Revelation
In one sentence: Revelation means that God has made Himself known, not because we climbed up to Him, but because He graciously came down and spoke.
Note: This article is not about the book of Revelation. That will definitely take more than 1,000 words. We are talking about the doctrine of revelation, which simply means that God has made Himself known.
One of the most important questions any person can ask is this: How can we know God? Not merely how can we guess that God exists, or how can we feel something spiritual, but how can we truly know what God is like, what He desires, what He has done, and how we may come to Him?
The Christian answer begins with grace. We know God because God has revealed himself. He has not left us in the dark, trying to feel our way toward heaven. That word, revelation, simply means an unveiling, or a making known. In Christian theology, revelation means that God has shown us what we could never discover on our own.
The Bible teaches that God reveals Himself in more than one way. First, God reveals Himself through creation. Psalm 19:1 says, “the heavens declare the glory of God.” The world is not silent. The stars, seas, mountains, trees, seasons, bodies, minds, beauty, and moral order of creation all bear witness to the wisdom, power, and glory of God. Paul says something similar in Romans 1:19–20, where he teaches that God’s eternal power and divine nature are clearly perceived in the things He has made.
This is often called general revelation. It is “general” because it is given generally to all people in all places. Every person lives in God’s world, beneath God’s sky, surrounded by God’s handiwork. Creation tells the truth about God, and it leaves humanity without excuse. We may suppress that truth, ignore it, twist it, or exchange it for idols, but the truth is still there. Creation is not God, but creation truly points beyond itself to God.
But general revelation is not enough to save us. Creation can tell us that God is powerful, wise, and glorious, but it does not tell us the full message of the gospel. The stars do not preach Christ crucified. The mountains do not explain forgiveness of sins. The sunrise may display God’s kindness, but it does not tell us the name of Jesus. For that, we need God to speak more directly.
That is why God has also given special revelation. Special revelation is God making Himself known through particular words and acts in history. God spoke to Adam and Eve. He called Abraham. He appeared to Moses. He gave His law to Israel. He spoke through the prophets. He revealed His character, His covenant promises, His holiness, His mercy, and His plan to redeem a people for Himself.
All of this special revelation reaches its highest point in Jesus Christ. Hebrews 1:1–2 says, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.” Jesus is not merely another messenger from God. He is God the Son made flesh. John 1:14 says, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Colossians 1:15 calls Him the image of the invisible God. If we want to know what God is like, we must look to Christ.
Why This Matters
This matters because Christianity is not built on human speculation. We are not starting with our best ideas about what God must be like. We are starting with what God has actually revealed. This protects us from making God in our own image. Left to ourselves, we tend to imagine a god who agrees with us, excuses us, flatters us, or fears what we fear. Revelation confronts our imagination with reality. God is who He says He is.
Revelation should also humble us. If God had not spoken, we would not know Him truly. We might recognize His power in creation, but we would not know His saving mercy in Christ. We might sense that we are accountable to a Creator, but we would not know the good news that guilty sinners can be forgiven, adopted, and made new through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
And revelation comforts us. God is not hiding from His people. He is not silent, distant, or unknowable. He has spoken in creation. He has spoken through the prophets and apostles. He has spoken finally and fully in His Son. And by His Spirit, He continues to use His written Word to teach, correct, comfort, and strengthen His church.
So when Christians speak of revelation, we are not talking about secret knowledge for a spiritual elite. We are talking about the gracious God who makes Himself known. He opens blind eyes. He speaks into darkness. He reveals His glory in creation, His will in Scripture, and His heart most clearly in Jesus Christ.
We know God because God wanted to be known.
For Further Thought
These questions are not meant to create arguments, but to encourage careful, charitable, Bible-shaped conversation. I’d love to hear your thoughts/answers to any/all of these questions in the comments.
- What can we truly know about God from creation?
- What can creation not tell us that Scripture must reveal?
- Why is it important to say that Jesus is the fullest revelation of God?
- How does revelation protect us from making God in our own image?
- What is the difference between saying “God is mysterious” and saying “God is unknowable”?
- How should the fact that God has spoken shape the way we read Scripture, listen to preaching, and worship together?