Carl F.H. Henry wrote, “Revelation is a divinely initiated activity, God’s free communication by which he alone turns his personal privacy into a deliberate disclosure of his reality.” He argues that all merely human affirmations about God that are based on something other than his divinely initiated, freely communicated, and deliberately disclosed reality will inevitably curl into a question mark. (Timothy George)
In other words, the only way anyone can know God is if He reveals Himself to them. Unless God initiates revelation, the person will continue in ignorance, incapable of knowing the true God so as to be saved. Consider…
Who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. (Mt 16:15-17)
Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, 38 so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” 39 Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, 40 “He (God) has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.” (Jn 12:37-40)
At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. (Mt 11:25-27)
Anyone who knows God… Jehovah God (Not Allah, Nor any other supposed deity) is because GOD chose to reveal Himself to the person. The ONLY way you or I know anything about God is because HE chose to allow us to know it or else we’d still be ignorant of Him. It is also true that the level to which a Christian matures is completely in God’s sovereign providential hand according to Hebrews 6:1-3…
Let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do IF God permits.
The point is everything we are is by the grace of God, and nothing else (1 Cor 15:10), “I am what I am by the grace of God.” You are what you are… we are what we are… BY GOD’S GRACE ALONE. Therefore He alone gets all the praise, adoration, and glory.
Interesting! We have to get to the Scripture? Wow! We can’t use some else’s material? I think the one thing that has been forgotten is the Bible. It is the text that is important in understanding of God’s work, will, and ways!
You’re right! I’ve told people often, it matters more what The Word says than what people say ABOUT The Word.
I totally agree. Our God, JEHOVAH, choose to reveal himself to his people. Because we believe in him, his son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, He took the time to write us each a book that tells us about him. When I say wrote us a book, I literally mean it. Think about the Bible as your personal book from God. Although each of us read the Bible, what we get from it is personal and based strictly upon what the Holy Spirit imparts to us. This does not mean we are free to interpret what God said, simply speaking He said what He said. His word is not open to our interpretation, but through his grace and with the help of the Holy Spirit it is open to our understanding. His word convicts, converts and clarifies. So the next time you open your Bible, realize that God is speaking directly to you, one of his chosen. His word can chastise, can paint a picture you don’t want to see, but always encourages and is the absolute truth. I don’t why he choose me before the foundation of the world, but I am so grateful.
Truth Brother, Jehovah is extraordinary!
On a side note. I found it quite interesting that while on mission in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia the Christians were in a battle with the government, which is Muslim based. The fight was over the State deciding that the name Allah was exclusive only to the Muslims of the country. Millions speak the Malay language, in the language Allah is the Christian God. It is a battle for them of attacking the Bible’s accuracy, their creed. Also, Christians in the Middle East and Indonesia have long used Allah to refer to the Christian God. This doesn’t change the truth of your comments, Jehovah is the Creator, Father of Jesus and sender of the Holy Spirit. He alone saves!
CW, Thank you for your comment. I would agree that “God” in the cultural context is worth considering. However, many who say the Allah of Muslims is but another name for The Jehovah God of Scripture. There I would have to say “Allah” is NOT synonymous with THE God of the universe. Again, thank you for your insight.
Context is something many are willing to throw out with the baby. Thanks, love you my friend.
I have lived my life..my way and I’m finding that after 50 years I have nothing and no body.Never married because of ignorant pride and have no children because of this . I have needed Jesus in my life for so long and have tried to receive him yet still keeping up with my bad ways has kept him away from me and I feel that he has given up on me .I don’t know what to do…I know my life needs changing but don’t really have any idea of how to change .
Patrick, you are in exactly the place God would have you to be saved. I have sent you a contact request. Until then I can tell you without hesitation that if you will believe in Jesus Christ as God’s Son and that he died to save you from God’s wrath… asking Him for forgiveness, He will forgive your sin and save you.
Read Romans 10:9-10; 1 John 1:9; John 3:16; and Acts 16:31. I hope and pray we get to talk!
Ron