Revelation: How God Makes Himself Known

"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son." — Hebrews 1:1-2

The Necessity of Revelation

In our first lesson we established that theology is possible only because God has spoken. Today we examine how God has spoken — the doctrine of revelation (Latin: revelatio; Greek: apokalypsis, ἀποκάλυψις, meaning "unveiling" or "disclosure").

Why is revelation necessary? The answer lies in the Creator-creature distinction — the infinite qualitative difference between God and everything He has made. God is self-existent, eternal, infinite, and incomprehensible in His essence. We are finite, temporal, dependent, and limited in our cognitive capacities. Left to ourselves, we could never ascend to knowledge of God. As Bavinck writes in his Reformed Dogmatics (vol. 1): "If God does not exist, or if He has not revealed Himself, then all religion is an illusion and all theology a castle in the air."

The good news — indeed, the foundation of all good news — is that God has not remained hidden. He is a speaking God, a self-revealing God. From the opening sentence of Scripture ("In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth," Genesis 1:1) to its final promise ("Surely I come quickly," Revelation 22:20), the Bible presents a God who initiates communication with His creatures.

The Two Modes of Revelation

Christian theology has classically distinguished two modes or channels through which God makes Himself known:

1. General Revelation (Revelatio Generalis)

General revelation is God's self-disclosure through creation, providence, and the human conscience — media accessible to all people everywhere at all times. It is called "general" because it is universal in scope: every human being, regardless of time period, geographic location, or access to Scripture, receives this revelation.

The locus classicus is Psalm 19:1-4:

"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world."

And Romans 1:19-20:

"Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse."

2. Special Revelation (Revelatio Specialis)

Special revelation is God's self-disclosure through particular, redemptive acts and words — supremely through Jesus Christ and inscripturated in Holy Scripture. It is called "special" because it is particular in scope: not all people have received the written Scriptures or heard the Gospel proclaimed, though the Great Commission aims to bring this revelation to every nation (Matthew 28:19-20).

The author of Hebrews provides the definitive summary: "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son" (Hebrews 1:1-2). Special revelation includes:

• Theophanies — visible manifestations of God (the burning bush, Exodus 3; the pillar of cloud and fire, Exodus 13:21-22)
• Direct speech — God speaking audibly to prophets and patriarchs ("And the LORD said unto Moses," Exodus 6:1)
• Dreams and visions — God revealing His will through prophetic vision (Daniel 7; Ezekiel 1)
• Mighty acts — God's redemptive deeds that reveal His character (the Exodus, the Cross, the Resurrection)
• Inscripturation — the committal of revelation to written form in the sixty-six books of the Bible
• The Incarnation — the supreme and final act of revelation: "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory" (John 1:14)

The Relationship Between General and Special Revelation

How do these two modes relate? The Reformed tradition has consistently maintained several principles:

First, general revelation is real and genuine. It truly communicates knowledge of God. Paul insists that God's "eternal power and Godhead" are "clearly seen" through creation (Romans 1:20). This is not a faint whisper but a clear declaration — so clear that those who suppress it are "without excuse."

Second, general revelation is insufficient for salvation. While it reveals God's existence, power, and moral law, it does not reveal the Gospel — the specific redemptive work of Christ for the forgiveness of sins. As the Belgic Confession (1561), Article 2, states: the universe is "before our eyes as a most elegant book, wherein all creatures, great and small, are as so many characters leading us to see clearly the invisible things of God." But it immediately adds that God "makes Himself more clearly and fully known to us by His holy and divine Word" — Scripture is necessary.

Third, sin distorts the reception of general revelation. Romans 1:18 states that unrighteous people "suppress the truth in unrighteousness." The problem is not that general revelation is unclear but that fallen human beings refuse to receive what is clearly shown. Calvin describes this in terms of the sensus divinitatis — an innate sense of divinity implanted in every human — which sin corrupts but cannot entirely eradicate.

Fourth, special revelation interprets general revelation. We read the "book of nature" rightly only when we read it through the lens of Scripture. As Calvin puts it, Scripture functions like spectacles that bring the blurred text of creation into focus (Institutes I.vi.1). Without Scripture, fallen humanity consistently misreads the testimony of creation, fashioning idols instead of worshipping the Creator (Romans 1:21-25).

The Progressive Character of Revelation

Revelation is not a single static deposit delivered all at once. Hebrews 1:1 emphasizes that God spoke "at sundry times and in divers manners" — polymerōs kai polytropōs (πολυμερῶς καὶ πολυτρόπως) — "in many portions and in many ways." Revelation unfolds through redemptive history:

• To Adam: the protoevangelium, the first promise of a Redeemer (Genesis 3:15)
• To Abraham: the covenant promises of land, seed, and blessing (Genesis 12:1-3)
• To Moses: the Law, the tabernacle, the sacrificial system — all shadows pointing forward
• To David: the promise of an eternal kingdom (2 Samuel 7:12-16)
• Through the Prophets: increasing clarity about the coming Messiah, the new covenant, the restoration
• In Christ: the fullness of revelation — "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father" (John 14:9)
• Through the Apostles: authoritative interpretation of Christ's person and work, committed to writing

This progressive unfolding reaches its climax in the person of Jesus Christ. He is not merely a revealer of God; He is the revelation of God. "In him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" (Colossians 2:9).

Revelation and Theology

The doctrine of revelation is the hinge upon which all theology turns. If God has not revealed Himself, theology is impossible — we are left with human speculation, what Calvin calls "a labyrinth" from which no one escapes by reason alone. But because God has spoken, we may speak about God — carefully, reverently, and with the confidence that our words, when faithful to His Word, correspond to reality.

In the next two lessons, we will examine general revelation and special revelation in greater depth, exploring what each teaches, its limits, and its relationship to the other.