July 29 – Part 1
Introduction
: I want to spend several weeks with you in a series I’ve entitled, ‘God Revealed.’
Question
: Who is God? What is He like? How do I know? What does it mean for me today?
Bible Question:
In what way does God reveal himself to us? Why would God give us his Word and not give us evidence that enables us to trust?
Bible Answer:
Revelation is the divine act of God revealing Himself to man. God has revealed Himself to us in two ways: through general revelation and special revelation. Sometimes general and specific revelation are also referred to as natural and supernatural or original and soteriological revelation.
General Revelation
General revelation refers to the act of God revealing Himself to us in a general way. He has revealed Himself through the creation of the world and universe (Psalm 19:1). They reveal and declare that God exists. Otherwise, how did the universe come into existence from nothing and become arranged as it is?
Specific Revelation
Since the creation will not give us specific revelation, that is, specific or special information about God, He has given us the Bible which are His words to us. The Bible provides us with very specific information about God Himself. As a result, we can know more about Him and spiritual life. Consider these passages,
Transition
: I want to look at a few of the broader terms today and then I will look at a few specific ones in the week to come.
Genesis 1:1, ‘In the beginning,
God
…’
Elohim
which is plural of
El.
Elohim
– is unique to Hebrew thinking: it occurs only in the Hebraic language and in no other ancient language.
The masculine plural ending does not mean ‘gods’ when referring to the true God of Israel,
Deuteronomy 6:4
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!
(NKJ)
Genesis, 1:1 is like I mentioned Elohim.
In the traditional Jewish view, Elohim is the Name of God as the
Creator
and
Judge
of the universe (Genesis 1:1-2, 4a).
In the second creation story (Genesis 2:4bff) the Name of God is revealed as the Sacred Name YHVH (from the Semitic root that means
‘to be’
and expressed the idea of
God’s closeness to humans
, YHVH ‘breathed into his (Adam’s) nostrils the breath of life (Gen. 2:7).
God is:
Elohei
– the God of
Ben Elohim
– The Son of God
13 – In Psalm 59:17 He is
Elohei Chasdi
(has-di) – The God of my kindness
Conclusion
: The Bible reveals that God is holy and we are not. We are disobedient when we do not obey God. That is, we sin. We are all sinners (Romans 3:23) and consequently, we deserve spiritual death (Romans 6:23), that is, eternal punishment and separation from God. But our God became a man in the person of Jesus Christ for the purpose of dying on a cross so that He could rescue us from eternal punishment. He did His part. Now He calls us to believe in Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection to pay the penalty for our sin, to turn from our sins, and allow Him to take control of our lives.
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