Apart from God’s revelation, can we have true knowledge of anything?
If we don't need God's revelation to know anything, does this mean that we possess at least partial autonomous human reason?
Berkhof says this..but what does he mean by adding "nature" in there as well?:
When Berkhof says, "All our knowledge of God is derived from His self-revelation in nature and in Scripture" it seems he means that we can come to true knowledge apart from God's revelation in Scripture? Can anyone explain this? Does this mean our human reason can come to at least some truth by "nature"?
If we don't need God's revelation to know anything, does this mean that we possess at least partial autonomous human reason?
Berkhof says this..but what does he mean by adding "nature" in there as well?:
“Alongside of the archetypal knowledge of God, found in himself, there is also an ectypal knowledge of Him, given to man by revelation. The latter is related to the former as a copy to the original, and therefore does not possess the same measure of clearness and perfection. All our knowledge of God is derived from His self-revelation in nature and in Scripture. Consequently, our knowledge of God is on the one hand ectypal and analogical, but on the other hand also true and accurate, since it is a copy of the archetypal knowledge which God has of himself” (Berkhof, ST, 35).
When Berkhof says, "All our knowledge of God is derived from His self-revelation in nature and in Scripture" it seems he means that we can come to true knowledge apart from God's revelation in Scripture? Can anyone explain this? Does this mean our human reason can come to at least some truth by "nature"?