Certainty Quote by Cornelius Van Til
“When man thinks in self-conscious submission to the voluntary revelation of the self-sufficient God, he has therewith the only possible ground of certainty for his knowledge.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Defense of the Faith by Cornelius Van Til, 1955
Certainty in knowledge comes from recognizing God’s self‑sufficient nature and submitting to it.
In simple terms: Knowledge is certain when grounded in God.
Key Takeaway
Align thoughts with divine truth.
Themes
faith
certainty
epistemology
theology
Mood
thoughtful
inquisitive
Type
theological
philosophical
When to use this quote
- theological study
- personal belief
- academic discourse
Key Concepts
philosophy of religion
metaphysics
revelation
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you reconcile faith and reason?
- What is the role of revelation in knowledge?
A Different Perspective
Human reason alone may not achieve absolute certainty.
![“He [Christ] came to bring peace, to be sure, but the peace that He came to bring must be built upon the complete destruction of the power of darkness.” quote by Cornelius Van Til](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e9a/cornelius-van-til-30277_built_he-christ-came-to-bring-peace-to-be-sure_557644.jpg)
![“[The intellect of fallen man] may be compared to a buzz-saw that is sharp and shining, ready to cut the boards that come to it. Let us say that a carpenter wishes to cut fifty boards for the purpose of laying the floor of a house. He has marked his boards. He has set his saw. He begins at one end…” quote by Cornelius Van Til](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a17/cornelius-van-til-30277_first-contact_the-intellect-of-fallen-man-may-be-compa_1082632.jpg)
![“[I]f in other sciences we should arrive at certainty without doubt and truth without error, it behooves us to place the foundations of knowledge in mathematics, in so far as disposed through it we are able to reach certainty in other sciences and truth by the exclusion of error.” quote by Roger Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d13/roger-bacon-15067_able_i-f-in-other-sciences-we-should-arrive-a_24209.jpg)