God loves to reveal Himself to us in a variety of ways. He is not only a historical God, he is a personal God of revelation here and now.
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
What is revelation? Revelation is simply God “unveiling” Himself to us.
He “discloses” to us more about Himself. And He does this in a variety of ways.
What theologians term “the doctrine of revelation” is the study of how God has revealed Himself to humanity through time and how He continues to reveal Himself to us today.
He is God; He does not have to reveal Himself.
However, the infinite God of the universe takes the initiative in making Himself known to us–His creation.
God Wants to Reveal Himself to Us
What we know of God is only because He is gracious to share Himself with us.
He desires to have fellowship with us; that’s why we were created.
From the beginning, He imparted His breath of life into humanity.
His nature is to impart revelation of Himself.
Even though our human nature is corrupted by sin, our Creator Father continues to desire to breathe Himself to us today.
He is the One who seeks out relationship with us!
God has longed for human fellowship since Adam and Eve spurned His love. He wants to make Himself known, and so He continues to pursue a closer relationship with us.
If you are reading this it is because He is drawing you to Himself, and you are curious.
He loves that! He is concerned that His creatures know about Him and know Him intimately!
None of the other so-called gods care if humanity knows them or even acknowledges their existence.
But the Living God is intimately concerned that His creation knows Him, even with the difficulties and boundaries constructed by sinful human nature.
Revelation means an uncovering or unveiling.[1]
God takes the initiative in making Himself known and continues to reveal more and more of Himself if we desire His company and are curious enough to seek Him (Jeremiah 29:13).
I think sometimes we humans try too hard, when all God wants is for us to relax and lean on Him, to rely on Him.
- 3 Secrets to Knowing God
- Why You Might Not Be Aware of God’s Presence
- Learn How to Hear God’s Voice Clearly
1. General Revelation of God
The Apostle Paul writes,
“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face” (1 Cor 13:12).
Ancient Corinth was famous for manufacturing the kind of ancient mirrors to which the Apostle Paul refers.
Unlike the mirrors of today, these mirrors were made of beaten and polished metal that required constant polishing. The vision was imperfect at best, clouded with scratches on an unclear surface.[2]
Like this imperfect mirror, the finite (limited) human being can only know in part the majestic and infinite God.
We see through this cloudy mirror of our sin nature, so what we know is scratchy, cloudy, and imperfect.
Yet, God has revealed much about Himself to humans generally and specifically.
The clear purpose of His revelation is that humanity might come to know Him in a personal, intimate relationship.
General Revelation of God to All Peoples
God’s revelation of Himself to humanity is classified as general (universal) revelation and special revelation.[3]
General revelation includes ways that God reveals Himself to all people in all places since creation. His divine providence, governance, and care for His creation throughout history reveal evidence of general revelation.[4]
God desires that all people everywhere come to know Him.
The two primary avenues of general revelation are creation and conscience.
The General Revelation of God in Creation
Paul refers to the general revelation of God in creation. God has made plain to humanity His eternal, invisible power and divine nature through the things He has made.[5]
Thus, humankind is without excuse as to a general revelation of God because God can be seen and understood in His creation.
Discoveries in science, nature, and medicine are evidence for the revelation of God.
Conscience
Part of the promise of God is that all people will know God because His laws will be written on their hearts.
Instinctively, we have a certain revelation about right and wrong. Paul says that when the Gentiles do instinctively what is right according to the law, they demonstrate that the law of God is written on their hearts.[6]
The human conscience is the inner awareness and monitor of our actions and attitudes.
However, because of sin, the conscience is not trustworthy.
Our conscience can be “good” and “clear,”[7] but it can also be “guilty,” “corrupted,” “weak,” or “seared.”[8]
The General Revelation of God is Only a Starting Point
As C.S. Lewis points out, human beings have this inherent idea that they should behave in a certain way, which they just cannot get away from. Humans know right behavior, and still manage to behave wrongly.[9]
The general knowledge of God simply is not enough to bring humanity into an intimate relationship with God.
God’s people continually turn away from Him—the One who longs to comfort them and be with them.
God’s people through the ages have constantly denied the outstretched arms of their loving Father.
Even when they say they love Him, they continually stray from His side and have not known His ways.
God shared His frustration in Isaiah,
“An ox knows its owner, and a donkey its master’s manger, but Israel does not know, My people do not understand” (Isa 1:3).
