1God, having in the past spoken to the fathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2has at the end of these days spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds. 3His Son is the radiance of his glory, the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, who, when he had by himself purified us of our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4having become as much better than the angels as the more excellent name he has inherited is better than theirs. 5For to which of the angels did he say at any time,
“You are my Son.
Today I have become your father?”
and again,
“I will be to him a Father,
and he will be to me a Son?”
6When he again brings in the firstborn into the world he says, “Let all the angels of God worship him.” 7Of the angels he says,
“He makes his angels winds,
and his servants a flame of fire.”
8But of the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.
The scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your Kingdom.
9You have loved righteousness and hated iniquity;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows.”
10And,
“You, Lord, in the beginning, laid the foundation of the earth.
The heavens are the works of your hands.
11They will perish, but you continue.
They all will grow old like a garment does.
12You will roll them up like a mantle,
and they will be changed;
but you are the same.
Your years won’t fail.”
13But which of the angels has he told at any time,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet?”
14Aren’t they all serving spirits, sent out to do service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?
Although God reveals Himself in nature, and all people may know Him by this, general revelation is incomplete. It only gives us a glimpse of who He is, and what He requires of us. There is a source where we can fully know everything God wishes us to know about Him – the Bible. It is in the Bible that we find what theologians call “special revelation.”
We learned previously that God reveals His character through what He has created. But, as the name of the term implies, general revelation only gives us general information about God. General revelation is incomplete. It does not tell us what God’s will is, His plans for us, or what He requires of us. Theologians call this specific information from God “special revelation.” There is only one source where this information may be found today – the Bible. The Bible is the complete revelation of the mind of God, written in human language. God gives us special revelation in the historical events, divine speech, and visible appearances found in the Bible. The pinnacle of special revelation is found in the person of Jesus.
Exodus 24:16-18
Many times God visibly revealed Himself to Israel. Here God called Moses to the top of Mt. Sinai, where His glory looked like a “consuming fire.” From the midst of this “cloud,” Moses received the Law, spoken audibly by God.
Hebrews 1:1-3
The writer of this letter tells us that God spoke through prophets in times of old, but has now spoken through Jesus. In essence then, Jesus’ words are God’s words, and are therefore revelation.
John 1:1, 14, 18
The most important revelation of God is that of Jesus Christ. The Apostle John captured this importance at the beginning of his Gospel, calling Jesus “the Word.” The Early Church Fathers saw the importance of this title for Jesus. Hyppolytus said of Him, “This Logos (Word) the Father in the latter days sent forth, no longer to speak by a prophet…but that He should be made visible, so that we could see Him with our own eyes.”
Conclusion
Special revelation is the Mind of God expressed in human language, and gives us everything we need to know about God and what He expects of us. The ultimate special revelation is found in the person of Jesus.
What does the Bible say about God? What about God does the person of Jesus reveal? What does the Bible reveal of what God wants of us?