Revelation is God’s act of
making Himself and His will known to humanity.
Without revelation,
the true knowledge of God would be impossible.
Scripture teaches that
God has revealed Himself both
in a general way through creation and conscience,
and in a special, saving way
through His words and acts in history,
culminating in Jesus Christ and the Scriptures.
Revelation is the foundation of all
true faith and knowledge of God.
Revelation is the bridge between the infinite God and finite human beings. Because God is transcendent and holy, and because humanity is limited and fallen, we cannot discover Him by our own effort alone. God must take the initiative to disclose Himself. He has done so in two primary ways: general revelation, which is available to all people through the created order and the moral law written on the heart, and special revelation, which is given through specific words, events, and ultimately through the person of Jesus Christ and the inspired Scriptures. All revelation is purposeful — it is given so that people may know God, trust Him, and live in relationship with Him.
- Revelation is necessary because God is infinite and we are finite, and because sin has darkened human understanding.
- General revelation reveals God’s eternal power, divine nature, and moral requirements, leaving all people without excuse.
- Special revelation is needed for the knowledge of salvation and the full disclosure of God’s character and purposes.
- God has revealed Himself progressively throughout history, with the fullest and final revelation given in His Son.
- Scripture is the written record and ongoing means of special revelation, inspired by the Holy Spirit.
- Revelation is not merely information; it is given to produce faith, worship, obedience, and transformation.
- While general revelation continues, the special revelatory work that produced the canon of Scripture has been completed.
- General Revelation – God’s self-disclosure through creation, providence, and the human conscience, available to all people at all times.
- Special Revelation – God’s specific self-disclosure through direct speech, dreams, visions, the prophets, the mighty acts of redemptive history, Jesus Christ, and the Scriptures.
- Progressive Revelation – The gradual unfolding of God’s truth and purposes across the ages, reaching its climax in Christ.
- Personal Revelation – The work of the Holy Spirit in illuminating the Scriptures and applying the truth of the gospel to the individual heart.
- Finality of Revelation in Christ – In these last days God has spoken fully and finally by His Son; no further revelatory work of the same order is to be expected.
- Psalm 19:1-4 – “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork… Their voice goes out through all the earth.”
- Romans 1:19-20 – “For what can be known about God is plain to them… his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived… so that they are without excuse.”
- Romans 2:14-15 – The requirements of the law are written on the hearts of the Gentiles, their conscience bearing witness.
- Hebrews 1:1-2 – “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.”
- John 1:14, 18 – “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us… No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”
- 2 Timothy 3:16 – “All Scripture is breathed out by God…”
- 2 Peter 1:20-21 – Men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
- Matthew 11:27 – “No one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
- 1 Corinthians 2:10-12 – God has revealed the deep things of Himself to us through the Spirit.
Revelation is the gracious act of the living God making Himself known. Through the beauty and order of creation, through the moral witness of conscience, through the words of the prophets and apostles, and above all through His Son, God has spoken. The same God continues to speak by His Spirit through the Scriptures He has given. Revelation is never given merely to satisfy curiosity; it is given so that we may know Him, trust Him, worship Him, and walk in His ways. In Jesus Christ the fullest light has shone, and in the Scriptures that light continues to shine until the day dawns and the morning star rises in our hearts.
Entry compiled for the JESUSaves.com Bible Glossary. Optimized for wiki.js Visual Editor.