Sin, of all kinds, towers between people and their God.
Humanity tends to neglect and suppress the truth in their heart and violate the conscience. The sinner distorts general revelation and tends to create his or her own idea of God—which is idolatry.
2. The Special Revelation of God
Into this vacuum, God sends forth special revelation.[10]
God revealed Himself to Abraham in special revelation, then Isaac, Jacob, then the whole nation of Israel, and then through the man Christ Jesus.
It is in Jesus that revelation occurs most fully.
His speech was divine, his message divine, and his actions divine.
In Jesus, the Word and Spirit are revealed to humanity.
He was the most complete revelation of God because He was God.
The Holy Scriptures Reveal God
The Scriptures have a unique role in preserving and communicating God-breathed revelation.
The greatest revelation, Jesus, Himself stressed that the Bible revealed Himself.[11]
The special revelation written in the Scriptures is the knowledge of God and His will that was given to a particular community, Israel, and the early church, then recorded.
The Scriptures, when taken into our hearts, remain alive and bring healing, wisdom, and strength.
The Scriptures are “life unto those that find them” (Prov 4:22).
God Also Reveals Himself in Personal Ways
God also reveals Himself to humanity in personal ways.
One can feel His presence and have a personal experience with Him because revelation is personal.
God’s goal for special revelation has always been for humans to know and love Him.[12]
The importance of knowing about God helps us come to a more intimate knowledge of Him.
When we spend time with someone in our personal relationships we also get to know more about them.
The same is true with our Lord.
God Communicates to People Today
God is a God of communication, and He continues to speak to His people today.
God speaks in a variety of ways:
- an audible voice,
- a gentle whisper,
- through visions and dreams,
- through prophets, and
- through the gifts of the Spirit.
- He also speaks through circumstances (think Jonah) and through angels.
He does speak apart from the Bible, but never in contradiction to the Bible.
The Holy Spirit continues to reveal Christ through the Scriptures.
In fact, a major way the Spirit speaks to believers is through the illumination of the Scriptures. Clark Pinnock asserts:
“Revelation has not ceased. . . . If it had, we could not know Christ as Lord, because we would be left to our own cognitive powers.
We have in us ‘the spirit of revelation,’ which causes the letter of the Bible to become charged with life and to become the living voice of God to us.
The Spirit did not withdraw from the church after the canon was completed but remains in the church speaking through the Scriptures, revealing Christ to us afresh.
Indeed, indications are that the Spirit continues to address us through one another, through gifts like prophecy, for example.”[13]
All revelations of the Spirit will align with the Scriptures and magnify the Scripture’s authority.
In fact, the Spirit’s communication will enhance and confirm the Bible to believers’ hearts.
God Reveals Himself in History and Here and Now
God loves to reveal Himself to us—His beloved people—in a variety of ways.
He is not only a historical God, but he is also a personal God here and now, and
He shows us more of His ways in nature, in Scripture, and in prayer when we become more aware of God’s dealings with us.
The first step is to become more aware of His presence in our lives.
See Next:
- God is Love: A Theology of God’s Love
- Knowing God: How is God Three and One?
- Who is the Holy Spirit?
- How Do I Learn More About God?
Thank you for reading! I am praying for you and your Christian journey!
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Bibliography:
- Larry D. Hart, Truth Aflame (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005), 42. ↑
- David W. J. Gill, “1 Corinthians 13:12,” Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary, ed. Clinton E. Arnold, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002), 169. ↑
- Millard Erickson, Christian Theology (Baker Academic, 2013), 177. ↑
- Acts 14:16; 17:26-27 ↑
- Romans 1:18-20. ↑
- Romans 2:14-16. ↑
- Acts 23:1; 1 Tim 1:5, 19; 1 Tim 3:9; 2 Tim. 1:3. ↑
- Heb 10:22; Titus 1:15; 1 Cor 8:7, 10, 12; 1 Tim 4:2. ↑
- Hart, 44. ↑
- Heb 1:1-2. ↑
- Luke 24:27; 44-45; John 5:39. ↑
- Erickson, 202. ↑
- Clark Pinnock, The Scripture Principle (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1984), 163; quoted in Larry D. Hart, Truth Aflame (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005), 68. ↑
Nature Photos by Joshua Earle on Unsplash
