--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Following Vos, Van Til places…" description: "\"“Following Vos, Van Til places epistemology where it truly belongs, within the eschatological status of history: either one is a member of the kingdom ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/william-d-dennison-37790_kingdom-of-god_following-vos-van-til-places-epistemolog_2237991.jpg" --- # Following Vos, Van Til places epistemology where it truly… ![“Following Vos, Van Til places epistemology where it truly belongs, within the eschatological status of history: either one is a member of the kingdom of God, with the knowledge of the truth (grounded in the triune God of the Bible), or one is a member of the kingdom of Satan, with the knowledge of…” quote by William D. Dennison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/william-d-dennison-37790_kingdom-of-god_following-vos-van-til-places-epistemolog_2237991.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/william-d-dennison-37790_kingdom-of-god_following-vos-van-til-places-epistemolog_2237991.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/william-d-dennison-37790_kingdom-of-god_following-vos-van-til-places-epistemolog_2237991.jpg) > ““Following Vos, Van Til places epistemology where it truly belongs, within the eschatological status of history: either one is a member of the kingdom of God, with the knowledge of the truth (grounded in the triune God of the Bible), or one is a member of the kingdom of Satan, with the knowledge of a lie (grounded in the deception of Satan). In redemptive history, there is no other ground for human knowledge. One either stands with Christ as the source of all knowledge or against him.”” [William D. Dennison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-d-dennison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human knowledge is rooted in either divine truth or deception, aligning with the kingdom of God or Satan. **In simple terms:** Knowledge comes from God or lies. Key Takeaway Seek truth through faith. Themes theology epistemology spiritual warfare Mood serious inquisitive Type theological debate When to use this quote - religious education - personal study - faith discussions Key Concepts divine truth deception historical eschatology Questions to Reflect On - How do you reconcile faith with scientific inquiry? - Can truth be found outside religious frameworks? A Different Perspective This view excludes secular sources of knowledge. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Epistemology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/epistemology/) [Kingdom of god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kingdom-of-god/) ## Related quotes > [“Knowledge is always a legitimating idea, in the sense that assertions of knowledge always assert what is correct, what is proper, what is legitimate.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-weaveright/knowledge-is-always-a-legitimating-idea-in-the-sense-that-assertions/) Will Weaveright > [“Redemptive history supplies what is lacking in natural revelation, the means by which God forgives sin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/redemptive-history-supplies-what-is-lacking-in-natural-revelation-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“But this is just how the Lord delights to work--taking the sidelined and the overlooked and giving them quietly pivotal roles in the unfolding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-c-ortlund/but-this-is-just-how-the-lord-delights-to-work-taking-the-sidelined/) Dane C. Ortlund > [“IN THE MOST CRUCIAL EVENTS IN REDEMPTIVE HISTORY, God takes considerable pains to ensure that no one can properly conclude that these events have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson-2/in-the-most-crucial-events-in-redemptive-history-god-takes/) [D.A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson-2/) > [“ministry. Sadly, there has never been a city on earth that is not saturated with human sin and corruption. Indeed, to paraphrase a Woody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/ministry-sadly-there-has-never-been-a-city-on-earth-that-is-not/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“Thereby, Van Til believed that one must view the facts of the universe in union with their Creator to view them rightly. In other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-d-dennison/thereby-van-til-believed-that-one-must-view-the-facts-of-the-universe/) [William D. Dennison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-d-dennison/) > [In the knowledge of truth, what really matters is the possession of it, not the impulse under which it was sought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-the-knowledge-of-truth-what-really-matters-is-the-possession-of-it/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Intuition is more than knowledge, and truth comes pure from the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-bradley/intuition-is-more-than-knowledge-and-truth-comes-pure-from-the-heart/) [Don Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-bradley/) > [How dreadful knowledge of the truth can be when there's no help in the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/how-dreadful-knowledge-of-the-truth-can-be-when-there-s-no-help-in/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [If men possessed wisdom, which stands in the same relation to the form of man as the sight to the eye, they would not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maimonides/if-men-possessed-wisdom-which-stands-in-the-same-relation-to-the-form/) [Maimonides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maimonides/) > [“A knowledge of the truth depends not so much upon strength of intellect as upon pureness of purpose, the simplicity of an earnest, dependent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-g-white/a-knowledge-of-the-truth-depends-not-so-much-upon-strength-of/) [Ellen G. