Psalm 19:1:“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament (sky) shows His handiwork.”
2 Timothy 3:16-17: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17. That the man (or woman) of God may be perfect (complete, mature), thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” Hebrews 1:1-2: “God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners (many different ways) spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets. 2. Has in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds.” God has not made Himself physically visible to us, because we must come to Him by faith. He has, however, revealed Himself in at least three ways that are given to us in scripture. The knowledge that we have of God is what the theologians call “revealed knowledge.” This is the opposite of head knowledge. The three scriptures listed above illustrate God’s revelation of Himself to us. God has revealed Himself, and continues to reveal Himself through nature. Psalm 19:1 tells us: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and that the sky shows His handiwork.” This is called “natural revelation” by biblical scholars. Paul thought that this revelation should have been enough to convince people of God’s reality. He wrote in Romans 1:19-20: “…Because that which may be known of God is manifest (revealed) unto them. 20. 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.” We can see the “invisible things” of God, because of what He has shown us in nature. (There is so much more that could be written about this, but space does not allow a full discussion of God’s natural revelation.) We can see God in the clouds, the stars, the galaxies – in all of nature. Nature reveals God, but it does not reveal the total nature of God, which means that He has at least two more ways that He reveals Himself. God has revealed Himself through scripture – His written word. Paul informed Timothy that “all scripture was given by inspiration of God.” “Inspiration” means that the Bible, God’s word, is “God-breathed.” In the Bible, God reveals His plans for His people. The Old Testament reveals God’s plan through Abraham and the Jews. Through the written word, we can understand that God is not a body, but that He is a person. Unlike idols that are mentioned throughout the Bible, God can see, hear, speak and feel. He also reacts to people both positively and negatively. The Bible reveals the majesty of God, and it reveals that He should be worshipped. God has revealed Himself through Jesus, who came as the Savior of the lost people of the earth. Hebrews 1 tells us that God revealed Himself, and His Son, through the prophets, but that now He has revealed Himself through His Son. Through Jesus, He reveals that He is the God who is interested in the lives of people, and wants what is best for them. Jesus reveals to us that God loves us. There is no need for me to write John 3:16 down for you, because you probably already know it, but this verse tells us of God’s great love and concern for us. Jesus showed that concern by healing the sick and doing good for people. The Bible reveals that Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sins on the cross. It also reveals that Jesus is still alive and saves those who come to Him by faith. He revealed the power of the Father by doing such things as stilling stormy waters, walking on water, turning water into wine and raising the dead. Jesus is God’s ultimate revelation of Jesus, and there will not be another to do for mankind what Jesus did. If anyone has a real desire in his or her heart to have a personal knowledge of God, everything that I have written about here is available to them. Pause here and thank God for making Himself known to us. Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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