The Revelation of God and the Christian Church

The revelation of God

At the heart of Christian belief is the idea that God is not distant and unknowable, but chooses to be made known to people. This being made known is called revelation. Christians describe it in two main ways. General revelation is the sense that God can be glimpsed by anyone, through the wonder of the natural world and through the inner voice of conscience. Special revelation is the belief that God is made known more directly and fully through particular means, above all through the Bible and through the life and teaching of Jesus. This module looks at what revelation means, the different ways Christians believe God is revealed, how they read the Bible as a source, and how a believer might respond. Throughout, belief is described as belief that Christians hold, set out fairly rather than judged.

Words for revelation

Learn these terms before the means of revelation are matched up. They name the ideas used in this topic.

Match each means of revelation to how it works

General against special revelation

Christians describe two broad kinds of revelation. A strong answer can tell them apart and give an example of each.

Which kind of revelation is this?

A Christian says that although nature hints at God, they only feel they truly know God through the life of Jesus. What does this suggest they believe?

• That special revelation completes what general revelation begins
• That general revelation is all that anyone needs
• That revelation does not happen at all
• That God can be proven by science

How Christians read the Bible

Christians do not all read the Bible in the same way, and a good answer knows the difference. Some read it in a literal way, taking the words as a direct and factual account, so that a passage means exactly what it plainly says. Others read it in a non-literal way, treating some passages as poetry, symbol or story that carries a deeper truth rather than a plain fact. Most agree that the aim is to hear what God is saying through the text, not to win an argument about wording. When you write about this, describe both approaches fairly, use the phrase Christians believe, and avoid claiming that one reading is simply right and the other wrong.

Pick the ways God is said to be revealed

Select every way Christians say God is made known to people.

• Through the natural world
• Through the conscience
• Through the Bible
• Through the life of Jesus
• Through winning a lottery

Order how a believer responds to revelation

Put these steps of how a believer might respond to revelation into a sensible order.

• Notice something that points beyond the ordinary
• Reflect on what it might mean
• Come to see it as God being made known
• Respond in faith, prayer or worship
• Try to live by what has been understood

Complete the revelation facts

The way God is made known to people is called _____. When God is shown through the natural world and human conscience, open to everyone, this is called _____ revelation. When God is made known through particular means such as the Bible, worship or the life of Jesus, this is called _____ revelation. For Christians the Bible, also called _____, is a central source of revelation.

Tap the two examples of general revelation

Read these four ways someone might sense God. Tap the TWO that are examples of general revelation.

• the beauty and order of the natural world
• a strong inner sense of right and wrong
• reading a passage of the Bible
• a moment during a church service

Letters, then a meeting

Imagine getting to know a distant relative. For years you know them only through their letters and the stories others tell: you build a real picture, but it is partial, and you have to read carefully. Then one day they visit, and you meet them face to face; now you know them in a fuller, living way that no letter could match. Many Christians describe knowing God rather like this. There is what you can gather at a distance, through the world and through wise writings, and there is the closer, fuller knowing they believe came when God was made known in a human life. Both matter, and the second, they hold, completes the first.

The revelation run

Answer each one correctly to keep your lives. Choose the best answer.

Weigh each claim about revelation

Read each situation and choose the best answer.

• In an exam you must write about how God is revealed. What is the fairest way?
• A source describes sensing God through a sunrise. Which kind of revelation is that?
• Two Christians read a Bible passage differently, one literally and one not. What should a good answer do?

Build a point on revelation

Choose the word for each gap to complete one point about the revelation of God.

Explain the revelation of God

A friend asks how Christians believe people can come to know God. Using what you have learned, explain the Christian idea of the revelation of God.

• Explain what revelation means
• Explain general revelation, with an example
• Explain special revelation, with an example
• Explain the place of the Bible as a source of revelation
• Explain how Christians might respond to revelation