Progressive Illumination

"If it is new, it's not true!"

Some sayings are quaint but remain functionally inaccurate. Many Bible teachers believe and teach that if the First Century "church fathers" did not teach, preach, or write concerning any particular matter, then it lacks credibility. These Bible teachers surmise that anything new must be false. The fact remains that there “is no new thing under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Herein lies a most important truth. Though something may come to new light for us personally (illumination), the truth was already known when God initially unveiled it (revelation). Illumination is not the reception of truth, but the enlightened understanding of truth previously given. God’s truth remains unchanged, but man’s understanding of that truth is constantly changing.