CORE
Bible Concepts “God who reveals Himself�
BibleClass.com.au Teaching Series Series: Core Bible Concepts Part: #1 Main Scripture: Romans 1; Psalm 19 Teacher: Dr Paul Iles Date: 02.01.2013
Inline, direct scripture quotes are italicised. Block quotes are indented. The New King James Version is used unless otherwise stated. This transcript has undergone minor editing to ensure readability.
The MP3 audio of the study upon which this transcript is based and a learning guide are available from http://bibleclass.com.au/
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Core Bible Concept: God The first core Bible concept we will cover is the doctrine of God. Over the next few studies we will consider His person, His being, His nature and His character. When we have done that, we will look the way in which He works. We are studying in this order because, once you know the character of God, you can look at the way in which He works and you will see that it is always in keeping with His own character and nature. That is important because it will prevent you from making certain crucial mistakes. We hear a lot of strange teachings in the world and you wonder whether God has done this or that. Such uncertainties can very often be cleared up when you see in the Bible what God is like in His character. He never acts outside or out of keeping with His character. Who He is and what He does always go together.
God who Reveals Himself In this study we are looking in particular at the revelation of God. The study of God takes us right to the beginning of our entire faith. It also takes us right to the beginning of the Bible: Genesis 1 1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
The Bible does not begin by trying to prove that God exists by logic or argument. It simply makes a statement of fact that it is true. God does not argue about His existence. He simply declares it, gives certain evidences of it and then makes the individual responsible to believe Him. People are therefore, ultimately, shut up to faith. “He who comes to God must believe that He is” [Hebrews 11:6]. The following scriptures open up some further discoveries on this point, which we shall examine: Romans 1 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
Here we read about God’s revelation of Himself through creation, and the responsibility that He has laid upon humanity to receive that revelation.
John 17 3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
Here is the great truth that God reveals Himself to the individual, specifically and in fullness, via
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the giving of eternal life. Jeremiah 9 23 Thus says the Lord:
“Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me.”
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We can see firstly from these scriptures that God is revealing Himself so that He might be known. There are plenty of religions in the world which will tell you that you can’t really find or know their God. Maybe you can have a concept of Him, an idea of Him, or even make Him up to be what you want Him to be. We can therefore thank God for the truth, that the living God has made Himself known and therefore He is knowable.
Awareness of God There is born in all of humankind an awareness of God; a sense of His existence. That is why you do not have to tell a child about the fact that God is real. You just tell them about God and they believe it. Many academic studies have even been done which establish this point from both atheists and theists1. This consciousness of God exists because man is a spiritual being. It is a knowledge which ultimately does one of two things: it will either bless or torment a person. A blessing Every Christian reading this has ultimately been blessed by the fact that this awareness was originally within them. It began as an awareness, but ultimately grew into a realisation of the reality of John 17:3: that we know the only true God and Jesus Christ through eternal life. A torment The alternative to this is that the knowledge of God torments a person. People can hate the idea of it, so they will deny it. But it is incredible how they can’t get away from it. They can’t choose to be an atheist and be quiet about it. They nearly always feel the need to argue about it and fight it; fight with Christians and fight against the Bible. If He doesn’t exist, what are they worried about? The truth is that, even though they do not like it, they are not exempt from an inbuilt consciousness of the fact that God is real.
Knowledge of God In an ultimate sense, God is incomprehensible. We say that He is transcendent, meaning above and independent from everything. He is completely separate and different, with no equal among any created thing. 1 For perhaps the most complete analysis of this truth from an atheistic viewpoint, see the extensive works of Paul Bloom, especially: Descartes’ Baby: How the Science of Child Development Explains what Makes us Human (Basic Books, 2004). [Reader warning: Bloom’s conclusions and arguments are strongly anti-Christian].
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Despite this fact, however, God has made it possible that He can be known. Mankind may seek God in order to know Him, and you will find that every person basically only has two ways to go about this: either by wisdom (self-reliance) or by revelation (reliance on God). Knowledge through wisdom The first way in which a person might attempt to seek God in order to know Him is the instinctive reaction of fallen humanity, whereby they try to do it through their own efforts. When you observe this tendency in the human nature you are confronted with just how incredible (and sad) it is that people would rather have a religion that they can put all the effort into than believe what God has said and trust in a work that is already finished. Job 11 [KJV] 7 Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?
