Man as a revelation of God

Current academic thinking divides the universe up into the natural and the metaphysical or spiritual. These two realms are not connected in this model, as the realm of fact (matter) and the realm of value are utterly separate. The net effect of this view is that one can't learn anything about one realm by studying the other. I want to take a brief look at the biblical view of things, where reality is seen as an undivided whole; and where every aspect of the universe is revelational.

Quotes and comments;

A. "Man's own psychological activity is no less revelational than the laws of physics about him. All created reality is inherently revelational of the nature and will of God." - Cornelius Van Til [1.]

Most of our academics deny that man's psychological activity is in any way revelational; that it has a meaningful connection to reality. (In this we see a radical contrast with Van Til.) As an example; they deny that the need for truth, moral absolutes, meaning, etc. has any connection to reality. They deny that this intuitive belief and desire of man is evidence that these things exist, that they point to the true nature of the universe, or that they are evidence of a God created universe. There is no connection they claim between the need for certain presuppositions and their truth or validity .

The Materialist (atheist) needs to hold certain presuppositions in order to be rational, and he needs certain ethical and moral beliefs in order to live socially, but he denies that these requirements are revelational. He denies that these requirements are evidence for their existence or for the truth of Christianity. The fact we need something is no evidence it exists he tells us.

For Van Til, the need to presuppose God (i.e. if we want to be rational) is evidence for God. The need for moral truth is evidence for God. He claims that man must presuppose God to make sense of this life, his experience, and the universe; and that this is evidence for God. [2.]

Summary;
The claim that everything in the universe is revelational of God is founded on the 'idea' that the God who created the universe created man. The materialist believes that the universe (even if there were some kind of god) is independent and self-sufficient, and that there is no inherent connection between man and the universe. This being said, the Christian and the non-Christian will never see either man or the universe in the same way. For the materialist there will forever be a chasm between 'fact' and value; while for orthodox Christianity these two are intimately connected.

Notes;
1. Christian Apologetics - Cornelius Van Til/p.33
2. When he says we must presuppose God, this is short hand for saying we must presuppose the truth of the entire Christian system.
3. God not only created the universe, but he created the earth as a home for man. This being the case there's an intimate connection between man's psychology and the universe.