Psalm
139:1-4 “O Lord, You
have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You
understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and
are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my
tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.”
Although
natural, or general, revelation manifests the goodness, wisdom, and power of
God, it is insufficient to give knowledge of God, and of His will, which is
necessary unto salvation. Natural revelation leads us to the reality and
knowledge of the existence of eternal sovereign Creator Father God and that we
have sinned against Him and His perfect commandments. We can hide behind a
façade with mankind, but such strategies never work with God. We stand utterly
exposed before the Creator of heaven and earth. However, our loving Almighty God
did not leave us without revelation that teaches us now we can be saved. The
article explains that “Special Revelation” is that revelation from God that
tells us the way to salvation and what it means to live in a manner that
pleases Him.
Matthew
4:4 “But He (Jesus) answered (Satan) and
said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every
word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”
We
could give multiple examples of the different forms in which special revelation
once came. The most important of these, however, is the form of the Holy
Scriptures; the living Word of God. 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and
profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in
righteousness.” This is a clear way of saying that Scripture is the very
speech of God. It is His Word. The Greek word translated as “breathed out” here
is “theopneustos”, and Scripture is
the only thing described as such by the Apostles. Thus, the Holy Scripture of
the Bible has a unique character as the voice and words of the living Lord God.
It uniquely serves as God’s special revelation, as His inspired and revealed
will for his people. Nothing else today is “theopneustos”,
so we can point to nothing but the Holy Bible as the Word of God.
John
17:17 “Sanctify them by
Your truth. Your word is truth.”
When we speak of Scripture as “theopneustos’,
we are pointing to its divine inspiration. The Word of God written is identical
to God’s speech. IT is exactly what He intended us to have as revelation of His
will and how to please Him. God breathed out His Word, but He did so through
the instrumentality of His prophets and Apostles. It is God’s Word, given by
Him. Verbal inspiration means that inspiration pertains to the very words
themselves, not just the meaning that the words convey. Plenary inspiration
means that all words of Holy Scripture are given by God, not just some of them.
No, God spoke it all, using the distinct style of each human author to give us
His sacred Word for all of life.
Let’s
continue this message on revelation of God in the next post.
In
Christ, Brian
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