The answer here is clearly, “No!” It’s an absolute and complete impossibility. Yet people would prefer to seek God by their own efforts. They would rather crawl on their hands and knees on pilgrimages, or go through ascetic misery in seclusion and hardship - anything that involves finding Him by their own perseverance and ability.
Others would tell you not to embark on such physical searches, but rather to turn in on yourself and seek out your own inner light and spirituality. Meditate in the way of the mystic; look out for God within yourself. All the while they are determining to find Him by their own effort - tragic mistake! Ultimately these people are refusing to read the Bible and believe it. Instead, they are looking to reach a position where they can say, “I have found out.” Leonardo da Vinci lived in the 15th century. We remember Him today mostly by His paintings like the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. He was one of those people that history records as seeming to have every area of human intellect concentrated in the one man. He was a painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, anatomist, biologist, botanist, engineer, inventor, geologist and a writer. He didn’t just try His hand at these things; he was brilliant! He was a burning genius. Some even believed that he was some kind of superman or spiritual being. But da Vinci would not accept the revelation of the truth about God. As he grew older, da Vinci’s burden was to find out what life was all about. Some historians record that he sought, “The meaning of creation itself.” He had so much knowledge, but he was unclear about the ultimate answers. da Vinci had decided that his remarkable breadth of knowledge could lead him to the answers he sought. He understood that mathematics, engineering and the technical pursuits could only ever teach him the particulars of creation - its laws, behaviour and characteristics. He knew that the pursuit of such things would always cause him to lack an understanding of the universal (the soul, the hidden depths, the force or meaning behind everything). But he knew that he was not only a man of the particulars, but also a sensitive man - an artisan, a philosopher and so forth. He believed that when he painted, his depth of knowledge would allow him to paint in such a way
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that the meaning of creation itself would enter into his art. He believed that, if he could record all the fullness of his knowledge of a particular subject in visual form, then he would be able to stand back, study his works and see right through them to the answers which he sought. Sadly (or obviously, depending how you look at it), it became increasingly apparent to him that his works were just as bereft of answers and meaning as anything else he studied. It seemed as though, the harder he tried, the more elusive a conclusion became. He could arrive at none whatsoever. Leonardo da Vinci died in despair and depression2. God’s word had da Vinci’s rebuttal all along: 1 Corinthians 1 [KJV] 21 ...the world by wisdom knew not God...
The knowledge of God does not come from our efforts, whether it be physical, meditative, academic or whatever. We return to Job’s question: Can a person find out God by searching? No! Why? Because God is infinite and we are finite. He is a transcendent God and we are immanent beings. He is the creator God and we are mere creatures. He is therefore inconceivable in the fullness of His concept, power, might and abilities. Worse than that, whatever capability or capacity we have is completely ruined by sin. Knowledge through revelation Therefore the only way in which an individual can come to a knowledge of God is by accepting the fact that God is the God who has revealed Himself; He has shown us what He is like.
The Revelation of God Revelation is like drawing aside a curtain to let people see what was once unseen, but was always there. God has done that. He has drawn aside the curtain so that even sinful man can see exactly what He is like. God has revealed Himself to the human race in two ways: generally and specifically. Or, in a general way and a special way. In the general way, God has shown what He is like to all humanity. In the special way, He has revealed Himself to you and me as the God of our redemption, by His grace.
General Revelation The general revelation of God, for all humanity to see, occurs through creation, conscience, providence and history. By these things He has made Himself known in the sense that He has declared that He is there and He has given some vital evidence concerning what He is like. Incredibly, there is so much information staring mankind in the face that they can come to conclusions about God’s almightiness, eternality, power and ability, godhead, and His transcendence above humanity. 2 Honest discussion of da Vinci’s depression and philosophical struggles is rare amongst modern historians. Readers can refer to Francis A. Schaeffer, How Should We Then Live? (Westchester, Crossway Books, 1976), 72.
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Creation Psalm 19 [NASB] 1 The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. 2 Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard. 4 Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their utterances to the end of the world.
