The Revelation of God

“The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
 Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
  It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
    like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
 It rises at one end of the heavens
    and makes its circuit to the other;
    nothing is deprived of its warmth.”
Psalm 19:1-6

Before I was a Christian, I knew there was a creator/God because of the existence of creation. I didn’t come to acknowledge Yahweh as the one true living God until years later, but I always had a love for everything he has made.

General Revelation

General and special revelation are the two ways that God has revealed himself to mankind (male & female). General revelation refers to the existence of and truths about God that are revealed through nature. Special revelation refers to specific truths revealed through the supernatural by means of Scripture and divine revelation by Holy Spirit. 

Psalm 19:1- 4 speaks of God's power and existence being clearly seen by observing the intricacy and intentionality of creation. Romans 1:20 also makes it very clear that there is no excuse for denying God's eternal power and divine nature since they are understood and clearly seen because of the creation that God has made. God's existence is made obvious to all people, everywhere, at all times because of general revelation. 

Though it does not actually save anyone, it does point to our great and wonderful God who has revealed everything we need to know pertaining to life and godliness through His written Word and ultimately His son and the Savior of the world, Jesus the Messiah. 

Special Revelation

Special revelation includes miraculous and supernatural ways that God has revealed Himself to people through:

• visions (Genesis 15:1; Ezekiel 8:3-4; Daniel 7; 2 Corinthians 12:1-7) 

• dreams (Genesis 28:12, 37:5; 1 Kings 3:5; Daniel 2)

• physical form (Genesis 3:8, 18:1; Exodus 3:1-4, 34:5-7)

• His Word, the Scriptures, that were breathed out by Holy Spirit. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

• the Lord Jesus Christ who is God in the flesh (John 1:1, 14; 8:58; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Colossians 1:15-20)

One example of special revelation is through the written Word of God, the Bible. God used 40 different imperfect men over 1500 years to communicate the Gospel - the narrative of redemption for mankind - to humanity. The Word of God is inspired, profitable, and sufficient (2 Timothy 3:16-17) for our lives. It is also living and active. (Hebrews 4:12) He revealed everything in His Word about what we are to know about Him, what He has done for us, how much He loves us, and what He expects of us. 

Another special revelation is Jesus Christ. God came from heaven to earth as a man (John 1:1) to show us how to live (Matthew 16:24-26), to reconcile us to the Father (2 Corinthians 5:18), and make the only way for us to receive salvation (John 14:6). God once spoke through the prophets, but today he has spoken through his son Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 1:1-3)

The point of all revelation from God - whether through creation, His Word, or His triune nature - is to save people from eternal destruction and bring people to Himself and into a right relationship with Him. Because of His great love and mercy, He has made the way for us to have eternal life with Him.

REFLECT & APPLY

1. Before you became a Christian, what ways - generally or specifically - did God reveal Himself to you?
2. If you are not currently a follower of Jesus, are there any ways that you clearly see that God is revealing Himself to you?
3. When was the last time you sat in awe of God being so kind and loving to reveal Himself to mankind so that many could have a chance to have a restored relationship with Him?