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The Four Revelations of God
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. These are the first words of Genesis. The gospel of John starts with: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” But how has God revealed Himself to us? Today, I want to look at the four primary avenues of revelation God has chosen to use to reveal himself to us.
Though Creation (General Revelation)
The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
Day to day pours forth speech,
And night to night reveals knowledge.
Psalm 19:1-2 [NASB]
Many would insist that the so-called “hiddenness of God” is one of the great theological mysteries. Obviously, I have not heard or read everything on this subject, but I am not convinced based on what I have heard. The underlying premise smells to me of something like, “God should be doing more than He is for us.” You see, we are the ones who rejected God, and as a result, we have lost direct access to Him. So, the hiddenness of God never seemed like a mystery to me. The mystery to me is why He did not destroy us outright then and there, not why He is not more visible to us.
But even in this state of exile from His presence, not even the worst sinner on earth is without a witness of God’s existence and power. The evidence is all around us in the things He has created. Paul explains this in Romans 1.
For what can be known about God is plain to them,(the wicked)
because God has shown it to them.
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature,
have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,
in the things that have been made.
So they are without excuse.
For although they knew God,
they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him,
but they became futile in their thinking,
and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Romans 1:19-21[ESV]
But God gave us more than indirect evidence of His existence and power. He also reveals Himself directly.
Through His Word (Specific Revelation)
So we have the prophetic word made more sure,
to which you do well to pay attention
as to a lamp shining in a dark place,
until the day dawns
and the morning star arises in your hearts.
But know this first of all,
that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation,
for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will,
but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
II Peter 1:19-21[NASB]
God used frail and failing humans to speak to us. In His sovereign wisdom, God chose the right person at the right time with the right words to speak to us all. He revealed Himself to those who have rejected Him so we could all understand His plan to save us from ourselves—a call to turn back to Him and trust in His love.
Through His Son (The Incarnation of God)
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,
whom he appointed the heir of all things,
through whom also he created the world.
He is the radiance of the glory of God
and the exact imprint of his nature,
and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.
After making purification for sins,
he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
having become as much superior to angels
as the name he has inherited is
more excellent than theirs.
Hebrews 1:1-4[ESV]
In time, God’s word took on human flesh, and we could see Him in a form we could understand and relate to. God became a man and walked among us, teaching us and demonstrating His love for us all the way to His ultimate testimony of love. He sacrificed Himself for us to pay the debt we owed but could not pay, and through His resurrection, He became the king of God’s eternal kingdom. A kingdom that has begun but is not yet complete.
Through the Body of His Son (The Church)
...that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you,
what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe,
according to the working of his great might
that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead
and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
far above all rule and authority and power and dominion,
and above every name that is named,
not only in this age but also in the one to come.
And he put all things under his feet
and gave him as head over all things to the church,
which is his body,
the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Eph 1:18-23[ESV]
Get full access to On walking the Way at tompossin.substack.com/subscribe
The Church is the “Body of Christ.” In other words, we, as the Church, are now the visible manifestation of Christ on the earth. Given this fact, we are now God’s revelation to the rest of humanity. We are the hands and feet of Jesus. Thankfully, we do not(can not) do this on our own. Jesus is our head. He is our Lord, our Master, and our Boss. He is the one who fills all in all, and we incarnate that presence on the earth.
This Week
As the body of Christ, we have been given a breathtaking responsibility. We are to represent Jesus and be vehicles of His will and word on earth. Given the magnitude of all of this, where do we even begin? Thankfully, we have instructions on all of this in the words of the prophets and apostles and in the words of Jesus himself.
We are to forgive as we have been forgiven and love as we have been loved. This week, let’s remember those fundamental steps and take action. We are a living body, not a painting of a body. We are alive with the life of the resurrected Jesus. Let’s encourage love in action this week and spur each other on to love and good works.
Have a great week!
