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Objective

In this lesson, we’ll discover how God has communicated to humanity through nature, conscience, Scripture, and His Son Jesus Christ.

Key Verse

Matthew 11:15: He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Introduction

What is revelation? Revelation is God making Himself known to us—declaring who He is and what He desires from His creation.

God has revealed Himself because this is the only way we can know Him. We would know nothing about God if He didn’t choose to reveal Himself to us. We cannot know Him through our own effort and intelligence alone. Human wisdom, no matter how sophisticated, cannot discover the true nature of God.

It has always been God’s purpose to be known by His creation. We cannot have fellowship with someone we don’t know, and God desires to have fellowship with us. Jesus Himself prayed about this relationship:

John 17:23-26: I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.

In this lesson, we’ll explore the two types of revelation that God has given to humanity:

• General revelation
• Special revelation

General revelation is available to every person who has ever lived. All of us know something about God through nature and human conscience. The main message of general revelation is that God is our Creator.

Special revelation tells us that Christ is our Redeemer. Special revelation comes to us through Scripture and through Christ Himself. Christ is the fullest revelation of God because He is God in human flesh.

General Revelation

Every person who has ever lived has witnessed God’s revelation through the natural world around them.

Psalm 19:1-3: 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.

Throughout the Psalms we discover that our Creator is a God of glory, power, and majesty. Our hearts should be moved to worship the One who created everything we see. (Notebook Moment: When you look at a beautiful sunset, a mountain range, or even the intricate design of a flower, what does this tell you about the character of God who made these things?)

What can we learn about God through nature? The apostle Paul explains this clearly:

Romans 1:19-20: Since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

From observing the natural world, we can understand two essential truths about God:

• The invisible power of God
• The eternal attributes of God

God is a Spirit, as Jesus told us in John 4:24. We cannot see Him with our physical eyes. But we can clearly see His power displayed throughout the natural world. We also understand that the world must have been made by a Creator who has always existed—someone with eternal power.

Acts 17:24-25: The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.

The Bible also teaches us that we can know something about the goodness of God from nature:

Acts 14:17: Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.

Psalm 145:15-16: The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

Our conscience provides another way we can know about God. This is the inner understanding we have of right and wrong that God has placed within every human heart.

What can we learn about God through conscience? We understand that there is a moral law that God has established—a standard of right and wrong that exists whether or not we have ever read the Bible.

Romans 2:14-15: Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.

John 1:9: The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.

Special Revelation

There is a limit to what we can know about God through nature and conscience. While these forms of general revelation tell us that God exists and that He is powerful and good, they cannot tell us how to have a personal relationship with Him. This is why God has spoken to us in a special way.

God has given us special revelation through Scripture and through Christ:

Hebrews 1:1-3: In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

God revealed Himself through the Old Testament prophets:

Amos 3:7: Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.

Hebrews 1:1 describes how God accomplished this revelation. He spoke “at many times and in various ways.” Let’s examine what this means.

He spoke at many times means that God revealed Himself to us progressively, in steps. He did not reveal everything about Himself all at once, but gradually unfolded His plan and character throughout history:

• Adam and Eve received God’s first commands (Genesis 2:16-17)
• Enoch walked with God and prophesied (Jude 14-15)
• Noah was warned of the coming flood (Genesis 6:8)
• Abraham received God’s covenant promises (Genesis 12:1-3)
• Moses encountered God at the burning bush (Exodus 3:1-6)
• Samuel heard God’s voice as a child (1 Samuel 3:21)
• David was inspired to write psalms (2 Samuel 23:2)
• Isaiah saw the Lord in the temple (Isaiah 6:1)
• Jeremiah received God’s words directly (Jeremiah 1:9)

A child cannot learn everything on his first day of school. He must learn step by step. His understanding grows from day to day as he builds on what he has already learned. Each Christian grows in knowledge of God the same way. As we mature in our faith, God reveals more of Himself to us through His Word.

Hebrews 6:1: Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God.

2 Peter 3:18: But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

Teachers of God’s Word should follow this same pattern. We should build truth upon truth, teaching all of Scripture because God has revealed Himself to us from beginning to end.

He spoke in various ways means that God used many different methods to communicate with His servants throughout history:

• God spoke to Abraham through the Angel of the Lord (Genesis 18:1)
• God spoke to Moses from a burning bush (Exodus 3:4)
• God spoke to Samuel through a voice in the night (1 Samuel 3:10)
• God spoke to Ezekiel directly through words (Ezekiel 2:2)
• God spoke to Daniel through visions and dreams (Daniel 7:1)

(Notebook Moment: What does God’s use of so many different methods of communication tell us about His desire to reach people and make Himself known?)

But there is a second way that God has spoken to us, and this is the most complete revelation possible. Christ is the fullest revelation of God because Christ is God in human flesh:

Hebrews 1:3: The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.

Colossians 1:15: The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

John 12:45: Whoever looks at me is seeing the one who sent me.

How God Speaks Today

Does God continue to speak to us today? Yes, but the primary way He does this is through the Bible and through the Holy Spirit. While God may still guide believers through various means including circumstances, other believers, and impressions on our hearts, He has given us His complete written Word and the Holy Spirit to communicate with us consistently.

2 Timothy 3:16-17: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

John 16:13: But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

God used prophets and apostles to deliver His written Word to us. Scripture serves as the foundation of truth for the church:

Ephesians 2:20: Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

The revelation of God through Scripture was completed with the last book of the Bible. We must not add to or take away from God’s Word:

Deuteronomy 4:2: Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.

Revelation 22:19: And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.

False teachers throughout history have claimed to have new revelations from God that go beyond or contradict Scripture. We should turn away from them and their false teaching:

Galatians 1:6-9: I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!

1 Timothy 1:3-7: As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith. The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.

The Holy Spirit continues to guide us into all truth. The Holy Spirit may work through the spiritual gifts of the church to teach, encourage, and instruct us. However, these experiences are not new revelations that add to Scripture. Rather, the Holy Spirit uses God’s already-revealed Word to guide, convict, comfort, and direct us. Any genuine leading from God will always align perfectly with what He has already revealed in Scripture. (Notebook Moment: How can you tell the difference between God’s guidance and your own desires or outside influences? What role does Scripture play in confirming God’s direction in your life?)

Conclusion

God has spoken to us clearly and completely. Through nature and conscience, He reveals Himself as Creator to every person. Through Scripture and Christ, He shows us how to have a personal relationship with Him as our loving heavenly Father.

The same God who spoke to Abraham, Moses, and the prophets speaks to us today through His written Word. This is both a tremendous privilege and a serious responsibility. We have been given the complete revelation of God—now we must respond to what He has shown us.

Psalm 119:105: Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

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