Dave’s Monday Blast – October 30, 2023

Like the Minutemen of old we must be ready at any moment to provide an answer for the hope that is within us. Last week we examined verses from the Old Testament (Nehemiah 4:17) and the New Testament (2 Timothy 2:4)  to affirm that as Ambassadors of God our JOB is to be Influencers for the Kingdom, and as such, whenever the Lord provides us with an opportunity to confidently represent Him.

Additionally, we shared from Christian Ministries International 5 suggestions to help us navigate controversial cultural discussions. You may recall that the last tip admonished us to be prepared to share the revelatory evidence of an all-powerful Creator God. INTENTIONAL men of God know that the truths discovered about Him from these revelations are powerful apologetic tools. Some questions that are answered by these revelations are: Has God made himself known only in the Bible and or through Jesus? Are there any other ways in which He has revealed Himself to us? If so, how? What is the nature, extent, and value of that revelation and how does it compare with the knowledge we have of God through Christ and Scripture? Does everyone inherently know God? If so, in what way(s)?

An article from Bible.org does a wonderful job addressing these questions. The following is my synopsis of this article. Our use of the term “revelation” comes from the Greek (apokalupsis) and means to “uncover, reveal, disclose,” or “make known (cf. Romans 16:25; Revelation 1:1). Therefore, in terms of divine revelation, it is God making Himself known to the objects of that revelation, e.g. angles and humankind. The fact that God must make Himself known in order for us to know Him is necessary since are are finite and He is infinite, and we are sinful and He is without sin.

Those who have studied revelation have suggested that Scripture affirms a two part division to God’s revelation, namely, (1) general, and (2) particular. Some have used the terms (1) general, and (2) special. General revelation refers to God making himself known in creation, providentially orchestrated history, and conscience (i.e., in conjunction with the moral law). Thus it is general in the sense that it is equally available to all men and women, everywhere, all the time, and is less specific information about God than one acquires in special revelation. Special revelation refers to God making himself known through special acts (e.g., signs and miracles), appearances, Christ, and Scripture.

Here are a few valuable Scriptures we can use to affirm these definitions. We must always remember that the Bible is our authority. It is through the Word that humankind finds the Truth and then is exposed to the teachings from the Spirit God leading to repentance and faith in Christ alone for salvation. (Psalm 19:1 – 6; Job 36:22 – 26; 38:1-39:30; Romans 1:18 – 20; Romans 2:14 – 15; Acts 14:15 – 17; Acts 17:22 -31). It is clear from Romans 1:18 – 20 alone that humankind KNOWS the Truth about God. That of course is either true or it is not!