Revelation Through Creation

Romans 1:20 - "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse."

Since God is the foundation of truth and all truth originates with Him, then it follows that in order for us to know truth God has to reveal it to us. Since God is true, truth is that which corresponds with His nature and character. So the revelation of truth begins with a revelation of God Himself.

What does it mean for God to reveal Himself? In order for us to know God and His truth we must have it reveled to us, but what does that really mean? What is Divine Revelation? Revelation, to put it simply, is the act of God disclosing to people that which would otherwise be unknown. The word 'revelation' has the idea of unveiling something. The picture is, I'm holding a box and I tell you that inside the box I have something so magnificent, there's really nothing else like it in the world. "Well," you say, "how great is it?" "It's so great that a description really can't do it justice. You would have to see it in order to grasp the shear magnitude of this thing." So in order for you to experience the greatness of this thing, whatever it is, a revelation is going to have to take place. I'm going to have to lift the lid off the box and show you what is inside. If I don't take the lid off and show it to you then you really can't appreciate the greatness of whatever is contained inside. In God's revealing of Himself He is giving to us something that we couldn't know unless He revealed it. In other words, if God didn't reveal Himself there is no way we could ever possibly know anything about Him. God could have chosen to conceal Himself in order that we would never know anything about Him, never even know He exists; but in His love and kindness for us God has revealed Himself in many different ways, so that even nature itself would tell us something about the goodness, the order, the beauty, the wisdom and the power of God.

There are many ways in which God has revealed Himself, and they all fit quite nicely into two categories. The first category we'll call General Revelation, and the second, Special Revelation. And just to give a quick definition of these two so that we better understand what we're talking about, General Revelation is the natural or common ways in which God makes Himself known; these are thing that are seen and experienced by everyone, they're universal and intrinsic. Special Revelation is the specific or detailed ways in which God makes Himself known.

So what are some of the natural and common ways that God has revealed Himself? What are some of the intrinsic and universal ways in which God has made Himself known? In Psalm 19:1-4 the psalmist speaks of how God has revealed Himself through creation. He says - "The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their utterances to the end of the world. In them He has placed a tent for the sun." The heavens speak of the glory of God, not in audible words, it's not as though you walk outside at night and hear words being spoken by the stars, but in a way they are speaking to those who see them. When you consider the heavens there is something that goes on inside of you, you begin to consider the vastness of the universe, the sheer magnitude of space, it will make you feel really small. And this tells us something about God. If indeed there is a God, He must be bigger than, or wholly outside of, His creation. And not only that, but the heavenly bodies work on a very consistent course. The movement and rotation of the planets, the cycle of comets, all the movements of the cosmos are precise as clockwork. In fact, verses 5 and 6 of Psalm 19 go on to talk about that. In speaking of the sun it says - "Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; it rejoices as a strong man to run his course. Its rising is from one end of the heavens, and its circuit to the other end of them; and there is nothing hidden from its heat." It has a specific course and circuit. There's nothing random about this. The movements of the universe are so exact and consistent that we can travel back in our thinking to hundreds and thousands of years ago and determine the exact placement of the constellations. We can look forward and know with specificity the placement of the stars and planets, and know when comets are going to pass by where we can see them. This isn't random. The design and order of the universe are speaking of the glory of God, and this is something that you can hear regardless of location or education. You could go into the most remote, nomadic tribe which doesn't even have a written language, step out of your hut at night and the heavens are standing there declaring to you the glory of God.

In Romans 1:19-20 the apostle Paul is writing about the wrath of God being revealed against those who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, and this is the reason that he gives for God's wrath being revealed - “Because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” Creation is a common, worldwide language. Though we can't see God, God has made Himself known through His creation. Things like His eternal power and His divine nature are clearly seen through what has been made. This is one example of General Revelation.