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-g-white/) > [Knowledge for the sake of knowledge! Truth for truth's sake! This is inhuman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-unamuno/knowledge-for-the-sake-of-knowledge-truth-for-truth-s-sake-this-is/) [Miguel de Unamuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-unamuno/) > [“Now Aristotle says that the judgment which follows knowledge is in truth faith. Accordingly, faith is something superior to knowledge, and is its criterion.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clement-of-alexandria/now-aristotle-says-that-the-judgment-which-follows-knowledge-is-in/) [Clement of Alexandria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clement-of-alexandria/) > [“lot of folks succeed when they decieve because they have the knowledge of the truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shinedope/lot-of-folks-succeed-when-they-decieve-because-they-have-the/) shinedope > [A knowledge of truth is of little value unless lived in full measure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-g-scott/a-knowledge-of-truth-is-of-little-value-unless-lived-in-full-measure/) [Richard G. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-g-scott/) ## More by William D. Dennison > [“The transcendental critique reveals the deep roots of sin in the heart of man, and it demands the purity of biblical truth in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-d-dennison/the-transcendental-critique-reveals-the-deep-roots-of-sin-in-the/) [William D. Dennison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-d-dennison/) > [“history is not an autonomous or complementary category of epistemology. Rather, Van Til held that an ontological knowledge of God is given to mankind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-d-dennison/history-is-not-an-autonomous-or-complementary-category-of/) [William D. Dennison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-d-dennison/) > [“For a church that proclaims the truth of the gospel, and for the believer who loves Christ, apologetics is not only the defending of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-d-dennison/for-a-church-that-proclaims-the-truth-of-the-gospel-and-for-the/) [William D. Dennison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-d-dennison/) > [“despite Frame’s ability to view the holistic character of Van Til’s thought, his preoccupation with linguistic and conceptual units, especially in the context of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-d-dennison/despite-frame-s-ability-to-view-the-holistic-character-of-van-til-s/) [William D. Dennison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-d-dennison/) > [“After the Christian apologist has uncovered the central presupposition of his opponent, he is in a position to move on to the next step:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-d-dennison/after-the-christian-apologist-has-uncovered-the-central/) [William D. Dennison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-d-dennison/) > [“As most Van Tilians realize, Van Til fought diligently to purge the Reformed tradition from the remnants of scholasticism that remained in the thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-d-dennison/as-most-van-tilians-realize-van-til-fought-diligently-to-purge-the/) [William D. Dennison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-d-dennison/) > [“Van Til, Steen’s beloved teacher, claimed, however, that only the Reformed tradition can provide the rightful context for the subject of common grace. After…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-d-dennison/van-til-steen-s-beloved-teacher-claimed-however-that-only-the/) [William D. Dennison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-d-dennison/) > [“Thereby, Van Til believed that one must view the facts of the universe in union with their Creator to view them rightly. In other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-d-dennison/thereby-van-til-believed-that-one-must-view-the-facts-of-the-universe/) [William D. Dennison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-d-dennison/) > [“in my judgment, Frame, akin to Aquinas, is viewing the Christian story in accord with the logical construction and the empirical experience of language.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-d-dennison/in-my-judgment-frame-akin-to-aquinas-is-viewing-the-christian-story/) [William D. Dennison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-d-dennison/) > [“Although Kuyper, Bavinck, and Hepp attempted to distance themselves from scholasticism and classicism, nevertheless, Van Til believed that they never overcame abstraction. That is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-d-dennison/although-kuyper-bavinck-and-hepp-attempted-to-distance-themselves/) [William D. Dennison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-d-dennison/) > [“Contrary to what many think, the basis for Van Til’s transcendental critique is not obscure or theoretical. His critique of human thought merely employs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-d-dennison/contrary-to-what-many-think-the-basis-for-van-til-s-transcendental/) [William D. Dennison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-d-dennison/) [Explore all 12 William D. Dennison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-d-dennison/) ## More