God lives in “unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see” (1 Tim. 6:16). God is hidden behind a barrier impenetrable by human beings. In the words of Isaiah, ‘You are truly a God who hides himself…” (Is. 45:15).
This means that no one has the ability to look “behind the beyond” to know the true God. We creatures simply cannot bridge the gap between ourselves and our Creator. UNLESS (and it’s a big “unless”) God Himself takes the initiative and reveals Himself to us!
God reveals Himself in a general way in the world that He had created (called “general revelation”). But God reveals Himself specifically to us–who He is [His Name] and how we by his grace can be saved–in His Word, the Holy Scriptures. This is called “special revelation.”
It must have been an awesome experience for people like Moses and Paul actually to hear the voice of God. Today we hear God’s voice in the Bible, which tells us how God reveals Himself to human beings, how He pierces the barrier between Himself and His creatures to make Himself known, especially in His love for us.
Download a PDF of Apologia: God’s Self Disclosure – in Nature and His Word.
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