Get full access to On walking the Way at tompossin.substack.com/subscribe
View all episodes
By Tom PossinIn the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. These are the first words of Genesis. The gospel of John starts with: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” But how has God revealed Himself to us? Today, I want to look at the four primary avenues of revelation God has chosen to use to reveal himself to us.
Though Creation (General Revelation)
The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
Day to day pours forth speech,
And night to night reveals knowledge.
Psalm 19:1-2 [NASB]
Many would insist that the so-called “hiddenness of God” is one of the great theological mysteries. Obviously, I have not heard or read everything on this subject, but I am not convinced based on what I have heard. The underlying premise smells to me of something like, “God should be doing more than He is for us.” You see, we are the ones who rejected God, and as a result, we have lost direct access to Him. So, the hiddenness of God never seemed like a mystery to me. The mystery to me is why He did not destroy us outright then and there, not why He is not more visible to us.
But even in this state of exile from His presence, not even the worst sinner on earth is without a witness of God’s existence and power. The evidence is all around us in the things He has created. Paul explains this in Romans 1.
For what can be known about God is plain to them,(the wicked)
because God has shown it to them.
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature,
have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,
in the things that have been made.
So they are without excuse.
For although they knew God,
they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him,
but they became futile in their thinking,
and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Romans 1:19-21[ESV]
But God gave us more than indirect evidence of His existence and power. He also reveals Himself directly.
Through His Word (Specific Revelation)
So we have the prophetic word made more sure,
to which you do well to pay attention
as to a lamp shining in a dark place,
until the day dawns
and the morning star arises in your hearts.
But know this first of all,
that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation,
for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will,
but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
II Peter 1:19-21[NASB]
God used frail and failing humans to speak to us. In His sovereign wisdom, God chose the right person at the right time with the right words to speak to us all. He revealed Himself to those who have rejected Him so we could all understand His plan to save us from ourselves—a call to turn back to Him and trust in His love.
Through His Son (The Incarnation of God)
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,
whom he appointed the heir of all things,
through whom also he created the world.
He is the radiance of the glory of God
and the exact imprint of his nature,
and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.
After making purification for sins,
he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
having become as much superior to angels
as the name he has inherited is
more excellent than theirs.
Hebrews 1:1-4[ESV]
In time, God’s word took on human flesh, and we could see Him in a form we could understand and relate to. God became a man and walked among us, teaching us and demonstrating His love for us all the way to His ultimate testimony of love. He sacrificed Himself for us to pay the debt we owed but could not pay, and through His resurrection, He became the king of God’s eternal kingdom. A kingdom that has begun but is not yet complete.
Through the Body of His Son (The Church)
...that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you,
what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe,
according to the working of his great might
that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead
and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
far above all rule and authority and power and dominion,
and above every name that is named,
not only in this age but also in the one to come.
And he put all things under his feet
and gave him as head over all things to the church,
which is his body,
the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Eph 1:18-23[ESV]
Get full access to On walking the Way at tompossin.substack.com/subscribe
The Church is the “Body of Christ.” In other words, we, as the Church, are now the visible manifestation of Christ on the earth. Given this fact, we are now God’s revelation to the rest of humanity. We are the hands and feet of Jesus. Thankfully, we do not(can not) do this on our own. Jesus is our head. He is our Lord, our Master, and our Boss. He is the one who fills all in all, and we incarnate that presence on the earth.
This Week
As the body of Christ, we have been given a breathtaking responsibility. We are to represent Jesus and be vehicles of His will and word on earth. Given the magnitude of all of this, where do we even begin? Thankfully, we have instructions on all of this in the words of the prophets and apostles and in the words of Jesus himself.
We are to forgive as we have been forgiven and love as we have been loved. This week, let’s remember those fundamental steps and take action. We are a living body, not a painting of a body. We are alive with the life of the resurrected Jesus. Let’s encourage love in action this week and spur each other on to love and good works.
Have a great week!
Get full access to On walking the Way at tompossin.substack.com/subscribe