Stemming from the Greek word, apokalupsis, revelation means God’s unveiling of Himself to mankind. In its theological use, revelation signifies the disclosure of the truth of God that would otherwise be unknown to man. Revelation includes the spectrum of unveilings as both “general” and “special.”
General revelation is the antecedent to salvation that argues that God reveals Himself through the natural, created order. Though opposed by twentieth century theologians such as Barth, the Bible demonstrates clearly God’s use of general revelation in history. Through the incessant, wordless, global revelation of nature (Psalm 19:1-6), the natural order of cause and effect (Matt. 5:45), or the intuitional knowledge of man about God (Rom. 2:14-15), God has imprinted Himself upon Creation for the purpose of making His existence known. Historically, general revelation (or natural theology) has been an accepted, and at times heavily utilized, tool in theological studies. Whether in Aquinas’ Five Ways or Calvin’s Institutes, the doctrine of general revelation plays a central role in the foundation of the doctrine of revelation.
Yet, because of the Fall, general revelation is insufficient for fully knowing God or for salvation. Special revelation, therefore, regards the Scriptures and their testimony to God. Whereas general revelation includes man’s inherent knowledge of God, special revelation strictly comes from outside of man, or solely from the mouth of God. Scripture testifies to God’s speaking to man (Ex. 20:1, Deut. 29:1, Deut. 31:24, Gal. 1:11-12). As aforementioned, due to humanity’s state of corruption and sinfulness, special revelation is essential for God’s revelation of salvation and reconciliation. Special revelation, therefore, centers on the person of Jesus Christ, who is the pinnacle of all revelation. Both Christ’s words (John 6:63) and works (John 5:36) demonstrate His revelation of the Father as His person manifests the “radiance” of God (Heb. 1:3).
Three important designations are to be made about Scripture as the special revelation of God. First, God inspires the Scriptures. Since only God can specially reveal Himself, and the Bible is that revelation, the Scriptures must in turn be inspired directly of and by God. Inspiration thus guards and guarantees the accuracy of the revelation. Inspiration may be defined as the Holy Spirit’s superintending over the writers of Scripture, employing their unique personalities and styles, to create the authoritative, trustworthy Word of God. The doctrine of inspiration derives from two key texts, 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and 2 Peter 1:21. From these passages, inspiration is rightly understood as from God the Holy Spirit (the divine element) through human authors who wrote according to their individual personalities (the human element) to create the specific and intentional selection of words and overall message found in the original manuscripts of Scripture. This view is often defined as the verbal plenary view of inspiration as is widely attested to by Christ (Matt. 5:17-18; 21:42, Luke 24:44, John 14:26).
The Scriptures, as the special revelation of God, are also completely inerrant. This doctrine teaches that Scripture is without error or fault from its statements on salvation, God’s acts in creation, or historical events. Inerrancy does not mean that Scripture always reports verbatim on events or gives precise, scientific measurements or statements. Rather inerrancy details that accounts are in accord with things as they occurred and then recorded for the purposes of the author. Furthermore, in defining inerrancy, it is important to note the emphasis on the original texts. Whereas English translations may sometimes seem confusing or grammatically incorrect, inerrancy affirms only the original Hebrew and Greek texts. From Tertullian and Augustine in the Patristic era, through medieval theologians such as Aquinas and Anselm, the Church historically has clearly affirmed the inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture. Such a view was without controversy throughout the majority of church history, gaining monumental articulation during the Reformation in the works Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin.
Finally, special revelation through the Scriptures entails the doctrine of illumination. Once the text was written and recorded, the work of the Holy Spirit was not finished. Because the Bible is God-breathed, it further necessitates the aid of the Spirit in its understanding (1 Cor. 2:11). Illumination can thus be defined as the work of the Spirit by which He enables and enlightens believers to comprehend the written Word of God. This can occur only because the Spirit both inspired the writing of Scripture as well as indwells believers at the moment of salvation (1 Cor. 2:9-13). Christ specifically outlined this ministry of the Spirit the night before His crucifixion (John 14:26; 16:13-14).
The doctrine of revelation encompasses every aspect of God’s unveiling of Himself. Each member of the Triune God plays an equally important role in revelation just as they did in the Creation account of Genesis 1. As ministers of the Gospel, it is crucial that only what God has revealed about Himself is taught. This entails that Scripture is always rightly interpreted using Biblical principles of hermeneutics. Only as a believer approaches Scripture with a proper reverence for its Godly transmission might each gain a correct insight into the revelation of God.
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