All About the Bible
4 - Special Revelation
Last time we looked at the subject of general revelation where God reveals himself through creation and conscience. But this is like the starry sky to the full midday sun. A fuller revelation is needed for us to know God. There is such a revelation and it’s known as special revelation. There are two aspects to special revelation. First, God has revealed himself in the person of Jesus Christ. This is known as the incarnation when God became man and lived on earth. We read about this in Philippians 2: 5 to 8,
"Christ Jesus...who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness, and being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself and became obedient to death-even death on a cross".
God was present in Jesus Christ and we see the character of God in Him. His divine glory was hidden behind His servant-hood as man. Occasionally it would shine out such as the time when with a word He calmed the raging storm on lake Galilee. Jesus said in John 14:9, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father". The divine attributes that belong to God the Father also belong to the incarnate Son of God Jesus Christ. If you want to know what God is like then look at Jesus. Study His life as found in the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
The second aspect of special revelation is the Bible. God has left us a book which communicates His words to mankind. The self-testimony of the Bible is that it is God's word. We read in 2 Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness". Some have argued that to say the Bible is God's word because the Bible says it is becomes circular reasoning. But the Bible is self authenticating. We know it is God's word because it has proved itself to be in the lives of those who trust its promises and live out its principles. The Bible works in daily life! The promises of mere men often fail. A Key evidence for the divine authorship of Scripture is that it never fails those who put faith in it and obey it.
Some would say that there is a third form of special revelation. It is the communication of the gospel by Christian believers. We read in Romans 10:14, "How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" There is an inseparable link between what God has revealed in Jesus, and in the Bible, and those who make it known to others. This would involve all kinds of witness from preaching to talking to family and friends about the gospel. The essential thing is that the word of God is proclaimed. Anything less does not communicate the revelation God has given.
Now, its needs to be clear that this isn’t on the same level as the revelation found in Jesus Christ and the Bible, but it is the method God uses to make known His revelation to people in society. The witness of Christians links the truth of the Bible to their own generation. Its focus is the cross of Jesus and His death and resurrection. We read in Acts 8:4, "Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went". There we see revelation made known through proclamation.
The first two aspects of special revelation are complimentary to each other and must be held together. Christ is the living word. He is known through the written word, the Bible. The written word is designed to introduce you to the living word, Jesus Christ. You can know about Jesus through the Bible, but information is not enough. Mere facts won’t bring you into a relationship with God. It is even possible to treat the Bible in such a way that you become guilty of Bibliolatry where you are virtually worshipping the Bible rather than the God it points to. The Bible reveals God and His salvation but to enjoy this salvation you must enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The initial response to the Bible by men and women is unbelief. There is a resistance to its message. Special revelation by itself is unable to bring a true knowledge of God. By this I mean an experiential knowledge of God, knowing God in the heart. This is not because there is a lack of power in the Bible, but because of the nature of mankind. Men and women are fallen. Sin has ruined them and robbed them of true knowledge of God. The Bible must not only inform, it must transform.
The Bible has done its work when it reveals the Lord Jesus Christ as the answer to your spiritual need and has led you to repentance and faith in Him. We read in 1 Peter 1:23, "For you have been born again not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living word of God". The word of God is the instrument used by the Holy Spirit to bring life to the soul. How does He do this? The Holy Spirit works through the Bible to bring conviction of sin. The Holy Spirit troubles your heart; He exposes your lost condition. He makes the good news of the gospel effective by opening your eyes to its wonderful message and the provision of a Saviour. He brings us to faith. He brings us to new life in Christ. We read in Titus 3:5, "He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit". Jesus said in John 15:3, "You are already clean through the word I have spoken to you". Revelation must redeem as well as teach. Can you see how important it is to take the Bible seriously as the word of God and believe its message? Its message teaches your need of Jesus. It provides the steps to salvation as it points the way to Him. The Holy Spirit opens up the understanding and breaks down barriers standing in the way of belief. As a result of His work the believer receives true revelation to his or her own mind and soul. The revelation contained in the Bible becomes real in the heart. Only then can it be said that you have a true knowledge of the Lord.