearned, or that Jesus is not divine, or that Jesus was an angel and not consubstantial with the Father after all divine revelations and history prior to this new “truth” contradict it, this truth is not true at all, but a falsehood. If one declares scriptures point to a date when the world will end, then change that date many different times, these revelations are not divine nor true, but wishful and headstrong thinking of men.

I will close this brief message with a quote from Summa Theologica, by Saint Thomas Aquinas, who puts divine revelation fittingly into the realm of science:

“Tim. 3:16): “All Scripture inspired of God is profitable to teach, to reprove, to correct, to instruct in justice.” Now Scripture, inspired of God, is no part of philosophical science, which has been built up by human reason. Therefore it is useful that besides philosophical science, there should be other knowledge, i.e. inspired of God.

…man is directed to God, as to an end that surpasses the grasp of his reason: “The eye hath not seen, O God, besides Thee, what things Thou hast prepared for them that wait for Thee” (Isa. 66:4). But the end must first be known by men who are to direct their thoughts and actions to the end. Hence it was necessary for the salvation of man that certain truths which exceed human reason should be made known to him by divine revelation. Even as regards those truths about God which human reason could have discovered, it was necessary that man should be taught by a divine revelation;

…in order that the salvation of men might be brought about more fitly and more surely, it was necessary that they should be taught divine truths by divine revelation. It was therefore necessary that besides philosophical science built up by reason, there should be a sacred science learned through revelation.”

God love you!