Epistemology quotes > [If man has learned to see and know what really is, he will act in accordance with truth, Epistemology is in itself ethics, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-marcuse/if-man-has-learned-to-see-and-know-what-really-is-he-will-act-in/) [Herbert Marcuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-marcuse/) > [“Why is it so difficult for us to think in relative terms? Well, for the good reason that human nature loves absoluteness, and erroneously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-alba-juez/why-is-it-so-difficult-for-us-to-think-in-relative-terms-well-for-the/) [Felix Alba-Juez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-alba-juez/) > [It is the faithfulness of God that allows epistemology to model ontology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-polkinghorne/it-is-the-faithfulness-of-god-that-allows-epistemology-to-model/) [John Polkinghorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-polkinghorne/) > [“English: "From a certain degree of freedom, understanding is impossible." Česky: „Od určité míry svobody je dorozumění nemožné.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebasti-n-wortys/english-from-a-certain-degree-of-freedom-understanding-is-impossible/) [Sebastián Wortys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebasti-n-wortys/) > [What we're starting to see is a quantum biology, it being applied in biology and cosmology and a host of other sciences, because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/what-we-re-starting-to-see-is-a-quantum-biology-it-being-applied-in/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [“Thought and science are therefore raising problems which their terms of study can never answer, many of which are doubtless problems only for thought.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-wilson-watts/thought-and-science-are-therefore-raising-problems-which-their-terms/) [Alan Wilson Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-wilson-watts/) > [The principal agent is the object itself and not the instruction given by the teacher. It is the child who uses the objects; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/the-principal-agent-is-the-object-itself-and-not-the-instruction/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [One might get the impression that I recommend a new methodology which replaces induction by counterinduction and uses a multiplicity of theories, metaphysical views,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/one-might-get-the-impression-that-i-recommend-a-new-methodology-which/) [Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/) > [Philosophers need not much use the word 'intuition' or the concept of intuition, except when they happen to be working on the epistemology of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/philosophers-need-not-much-use-the-word-intuition-or-the-concept-of/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [“Huxley grasped, as Orwell did not, that it is not necessary to conceal anything from a public insensible to contradiction and narcotized by technological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/huxley-grasped-as-orwell-did-not-that-it-is-not-necessary-to-conceal/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“What is gained by the transcendence of the object is the identifiability of the object in a plurality of acts and the identifiability of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-scheler/what-is-gained-by-the-transcendence-of-the-object-is-the/) [Max Scheler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-scheler/) > [“the main problem of any epistemology is in fact to understand how the mind succeeds in constructing necessary relationships, which appear to be independent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrich-m-ller/the-main-problem-of-any-epistemology-is-in-fact-to-understand-how-the/) [Ulrich Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrich-m-ller/) > [There should be no element of slavery in learning. Enforced exercise does no harm to the body, but enforced learning will not stay in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/there-should-be-no-element-of-slavery-in-learning-enforced-exercise/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“I do not think there is a demonstrative proof (like Euclid) of Christianity, nor of the existence of matter, nor of the good will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/i-do-not-think-there-is-a-demonstrative-proof-like-euclid-of/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“First stage is knowing the truth, second is not knowing the truth, third is realizing the paradox.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-k-brown/first-stage-is-knowing-the-truth-second-is-not-knowing-the-truth/) [John K. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-k-brown/) [Browse all 167 Epistemology quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/epistemology/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Following Vos, Van Til places epistemology where it truly belongs, within the eschatological status of history: either one is a member of the kingdom of God, with the knowledge of the truth (grounded in the triune God of the Bible), or one is a member of the kingdom of Satan, with the knowledge of a lie (grounded in the deception of Satan). In redemptive history, there is no other ground for human knowledge. One either stands with Christ as the source of all knowledge or against him.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William D. 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