I hope to give clarity on what Christians mean by revelation. As finite creatures, how are we able to discern what is true about our Creator and the world? Ultimately God holds all authority to speak truthfully about himself and the world, as he himself is the ground for all truth. Therefore we must turn to him for this knowledge. The term revelation is not used here in reference to the last book of the Bible. Instead, revelation can be defined as disclosing or unveiling something which was previously unknown. Divine revelation, then, can be thought of as God revealing or communicating something about himself or the world.
Divine revelation can be split into two different kinds: general and special. Think of divine revelation as an umbrella term that contains both general and special revelation. I prefer to distinguish these two kinds of revelation with three criteria: scope, specificity, and illumination. Scope considers the accessibility of the revelation for us. Specificity regards how detailed or vague the revealed knowledge is. Illumination refers to how the revealed knowledge grants a fuller apprehension or clarity of God or the world.
General revelation can be thought of as the knowledge indirectly revealed by God through the natural world (Rom 1:20) and human conscience (Rom 2:15). When looking at the three criteria, general revelation is maximal in scope or accessibility, not very specific, and provides relatively little clarity. For instance, through the natural world we may infer a designer of the universe, but we would not infer that this designer seeks a personal relationship with all people. Or, within our innate conscience we may understand basic moral rights and wrongs, but we would not know that we have been created in God’s image. Nevertheless, general revelation does provide a number of benefits. First, it is comforting to know that all people at all times and in all places have the opportunity to know at least some things about God. As Paul writes, “what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them” (Rom 1:19). Second, it produces the fruit of natural theology: the study of God outside of sacred Scripture by using logic, philosophy, and other natural studies. Third, it potentially provides a means through which one can receive salvation.[1] Fourth, it acts as a prerequisite for special revelation, paving the way for faith in Christ.
Special revelation can be thought of as the knowledge directly revealed by God through Christ, Scripture, and particular experiences, such as visions or prophecy. Contrasting general revelation, special revelation is limited in accessibility, quite detailed, and presents a much fuller apprehension of God. Through special revelation we gain the knowledge of essential aspects of Christian doctrine: the trinity, two natures of Christ, salvation, Christ’s coming again, and so forth. God does not desire that we simply believe he exists, rather he desires a personal relationship with us. In this sense, special revelation is always personal. The greater knowledge of God provided by special revelation is the means to a more intimate relationship with God.
It would not be wise to consider general revelation as inferior to special revelation, nor are they mutually exclusive. Instead, think of special revelation as an extension or complement of general revelation. God is not obligated to provide any revelation of himself whatsoever; the fact that he does reveal himself demonstrates his grace and willingness to seek us personally. For those of us who do have access to special revelation, recognize the responsibility of sharing it with others and studying it to the best of your ability.
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