by Alan Langstaff

I grew up in a small Methodist Church in Sydney, Australia. There were four churches in what was called a “circuit,” and our Pastor could not be in every church for every service, so he depended upon lay preachers to fill the other services.

When I was about 20 years old, I sought to become a lay preacher. To do so, I had to do some study. I had books to read and subjects to study. It was during that time that I came across a concept that helped me understand what Christianity was all about. It was the concept of Revelation. (This is not referring to the Bible book “Revelation.)

The simple concept I discovered was that we only know about God as He has chosen to reveal Himself to us. It was not a case of man applying his mind and his life to reach out to find God, who He was, and what He was like. Rather, it was God choosing to reveal Himself to us.

So let us look at this concept of Revelation.

First, there is:

1) GENERAL REVELATION

By that, we mean God has already revealed Himself to all mankind by what He has done in Creation.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)

So we know that this world, all that is in it, did not simply evolve; it was created. And we realize that we can join with the Psalmist in declaring “The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). The whole Psalm speaks about the perfect Revelation of the Lord.

Likewise, Paul in Romans chapter 1 picks up similar testimonies to the Creator God “because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.” (i.e., revealed Himself). “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen.” (Verses 19-20 NJKV)

So when we observe a glorious sunset or beautiful scenery, we are conscious that there is God who created this world, and He is to be seen in this revelation of Himself.

Now that is where many people are today. They acknowledge that God exists and that He is revealed in the world we live in.

That is what people are like at the funeral of someone who is not a Christian. They refer to God in general terms, even calling him “the man upstairs.” They know He exists, but not much more.

“Know that the Lord, He is God.” (Psalm 100:3)

2) SPECIAL REVELATION

Beyond natural Revelation, there is Special Revelation. Where God has chosen to reveal Himself to mankind. There are two main aspects to this Revelation.

a) The Bible.

The Bible is the record of God’s revelation of Himself to people, going right back to the story of Adam and Eve in the garden. That is why the Bible is so important, and it is unlike any other book. It is like God’s love letter to His people.

Whether it be the Old or the New Testament. It is God’s Word to us – it is His revelation of Himself in the written word.

Even Jesus himself affirmed that when he said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.” (Matthew 5:17-18 NKJV)

The early church affirmed the importance of the Scripture. Paul declared, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16)

So the Scriptures is the source of our knowledge about God – His character and His being. What He is like and what He does. That is why it is important that we read His Word daily, for in it we find the truth about God.

Since the Scriptures were given by inspiration from God, we also need God to open up the Scriptures to us. That is part of the work of the Holy Spirit – to bring the Bible alive for us, to know the God who first made us.

I often pray before reading the Bible, the words of Psalm 119:18: “Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.”

b) Jesus.

John begins his gospel story with “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

Jesus was the Word.

In other words, Jesus was the revelation of God Himself to mankind. He was the ultimate revelation of God. Philip expressed the desire of people when he said, “Lord, show us the Father.” Jesus replied, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” (John 14:8-9)

Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God to us.

Thus Jesus also said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

When God sent His son Jesus to earth, He came for two main reasons. Firstly, to reveal God to man, and secondly, to die for us on the cross and take away our sin.

PERSONAL APPLICATION

I once heard a story about a young lady who was given a book by a friend who recommended she read it.

As she sat down to read it, she just couldn’t quite understand it, and she was not able to complete it. So she left it on the coffee table in her apartment living room.

Not long after that, she was introduced to a man, and an immediate interest was developed in each other. After they had been out together and he was dropping her off, she invited him in and offered a cup of coffee. She left him in the living room while she went to the kitchen to prepare the coffee. He noticed the book on the coffee table and called out to her, asking if she had read it. She called back that she had not enjoyed it and had not even read it all. “That is interesting,” replied the man. “You see, I wrote that book.”

After the man had gone, she sat down and started to read the book again. This time, she kept on reading until she completed it all. This time was different, and she really enjoyed the book.

Why was it different?
It was different because she had met the author.

Revelation is like that.
You can look at the world and the story of God.
You can read the Bible and even study it.
You can believe (give mental assent to the Word).

But unless you have given your life to Him, you have not really known Him who is the way, the truth, and the life unless you have come in repentance, faith, and realized that Jesus died for you on Calvary’s cross.
You may not really know Him.
Come to Jesus – He is the ultimate revelation of God, who makes the Bible come alive, and you come to the true knowledge of God.

If you don’t know Jesus, I invite you to give your life to Him and you will discover who God is and have much He loves you.

PERSONAL REVELATION

Now it is possible to know about God from Natural Revelation, and it is also possible to know about God from the Word of God, including about Jesus, His Son. In fact, you could study the Bible for years, including the life and teachings of Jesus, and simply have “head knowledge.” In other words, you can give mental assent to all that Scripture teaches but still not have a “personal revelation” of God.

Paul was like that, he was a keen student brought up at the feet of Gamaliel, one of the finest teachers of his day. He knew the Scripture, but it was only when God in Christ revealed himself to Paul on the road to Damascus that he experienced a personal revelation of God in Christ. He knew what the Word (the Bible) taught, but he had not the revelation of the Word (Jesus). He needed a personal revelation when he submitted his life to Jesus and experienced the conversion that he later wrote about in his letters.

A CLOSING THOUGHT

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” (Deuteronomy 29:29 NKJV)

Those secret things are no longer hidden, but God has revealed Himself to us supremely through His Word and His Son.