The Bible - Part III

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus

In the previous session, Part 1 and Part 2, we learnt that unless God takes the initiative to disclose what is in His mind, we shall never be able to find out. Unless God makes Himself known to us, we can never know Him. We also understood that God reveals Himself in two manners - first through Natural Revelation, where the Divine Artist has revealed Himself in the beauty, balance, intricacy and order of His creation and secondly through speech. Speech is the main model used in the Bible to illustrate God's self revelation. We understood that Scripture is God's Word, issuing from God's mouth.

Having affirmed that God speaks through the Scriptures, now let us learn a few of the qualifications to clarify our understanding of how God spoke His Word...

First, God's Word (now recorded in Scripture) was closely related to His activity. Put differently, He spoke to His people by deeds as well as words. He made Himself known to Israel in their history, and so directed its development as to bring to Isrealites now His salvation, now His judgement. Thus, He rescued the people from their slavery in Egypt; He brought them safely across the desert and settled them in the promised land; He preserved their national identity through the period of judges; He gave them kings to rule over them, despite the fact that their demand for a human king was in part a repudiation of His own kingship; His judgement fell upon them for their persistent disobedience when they were deported into Babylonian exile; and then He restored them to their own land and enabled them to rebuild their nationhood and their temple. Above all, for us sinners and for our salvation, He sent His eternal Son, Jesus Christ, to be born, to live and work, to suffer and die, to rise and to pour out the Holy Spirit. Through these deeds, first in the Old Testament story but supremely in Jesus Christ, God was actively and personally revealing Himself.

For some theologians, it has been fashionable to distinguish between personal revelation (through God's deeds) and propositional revelation (through His words). There is no need for us to choose between these two media of revelation, as God used them both. Moreover, they are closely related to one another. For God's words interpreted His deeds. He raised up prophets to explain what He was doing to Israel, and He raised up apostles to explain what He was doing through Christ. It is true that the process of divine self-revelation culminated in the person of Jesus. He was God's Word made flesh. He showed forth the glory of God. To have seen Him was to have seen the Father (Jn. 1:14, 18; 14:9). Nevertheless, this historical and personal revelation would not have benefited us unless, along with it, God had unfolded for us the significance of the person and work of His Son.

We must, then, avoid the trap of setting personal and propositional revelation over against each other as alternatives. It is more accurate to say that God has revealed himself in Christ and in the biblical witness to Christ. Neither is complete without the other.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus, we have now understood God has revealed Himself in all the activities that He has done in the Bible and Bible is a testimony for His activities. Both are together. In the next session, we will understand how God's Word has come to us through human words.

May the Lord Almighty bless you and keep you in all your ways. Have a blessed day ahead.

Source: The Bible Book for Today - John Stott

Your Brother n Christ Jesus

Jobin George

You may please get in touch with me with your thoughts and views on jobin.george2012@gmail.com