Our God is an infinite God. He's unlimited. "His greatness is unsearchable" (Psalm 145:3). "Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty...Its measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea." (Job 11:7, 9).
Since God is infinite and we are not there is only one way we can know anything about Him.
Anything we know about God has to be revealed to us by God!
"Unless God had decided to show us who he is,
unless he had chosen to make known his own life and ways, we simply could know nothing--yes, nothing!--about him. We are dependent completely on God’s kindness and goodness to make himself known to us, and for this we ought to be grateful every day of our lives.” (Big Truths for Young Hearts, Bruce A. Ware, p18)
“Humans cannot reach up to investigate God and would not understand even if they could. So God has revealed himself by a revelation...coming in human language and human categories of thought and action.” (Christian Theology, 2nd Edition, Millard J. Erickson p204)
I am grateful that God has chosen to reveal himself to us. But how? There are two ways that God has chosen to reveal himself to us.
1. General Revelation
AKA: Universal Revelation and Natural Revelation
General revelation communicates about God to all people in all places and at all times. General revelation is visible in nature, history and people. We can know that God is glorious and knowable (Psalm 19:1-3); wise, provider and powerful (Psalm 104); has eternal power, divine nature and wrath (Romans 1:18-20); in control of creation and the ruler of the nations (Acts 14:16-18). We can also know that God is a God of morality (Romans 2:12-16) and that God exists by the evidence that all people everywhere worship something (Isaiah 44:14-20).
The existence of general revelation brings up an interesting question: Can people come to a saving knowledge of God based solely on general revelation? In other words, can that people group living in the jungles of Africa that have never heard the name of Jesus still be saved by what they can know of God from what they see around them?
Some would argue "yes" and others would argue "absolutely not". For those that think "yes" they consider how people were saved in the Old Testament times, before Jesus. Salvation is through trust in the righteousness of God by faith.
Those who think "no" think the affects of sin are too great.
The purpose of General Revelation is to push us toward Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:24-he power and wisdom observed in creation is, in fact, Jesus Christ). The problem is that we see the world with eyes tainted by sin. Not only that, creation itself has been affected by sin (Romans 8:18-25). While we can recognize the existence of a creator/God and can know something of his attributes our sinfulness suppresses the Truth about Jesus and instead we become an idolatrous people.
“General revelation serves, as does the law, merely to make guilty, not to make righteous” (Erickson, p198)
While general revelation is beneficial it is limited. Because of these limitations it was necessary for God to step in and “address the human race through the special revelation of Christ” (A Theology for the Church, Russell Moore, p111) This is called Special Revelation and takes priority over general revelation in our study of God. (Even in our study of general revelation tonight we have used special revelation to help our understanding.)
Trying to understand general revelation without the help of special revelation is like me trying to see without my glasses. I can see broad strokes but not details. Without the details I am susceptible to making BIG mistakes. That's where special revelation comes in.
Special revelation makes the message of general revelation clear.
2. Special Revelation
AKA: Particular Revelation
Special revelation communicates about God to particular people at definite times and places.
God has done this through divine speech, through the person of Jesus Christ and throughout history. He spoke directly to Abraham to establish his people, Israel. He spoke in dreams to Joseph to preserve his people. He told Moses his name: I AM. He spoke through the prophets and they communicated his Words to the people: "Thus says the Lord." He spoke in Jesus: "I and the Father are one." "If you have seen me then you have seen the Father."
And this special revelation has been given to us in the Bible.
Why has he stepped into general revelation to give us this special revelation? For relationship! Special revelation shows us how to have a redemptive relationship with the One True God! The book that sits on so many of our shelves is not just another book. It is the revelation the infinite God has given us of himself.
If God has chosen to disclose himself to us and that self-disclosure has been written down, should we not study it?
He is infinite so mystery will remain (Exodus 33:20; Eph 3:2-13) but he has revealed from heaven all we need for righteousness and holiness.
Receive this revelation gladly, not lightly.
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