Category: Theology 101
The Doctrine of Special Revelation (cont'd)
Biblical Data
The greatest depository of special revelation is the Scripture. The Bible records the myriad of instances wherein God spoke, either mediately or immediately, to His people. By the means listed above, God called men into His service, made His covenant known to the Israelites, and predicted what He would accomplish in the future. Scripture also contains the accounts of the New Covenant events and requirements as God revealed His will for the Church of Christ. However, Scripture is more than a container of special revelation, it is special revelation. The Bible is God’s special revelation to the church.
Scripture records the call of God to Abram through (presumably) an audible voice, by which He commanded Abram to leave his family and his home and go to an unidentified place (Gen. 12:1ff.). Also, many theophanies appear in Scripture, the most famous of which is Moses’ encounter with God at the burning bush (Exo. 3). Daniel was made privy to certain future events through the medium of visions. Prophets were given the content of their messages through dreams and visions (Num. 12:6; Deu. 13:1ff.; Isa.1:1; Jer. 14:14,15).
Hebrews 1:1-3a. Here we find a significant passage regarding Christ as special revelation. The author proclaims, “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.” Jesus is the last and greatest disclosure of God. His revelation of the Father far surpasses general revelation, or any other, for He is the “exact representation of His nature.” Moses (John 5:39-47), the law (Gal. 3:24), the prophets (Luke 24:27) all pointed to the coming (for them) revelation which was fulfilled in Christ.
Ephesians 2:19,20. Implied in the preceding paragraphs is the fact that prophets were agents of special revelation. That is, when God chose to communicate a special message to His people, He frequently did so through the office of the prophet. When the prophet spoke or wrote by the command or inspiration of God, his message was to be received as direct utterance from the Lord. In this text from the Epistle to the Ephesians, we find a statement given by an agent of special revelation—Paul—that declares the prophetic utterances (collectively) of certain agents of special revelation, namely, the apostles and prophets, to be special revelation for the entire church. For Paul writes, “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone….” My interpretation—the church (household of God) is to be governed and instructed by (built upon) the collective revelation given through the apostles and prophets (the foundation of the apostles and prophets). So again, we have Paul, an agent of revelation, declaring all prophetic and apostolic revelation to be special revelation for the church. Therefore, the church is to live “on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God,” i.e. the Scripture.