Here we read that creation says something about the glory of God perpetually, day and night. There is not one place in the whole world where the heavens do not show themselves and speak, declaring: “God!” Silently, yet so loudly, their omnilingual witness to an almighty, powerful God of glory rings out. Romans 1 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
It is evident that all creation had a beginning and a history. Romans 1 is a statement of, amongst other things, the fact that the human race can look at creation and realise that, before anything was ever created, somebody must have been there to make it. There was someone or something that had no beginning. He was, even then, the self-existent, almighty and infinite God of no boundaries who is not constrained by time. This is One who belongs to eternity, who is not like a man, a woman, an animal or a created thing. Romans 1 tells us that we are held responsible, purely on the basis of creation, for rejecting the fact of an eternal, almighty and transcendent God. The view of the world on this point is, of course, that creation did not begin through somebody who existed first. They say that it all began at a certain point in time with a big bang. Even if we were to accept that, the question remains: why was there a bang? And, what went bang? Something clearly existed before the bang in order to explode, and if that is the case, what was it? Many scientists theorise that the bang was spontaneous. The technical term is, “spontaneous generation.” That means that it happened by itself; that it created itself. Well, if I create myself, then that means that I must have existed before I got created! I must have been before I was! The whole thing is folly and madness. It’s worthy of ridicule. Recently you may have read about these experiments concerning the “god-particle” - the scientific name for it is the Higgs Boson. One rationale behind the search for the god-particle is that scientists are now confronted with the reality that something must have existed before this big bang which they have hypothesised. They have therefore decided that they must find out what was there before everything started, or at least what caused it to start. Incredibly they have
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actually called this thing the “god-particle!” They may have done it in mockery, but they certainly hit the nail on the head! But this is where they went wrong: because they think naturally and the world by its wisdom cannot know God, they have thought in the evolutionary scale. They say that everything started small and became increasingly complex. They have decided that, if there is something beyond the smallest thing (the atom, the electron etc), then it must be even smaller. Their search has lead them to build the Large Hadron Collider in a 27-kilometre long Swiss tunnel at a cost of more than $10 Billion (USD) in order to search for something smaller than what they’ve already found. What a mistake! They should have been looking for something bigger - the almighty creator, the all-transcendent God in His eternal power and Godhead! They even decided that this tiny particle is a particle which is full of energy. So they got something right - it’s certainly full of energy, but it’s no small particle! 1 Corinthians 1 [KJV] 21 ...the world by wisdom knew not God...
Conscience
The conscience contrasts with creation because creation is something that God has put outside of us so that we can determine the first great cause of all that we can see. The conscience, on the other hand, is within us; it is inside the heart of every man and woman. Romans 1 confirmed it: 19
...what may be known of God is manifest in them...
The conscience does vary between individuals - it can be suppressed, seared, ignored - but it is always there. The sense of the consciousness of God and sin is implanted within. If, by creation, God says that we can learn of His eternal power and godhead (refer Romans 1), then in the conscience you can learn about God’s holiness, your own sinfulness, your need of salvation and the fact that you need to get back to the one who created you. Providence Providence concerns the fact that God didn’t just make the world, but he cares for and looks after it. Why does the sun not drop out of that spot, even by a fraction? Why are there reliable, repetitive seasons? Why is it that the seas don’t advance over the land? Why is there a rainbow in the sky? It is because God has it in His control. God the creator is the providential God; the God of care. Hebrews 1 gives us this phrase: 3
...upholding all things by the word of His power...
Man can learn the laws of science which describe the order and precision of God’s providential care. They can study the mass of history behind us and see that the world continues even until now. And they can say, “How could that happen?” The truth is that they are seeing evidence of an eternal God who, in His providence has shown that He does exist with mighty care, wisdom, power and carefulness. Even this great truth is undermined today. We are told that things are going askew with the
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planet. The climate is all wrong, the future is bleak. The hypothesis is that we’re spoiling the whole thing with carbon emissions. The solution, we’re told, is that we have to control them and thus control the planet. It’s true - we have made a mess, but we have not taken the universe out of the control of God, and nor can we ever effectively control it! It is and only ever has been in the hand of one: the God of providence. History History will tell you about the workings and the ways of God. The history of the world concerns God allowing things to happen within His permissive will, but overruling and undergirding all the while to preserve His people, overthrow evil and make a way for His purposes to be accomplished. Acts chapter 7 is a strong illustration of this point. Stephen stood up to preach and perhaps surprisingly to some us, he showed them history. He showed them what God had done over time until finally he reached the grand point of the coming of Christ. He showed how that the whole Bible was concerned with the workings of God in the world in order to bring a redeemer to us and thus accomplish salvation through His Saviour. The implications of general revelation The first great implication or outcome of this general revelation which God has given is that humanity is without excuse. We often have great concern for nations and peoples who do not have the light of the gospel as we have it and rightly so. The truth is that everyone can see the wonders of creation and can therefore arrive at the truth of the existence and being of God; namely His eternal power and Godhead. They can also discover that which is manifest in them: their conscience, which declares the holiness of God and their sinfulness. They can also gain a measure of understanding of the providence of God. At the very minimum, the scriptures teach us that these things are plainly evident and therefore they are without excuse, just as we are. The most common outcome for all people, however, is that they do not arrive at this conclusion because of sin. They become foolish in their imagination, taking the evidence and interpreting it in a way whereby they won’t have to see that God is the only answer. As we read earlier: Romans 1: ...they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
In summary, humanity has evidence both outside themselves (objective evidence) and inside themselves (subjective evidence).
