Divine revelation

As Christians we believe that the Bible is the most divinely inspired book in the world. But this is not simply a matter of personal faith, it is confirmed in the Bible itself. For example, in 2 Peter 1:21 we are told that, “no prophecy of scripture… was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” And in 2 Timothy 3:16 we read simply that, “All Scripture is inspired by God.” A belief in the divine inspiration of the Bible is essential and foundational to the Christian faith. If the written Word of God is ever to have its rightful place in our lives, we simply must we willing to accept it “not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.” (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

In accepting the divine inspiration of the Bible, we are also saying is that we believe that God reveals or communicates his truth directly to man. In fact the dictionary defines revelation as “the communication of divine truth.” Through divine revelation God allows mankind to see and understand truth. Again and again throughout the pages of the Bible we read the phrase, “And God said.” Each time this phrase occurs, it is followed by a communication of truth from God to man – or a revelation.

A number of Old Testament passages tell us that God revealed things to his servants the prophets. The Hebrew word that is translated “revealed” in many of these verses literally means, “to uncover” and is the same word used to refer to taking off one’s clothes. The same thing is true in the New Testament, where the Greek word that is translated “reveal” literally means “to uncover” or disclose something. Divine revelation is the act of God uncovering something that was previously hidden from the eyes of man.

One of the most powerful passages about divine revelation in the Bible is in Matthew 16. In verse 15 Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Jesus had already asked who the crowds thought he was; now he wanted to know who his own disciples thought he was. Peter answered Jesus saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Then, in verse 17 Jesus answered Peter saying, “Blessed are you Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you but My father who is in heaven.”

Notice specifically that Jesus said Peter was blessed because Peter’s revelation that Jesus was the Christ was not of human origin – it was something that God revealed directly to Peter. The apostle Paul would later say this same thing in Galatians 1:11-12 about the gospel he preached: “The gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.” Paul confirmed this again in verses 15-17 saying, “When God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man.”

Some people have the idea that divine revelation is something that was only available to the prophets and apostles. But the fact is, the same Holy Spirit who revealed God’s truth to the prophets and apostles has been sent to reveal God’s truth to us today. The primary way He does this is by uncovering the “mysteries” of God’s word. (See Colossians 1:26) As we read the word of God and commune with the Holy Spirit, his light shines into our hearts and minds, and divine revelation brings understanding, direction, clarity and purpose into our lives.