I believe that through general and special means God reveals Himself to mankind so that they might know Him personally, glorify Him passionately, and enjoy Him eternally.
GENERAL REVELATION: CREATION & CONSCIENCE
I believe that God reveals Himself to all people in general so that they would seek and find Him (Acts 17:27). God reveals Himself externally through creation as it declares God’s power (Rom. 1:20), glory (Ps. 19:1-3) and goodness (Acts 14:17). God reveals Himself internally in every human conscience (Rom. 1:19) through an innate sense of morality imbedded deeply in the human soul (Rom. 2:14-16). General revelation is an evidence of God’s grace. It is a means by which all people can know certain aspects of God—namely, His divinity, glory, power, and law. Since general revelation is clear in creation and conscience, all people are accountable for their response to it. There is no excuse for refusing to know God (Rom. 1:19-20), and the consequences for distorting this knowledge and ignoring this God are severe (Rom. 1:18-32).
General revelation is used by God to strengthen the faith of those who know Him (Matt. 6:25-34), to fuel their worship (Ps. 148), and to under gird their evangelism (Acts 17:22-34). General revelation is also used by God to actively pursue those who do not yet know Him (Acts 17:26-27). It is, however, in and of itself unable to save. This revelation is clear, but not complete. It points to God as Creator, but not God as Redeemer. While general revelation may convict people of their smallness, only special revelation can convict people of their sin. General revelation, therefore, is an essential yet partial revelation of who God is and what He does.
SPECIAL REVELATION: REDEMPTIVE WORKS & WRITTEN WORDS
I believe that God reveals Himself more clearly through special means so that some people hear, see, and respond to His saving initiative (Rom. 10:14-18). Special revelation reveals God’s mercy, justice, and grace as it unpacks His glorious plan to rescue and restore sin-alienated humanity to Himself. Special revelation is a supernatural revelation that is only given and received through supernatural means (1 Cor. 2:12-13).
Throughout history, God has revealed Himself in redemptive works and written words. His works reveal His power to save (Ex. 14) and His words explain and interpret those works. Without the works the words are abstract story; without the words the works are forgotten history. Though God has spoken and does speak through other various means—direct speech (Ex. 3:3-5), angelic announcements (Luke 1:11-20), dreams and visions (Num. 12:6)—God has spoken most clearly through the person and work of Jesus Christ (Heb. 1:2-3) as it is recorded in the Scriptures. I believe that Jesus is the Living Word of God who incarnated into human history (Jn. 1:14) to accomplish the saving work of God (Jn. 3:16). In Jesus, we see the fullest revelation of God’s nature, character, and will (Col. 1:15-20).
SPECIAL REVELATION: THE BIBLE
I believe that the Bible is the Word of God that tells the great story of God’s work to reconcile the world through Jesus Christ. This sixty-six-book-in-one volume is the primary means by which God speaks to His people today. It is a perfectly preserved account of what God has done, is doing, and will continue to do.
I believe that all Scripture is inspired by God (2 Tim. 3:16-17). That is, He providentially prepared (Jer. 1:5; Gal. 1:15) and powerfully moved human authors—motivated and guided by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:20-21)—to record exactly what needed to be said (Jer. 1:9) so that His people would know, enjoy, and glorify Him forever. Inspiration is verbal, extending to the very words of Scripture (Matt. 4:4; Jn. 10:34-35, Gal. 3:16), and inspiration is plenary, meaning that all the words in every part are inspired (2 Tim. 3:16, Lk. 24:44; 1 Thess. 2:13). Scripture is a one of a kind book—both human and divine.
Since all Scripture is inspired by God, it is without error (Ps. 18:30, 19:7) in its original writing. All that the Bible affirms to be true is wholly true.[1] As the inerrant word, Scripture is completely reliable (1 Pet. 1:25; Matt. 5:18; 24:35), utterly profitable (2 Tim. 3:16-17), and entirely sufficient to provide people with everything they need for life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3). It leads people into salvation (1 Pet. 1:23; 2 Tim. 3:15; Jas. 1:21), enables growth in godliness (2 Tim. 3:16), and equips believers for every good work (2 Tim. 3:17). Scripture is the primary and final authority for all matters of life and faith (Rom. 15:4; Matt. 15:3).[2] Scripture is clear, understandable, and life changing, though not all Scripture is equally clear and easily understood (2 Pet. 3:16). Scripture is not meant to merely inform minds, but to transform lives. This happens as the Holy Sprit works to illumine our minds and penetrate our hearts (1 Cor. 2:12-13, Heb. 4:12). Those in whom the Sprit is not working (Jer. 5:21) can understand Scripture objectively in a literary sense, but cannot be transformed subjectively in a spiritual sense (1 Cor. 2:14; Eph. 3:4). As we depend on the Spirit to teach (Jn. 14:26) and guide (Jn. 16:13), every believer must study Scripture diligently and apply its teachings daily (Jos. 1:8; Ps. 1:2) as they engage God together in Biblical community (Acts 2:42; 2 Pet. 1:20). Using careful grammatical-historical exegesis through a biblical-theological framework with a Christological focus (Lk. 24:27), believers should labor together in the study, application, and teaching of God’s Word (Ezr. 7:10). Those who preach and teach are especially called to such a task (Acts 6:4; 1 Tim. 5:17; 2 Tim. 4:1-2).
Through special revelation God has invited us into a story bigger than ourselves. Through the study and application of Scripture we understand that story and find our place in it. God has graciously revealed Himself through both general and special means so that we might know Him, glorify Him, and enjoy Him forever.
[1] The Bible, however, is not a science textbook and should not be treated as such. Also, Scripture often uses phenomenal language, summarizes content, and uses approximations in numbering. These apparent ‘errors’ do not discredit its inerrancy. It only points to the ingenuity of God’s communication methods—using human beings in contemporary culture and common practice. In cases of apparent error, the level of precision must be determined by the context.
[2] There are other authorities to which we must submit ourselves (parents, government, church elders, Holy Spirit, tradition, community together, science, wisdom, experience) but Scripture stand above and trumps them all.
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