We are created to know, love, and serve God. Our Creator gives us the gifts of reason and understanding so that we can know Him. God has revealed Himself to us in two ways: naturally and supernaturally.

Natural revelation is the knowledge that we acquire about God by human reason through the wonderful works of His creation. Supernatural revelation is the knowledge God discloses in a special way about Himself. It is beyond what we can know of Him by our reason.

Creation and conscience

A person can know the existence of God by looking both outward and inward. Looking outward, a person sees the wonderful works of creation, which manifest the power, wisdom, and goodness of God. Inwardly, a person hears the voice of conscience and has the desire for perfect and eternal happiness.

The voice of conscience gives us a sense of right and wrong. The source of this voice is beyond us. Some people have tried to ignore the voice of conscience but have not succeeded. This voice is not merely from our parents and teachers, for they themselves are subject to this voice. The voice is from God, and it leads us to Him.

Inside us is also the desire for perfect and eternal happiness. Nothing on earth can satisfy our desire. Only God can satisfy us. St. Augustine prayed, “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”

Scripture and tradition

God, in His goodness, revealed Himself to mankind supernaturally. The supernatural revelation of God is contained in sacred Scripture and divine tradition.

Sacred Scripture, or the Bible, is the written word of God. The entire Bible is inspired by God. The authors of the Bible were enlightened by God, and they wrote only those things that God wished to be written.

The Bible is divided into the Old Testament, written before the coming of Christ, and the New Testament, written after the coming of Christ. There are 46 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament.

Divine tradition is the unwritten word of God. It contains truths revealed by God, though not written in the Bible, and given to the Church through word of mouth by Jesus Christ or by the apostles under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus told His apostles to preach the Gospel. All the apostles spread the Gospel by preaching and teaching (word of mouth). Only a few apostles wrote parts of the Bible. In the early Church, before the New Testament Scriptures were written, the faith was passed on mainly by word of mouth.

Eventually some people committed the oral teachings of the apostles to writing. This happened especially from 100 AD to 400 AD. Written records of tradition can be found in the decrees of Popes and councils, creeds, liturgical books, acts of martyrs, and inscriptions on tombs and monuments, but especially in the writings of the Church Fathers.

Teaching authority

Christ entrusted both Scripture and tradition to the care of the Church. The teaching authority of the Church, called the magisterium, can infallibly interpret Scripture and tradition and give final judgment on matters of faith and morals.

Scripture writers did not make errors when they were writing under inspiration. The Pope teaches infallibly when he exercises his supreme authority to define a doctrine concerning faith or morals to be held by the universal Church.

The God Who gave mankind infallible revelation also gives us its infallible interpreter.

Protestants accept only the authority of the Bible. Eastern Orthodox accept both Bible and tradition. We Catholics accept all three: Bible, tradition, and magisterium.

我們受造去認識、愛慕和事奉天主。造物主賞賜我們領悟力和理解力，更給我們本性及超性的啟示，為的是讓我們能認識祂。

本性的啟示，是指天主讓我們用本性的領悟力，從奇妙受造的宇宙去認識祂。超性的啟示是天主以獨特的途徑把那些超越人理智所能發現的道理教授給我們。

造物與良知

一個人可以從外在看到奇妙的創造，而領悟到天主的全能、上智和美善。人亦可以從內在良知，以及內心對永恒完美福樂的渴望，而覺察到天主的存在。

良知的聲音，固藏在我們的內心，引導我們行善避惡。良知的泉源是超越我們自己，有些人即使蓄意妄顧良知，仍揮之不去。良知也不是源於父母師長；因為他們也受到良知的約束。歸根究底，良知的聲音是發自天主，引領我們最終歸向祂。

蒂固內心的，同時有渴望完美和永恒福樂的自然心態。但事實上，現世根本不能滿完這自然心態，惟有在天主內才有這歸宿。聖奧斯定祈禱著：「祢因祢而創造我們；主，也因此只有在祢內，我們才可憩息。」

聖經與聖傳

天主因祂的美善給我們超性的啟示 —— 這超性的啟示，見載於「聖經」、體驗自「聖傳」。

「聖經」是文字所記載的天主聖言。天主光照聖經的作者，默感了他們，令他們筆錄了祂的聖言。他們不能錯地寫下天主願意他們寫的東西。「聖經」內的「舊約」，包含了四十六本書冊，寫於基督降生之前；「新約」的二十七本書冊，則寫於基督降生之後。

「聖傳」原屬非文字所記載的天主聖言，是耶穌基督的口授或天主聖神默啟宗徒的道理，藉教會相傳給我們。在耶穌基督的吩咐下，宗徒走遍各地傳揚福音，早期主要是口述親為，只有極少數人，以文字寫下新約聖經。事實上，在「新約」成書之前，信仰主要只憑口授行實去宣揚。

後來，約在公元一百年至四百年間，一些人把宗徒口述的教導，藉文字轉載相傳；因此，筆錄的「聖傳」，可見於教宗和大公會議的法令、信經、禮儀經書、殉道史述、墓誌銘、紀念碑文，特別在早期教父的著作中。

訓導權

基督把「聖經」及「聖傳」，付託祂的教會，而教會承授的訓導權，在不能錯的恩賜下，無誤地闡釋「聖經」及「聖傳」，並對信仰的要理和道德規範，擁有無可置疑的終決權。

聖經的作者，在聖神默感下，無誤地以文字寫下天主的聖言；相似地，教宗在聖神的師保下，以宗座最高權力身份，向普世教會頒佈的當信道理和道德規範，絕對不會錯誤。天主賜予人類無誤的啟示，自然會賞給人類無誤闡釋的使者。

基督教只接受聖經。東正教接受聖經及聖傳。天主教接受聖經、聖傳及教會的訓導權三樣。