Special Revelation God’s revelation of Himself does not stop with general revelation. General revelation is revelation through which people can know about God. Special revelation on the other hand is something
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altogether more wonderful. It is revelation though which people can know God personally. There is a major difference between knowing about Him and knowing Him! Everyone who has been redeemed does not just know about Him, but they actually know Him. Personal knowledge This is incredibly important, because we have a major problem in our churches that we may not be aware of. It concerns whether we know about Him or whether we actually know Him personally. In Australia we see many people coming from other cultures, pagan backgrounds, without any answers to life or any understanding of God. They hear about the Christian God. They see evidence. It makes sense. They learn all about Him. They say, “I believe about this Christian God. Therefore, since I know about God, I am now a Christian.” But there is a difference between general revelation - knowing about God, and special revelation - really knowing Him intimately. This also affects all of us who have been brought up in a Christian environment whereby we never believed anything any different. We had all the information: we were saturated with it, we agreed with it, we believed it and we put our hand up - “I am saved! I am a Christian!” But I want to warn you: You might know about Him... But you have to know Him! That is a big difference. Recall one of our opening scriptures: John 17 3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
The desire of every true Christian is not just to know about Him, but to really know Him personally. More than that, I want Him to know me! That is the cry of an awakened conscience; when someone knows the holiness of God and feels their own sinfulness. You are no longer content to agree about Him and all the facts about Him, but you are longing for that personal, intimate knowledge which you lack by nature. If you are truly saved, then you will know immediately what I am talking about. How can I know Him? We already established that the world, by wisdom, does not know God. The Bible tells us that even the mighty people of this world did not recognise Him:
1 Corinthians 2 8 ...none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
So what has God done so that we might receive this special revelation; that we might actually know Him? Paul tells us:
Ephesians 1 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself
Here we read that God has moved out to give us this revelation. He has abounded towards us in wisdom and prudence (which, in this context, is insight or knowledge and understanding). God is
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giving us the knowledge, wisdom, understanding and insight that we did not have by nature. 1 Corinthians 2 9 But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
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What natural men and women cannot perceive, nor understand, God reveals to us by His Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit alone which searches and knows the deep things of God and reveals them to us. That phrase is therefore used, that “they are spiritually discerned.” God is therefore the one that has reached out to us. He has done it by the Holy Spirit, through whom He has been pleased to reveal the truth about Himself and the truth about ourselves. To receive this great blessing we’re speaking of, to really know God, is the work of the Holy Spirit. When you receive this blessing, many more follow. All the blessings that God has available to those that receive eternal life (which John 17 defines as the personal knowledge of God) are opened like a treasure chest. John 17 says we’ve received life eternal. John 4 says that it’s like a well of water springing up within you. John 6 says it’s like never hungering or thirsting again. John 10 says it’s life, and it’s life more abundant. And that’s just a few examples. The person in this position has been forgiven by God, reconciled to God, redeemed by God, and loved by God. Can you believe that you are loved by the almighty God who spoke a word to bring the entire creation into being? He loved you enough to reveal Himself to you through His Holy Spirit, so that the knowledge you needed and the blessings that you needed, but lacked by nature, could become yours. Are you glad that your God has revealed Himself generally, to all humanity? Are you glad that your God has revealed Himself specifically and personally to you? John 17 3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
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