By Jared Bradley (Staff Apologist)
“I have had a revelation!”, is a common phrase used today. For many, the word revelation can simply be interpreted as “realization”, or discovering an unknown fact. While many things about God may be surprising and certainly unknown, there is a huge difference between revelation and divine revelation. Put simply, divine revelation is the all-encompassing knowledge that is known about God, that has been revealed by God.[1] As R.C. Sproul states, “Idle speculation about God is a fool’s errand … we must rely on what He tells us about Himself.”[2] This divine revelation from God can be distinguished into two different types: General and special revelations. While general revelation may be observed or disregarded to one’s choosing, special revelation is essential to the Christian faith.
General revelation is general for two main reasons. First, it is general in its content. This means that God’s existence can be known.[3] Though there are many different ways God has revealed Himself, the primary way is through nature. In his letter to the Romans, Paul writes, “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world.”[4] Since God’s glory can be known and observed through His creation, this type of general revelation is often referred to as mediate general revelation.[5] Secondly, general revelation is considered “general”, is because of its general audience. Observing creation and recognizing its Maker is not limited to a specific set of individuals. R.C. Sproul offers some insight when he says “The world is a stage for God. He is the chief actor who appears front and center.”[6] Therefore, the argument can certainly be made that everyone on earth knows of God’s existence, whether they choose to acknowledge Him as their Lord or not. Lastly, God reveals Himself to all people through immediate revelation. This type of general revelation is distinguished by God’s act of “implant[ing] an innate sense of Himself in human beings.” Such an example of this would be the moral law. R.C. Sproul argues that God’s inner voice cannot be silenced; muffled but not destroyed.[7]
Through general revelation, God’s existence and presence can be known. While some observations about God can be made through this type of revelation, His name, attributes, and character remain a mystery and must be learned through special revelation. The Bible is one such revelation. Through prophets and apostles, God has spoken to His people. While the entirety of the Bible has been penned by humans, the ultimate source of this revelation is God.[8] This is why the Bible is called the inspired Word of God. Through the Scriptures and this special revelation from God Himself, His name, character, and attributes can be known.
The Bible is widely considered the most unique book in existence. While it certainly appears to be one book, it is in fact a large volume of books written over a large span of time, by different authors from different places with different writing styles. In fact, the Bible consists of historical record, poetry, personal narrative, and direct Word from God! Because of this, the Bible is split between the Old and New Testaments; the Old consisting of law, poetry, wisdom, and the prophets, while the New consists of several accounts of Jesus’s life and letters written to churches after Jesus’s ministry on Earth. While it is not known how God directed His people to write parts of the Old Testament, it known that the Holy Spirit “communicated through the human writers the very words of God.”[9] The New Testament in particular had to undergo a “trial by error” process. Since writing about Jesus and His ministry was extremely popular in the first and second century, the only books allowed to make it into what we now know as the Bible were works that were endorsed or written by an apostle, received as authoritative by the early church, and harmonious in content. Through this criteria, complete confidence can be had in reading the New Testament.
The Bible is not an easy book to read. As R.C. Sproul states, “The basic message of the Bible is easy enough for a child to understand. Yet the meat of Scripture requires careful attention and study to understand it properly.”[10] For this reason, it must be interpreted and read literally. This means that narrative passages should be read as teaching passages, history as historical, and poetry as poetic. While it can be easy to read the Bible as a historical narrative, it is imperative to not forget it is the Word of God. Being the Word of God, it is the source of ultimate truth, wisdom, and knowledge. The Bible fills the two most important roles in one’s life. As A.W. Tozer says, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”[11] On the other hand, C.S. Lewis states, “How God thinks of us is not only more important, but infinitely more important.”[12] Whether both or neither of them are correct, the Bible fulfills both of those roles. It speaks of two main ideas: God’s heart towards the human race including His redemptive plan for humankind, and how humankind must love God and love their neighbor.
Revelations about God are more than mere realizations. They are divine. We can know about God’s existence through His general revelation to mankind, both mediate and immediate. However, to know more about Him, He must reveal Himself directly to mankind in other ways through special revelation. As the Bible is the most important revelation from God, it needs to be studied carefully and understood to know more about His nature and attributes. The Bible can be trusted as the inerrant Word of God, and helps God’s children live in a way that honors Him on Earth.
[1] Sproul, R.C. Essential Truths of the Christian Faith. Tyndale House Publishers Inc., 1992: (3).
[2] Sproul, R.C., 4.
[3] Sproul, R.C., 4.
[4] Romans 1:20
[5] Sproul, R.C., 11.
[6] Sproul, R.C., 5.
[7] Sproul, R.C., 12-13.
[8] Sproul, R.C., 15.
[9] Sproul, R.C., 16.
[10] Sproul, R.C., 26.
[11] Tozer, A.W., The Knowledge of the Holy (New York: HarperCollins, 1978), 1.
[12] Lewis, C.S., “The Weight of Glory” (1941).
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