God as Revealer

Topical Bible Studies by David W. Biggs

 © David W. Biggs, 2022, except for World English Bible, Orthodox Version (WEB) which is in the public domain.

God as Revealer

 The Revealing Work of God

God is the creator of the world. The only way we can know God is if he chooses to reveal himself to us. Christians believe that God has revealed himself in general ways through the world he created, and specifically through the Bible. 

 Three main sources of revelation about God are: 

 1.   General Revelation.

2.   Special Revelation.

3.   Spiritual Revelation. 

First there is General Revelation.  

 GENERAL REVELATION is manifested through the world God created even to those who have not had the opportunity to hear God’s word from the Bible.  For example, creation itself points to their being a God who should be worshipped.  Also, God has put into each person a sense of right and wrong.  Paul talks about this in Romans 1:18-23. Each person has enough revelation about God to be accountable to God.  

 Psalm 19:1 says: “The heavens declare the glory of God. The expanse shows his handiwork.” (WEB).

 God’s creation points to how great, powerful, and all-knowing God is. 

 Romans 1:18-23 says: “18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19  because that which is known of God is revealed in them, for God revealed it to them. 20 for the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity, that they may be without excuse. 21 because knowing God, they didn’t glorify him as God, and didn’t give thanks, but became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless heart was darkened.” (WEB). 

Knowledge about God through nature is limited. The created world points out for example that God must be great if he created the world. We also have a sense that some things are right and some things are wrong. But we know nothing about what God considers to be right and wrong or the knowledge of salvation or why the teaching of the Bible is true and other religions are not true.  We can only know these things through the Bible.  Revelation through nature is not adequate to show us the way to God.  It only alerts us to the need to seek God. 

 Also, man’s knowledge of God through nature is also limited because sinful living suppresses the truth about God. 

Paul says that man’s understanding of God through nature is suppressed in sinful living. Man fails to worship and give thanks to God and instead starts to worship creation. 

Besides General Revelation there is Special Revelation.  Special revelation refers to the Bible. God spoke through prophets giving us the Old Testament scriptures and God spoke through apostles and prophets in the New Testament age to give us the New Testament. The Bible is sufficient for giving us all we need to know about God. We need no new revelation. We need only apply the revelation taught in God’s word the Bible.  How did we get the Bible?  

 We got the Bible when God revealed his word through the Holy Spirit. 

 2 Peter 1: 20-21 says: “20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of private interpretation. 21 For no prophecy ever came by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke, being moved by the Holy Spirit.” (WEB).  

 This teaches us that the Holy Spirit was at work revealing God’s message to the prophets and the apostles.  

 2 Timothy 3:16-17  says: “Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that each person who belongs to God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (WEB). 

 The ultimate source of Scripture is God himself. 

 Besides General Revelation and Special Revelation there is Spiritual revelation.  

 Spiritual revelation refers to how our understanding of God’s word is affected by our willingness to believe and obey God’s word. God gives more light to those who obey what knowledge of God that they have. On the other hand, sinful living and rejection of God’s word makes understanding his word harder. This is not referring to God giving new revelation to people that adds to the Bible, but rather our understanding is affected by our response to what revelation we understand. Jesus once told a parable of the sower. Plants grow differently in different kinds of soil. The effectiveness of God’s word in our heart and how we grow upon hearing God’s word is affected by how receptive we are to God’s word. 

 In Luke 8:4-8.  Jesus gave the parable of the sower. Jesus said: “5. The farmer went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell along the road, and it was trampled under foot, and the birds of the sky devoured it. 6. Other seed fell on the rock, and as soon as it grew, it withered away, because it had no moisture. 7. Other fell amid the thorns, and the thorns grew with it, and chocked it. 8. Other fell into the good ground, and grew, and produced one hundred times as much fruit.’ As he said these things, he called out, He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (WEB).

 This is how Jesus explained this parable. Jesus said in Luke 8:11-15:

 “11. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12. Those along the road are those who hear, then the devil comes, and takes away the word from their heart, that they may not believe and be saved. 13. Those on the rock are they who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; but these have no root, who believe for a while, then fall away in time of temptation. 14. That which fell among the thorns, these are those who have heart, and as they go on their way they are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. 15. Those in the good ground, these are those who with an honest and good heart, having heard the word, hold it tightly, and produce fruit with perseverance.” (WEB). 

God’s word is not productive for some because they do not believe and obey God’s word. Other people at first believe and obey God’s word but they stop obeying God when temptation comes there way.  In others the effectiveness of God’s word is destroyed in their lives because the duties of life, and life’s pleasures become more important to them than hearing and obeying God’s word.

There are some hearers of God’s word in which God’s word transforms their lives. There are 3 characteristics of those in whom God’s word is effective. 

1. They have a good and honest heart. The heart refers to our thoughts, desires, and will.  They have a heart that wants to obey God. 

2.  They hold God’s word tightly. It is very important to them. 

3.  They are persistent in obeying God (perseverance)

 God still gives revelations, but these are not new spiritual truths. Rather the revelation that God still gives today involves making effective God’s word in our lives.  God reveals to sinners that they are sinners. God convicts sinners of their sins. John 16:7-13 refers to the Holy Spirit as the Counselor in the WEB.  Jesus speaking to his disciples said in John 16:7-13: “7. Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I don’t go away, the Counselor won’t come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8. When he has come, he will convict the world about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment.” (WEB).  From these verses we learn that the Holy Spirit points out in our lives hinderances to hearing and obeying God’s revelation. 

 1.  The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin. 

 2.  The Holy Spirit convicts us regarding what is right.

 3. The Holy Spirit convicts us of God’s judgment and coming judgment. 

God reveals personally to believers that God has raised Jesus from the dead. God bears witness to Christians that they are the children of God.

Romans 8:16 says: “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.”  (WEB).  When we accept Jesus as our personal Savior, he comes into our hearts. We thus know Jesus is alive, and that God has raised Jesus from the dead. 

 God reveals to a Christian ways to live out the teaching of scripture.

If we read God’s word and ask God to speak to us through his word, then God will help us understand his word. God will reveal things in our lives that needs to be changed.  

James 1: 22-25 says: “22 But be doers of the word, and not only hearers, deluding your own selves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his natural face in a mirror; 24. For he sees himself, and goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25. But he who looks into the perfect law of freedom and continues, not being a hearer who forgets, but a doer of the work, this man will be blessed in what he does.” (WEB). 

 God reveals to a Christian ways in which the Christian needs to improve their walk with God in the light of the Scriptures.  See James 1:22-25 above. 

 Christians need to seek God.

 Isaiah 55:6-8: “Seek Yahweh while he may be found. Call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to Yahweh, and he will have mercy on him, to our God, for he will freely pardon.” (WEB)

 James 4:8 “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (WEB).