Teaching Resources International

Special Revelation, Part 1 … (October 2025 Update) 

When a preschool Sunday School teacher told her students to draw a picture of love, all the children excitedly went to work with their pencils and crayons. Some drew pictures of their parents with them. Others drew pictures of their favorite pets. One boy had a wildly abstract blur of colors. When the teacher asked Johnny what he had drawn, he replied, “It’s God.” The teacher said, “But the Bible says that no one has ever seen God.” Johnny replied, “They have now!” 

Throughout the history of mankind, many people have painted many pictures of God. Some “gods” have been in the image of animals. Others painted God as volcanoes or mountain tops. Still others made God as majestic humans. If we painted our pictures of God, we would probably all come up with different images. But would any of these pictures be accurate? How would you know which picture was really God? The only way we could know would be if God revealed Himself to us. That’s why we need special revelation.  

Over the last few months, we have examined General Revelation. If you remember, general revelation focuses primarily on the Creation and upon the Conscience of Man.  It is general because it comes to all men in general and because it only gives us a very general picture of God rather than any specific instructions.  The content of this revelation is general. It is helpful in showing us that God exists. But the content is general. We know there is a God, but general revelation tells us very little specifically about this God and about what this God specifically desires from us. That’s why we need Special Revelation.  

Without special revelation, general revelation might lead us to worship certain animals as God or to decide that this God wants us to sacrifice our children to the volcano to satisfy his wrath. Without special revelation, how could one even say that those pictures of God are wrong? But in Special Revelation, God Himself reveals Himself to us. That’s why Special Revelation is so essential. Without it, we are left “in the dark” to paint our own pictures of who God is and what God wants! 

Sometimes we refer to General Revelation as Universal Revelation. This is because it is seen in the universe and because it is universally available. It can be seen by all men, in all cultures, throughout all periods of history. It is universal. So, it is general revelation because it has general content revealed universally to all men. But, as we have seen, it is very limited in what it can tell us about God. 

Special revelation is sometimes called particular revelation. This is because it has been revealed to particular persons, in particular events and particular places. It is also called particular revelation because God reveals particular or specific instructions through this special revelation. Without special revelation, we can know that a God exists, but we cannot know what this God desires from us.  

We looked at both types of revelation in Psalm 19. In verses 1-6, the Psalmist tells us that the heavens are giving a universal revelation of God to everyone. Then, in verses 7-10, the psalmist tells us about the surpassing value of special revelation. It is more clear than general revelation. It is pure and perfect in every way. Therefore, we can fully trust what we learn from special revelation. General revelation is good and important, but special revelation is God’s direct communication with man. 

The Goal of Special Revelation 

One of the current debates about Special Revelation is whether it is personal or propositional. To say that special revelation is propositional means that its primary purpose is to convey truth or propositions.  These theologians who emphasize the propositional often de-emphasize the personal.  This is most commonly seen among conservative theologians who are more concerned about the rules and the commandments that are given in scripture.  

Other theologians will emphasize that special revelation is primarily personal. They conclude that the goal of this special revelation is not to give us information but to bring us into relationship with God.  They would suggest that the propositions or truths that are conveyed in the Bible are not as important as the relationship that results from a person entering into a relationship with God. Some liberal theologians would go farther, even suggesting that the special revelation of God is not about specific truths. They would say that revelation is simply about man’s encounters with God.  Therefore, what we find in the Bible are not inerrant theological ideas. They would claim that the Bible contains many errors – its goal is not truth but relationship. 

I would suggest that special revelation is both propositional and personal. In fact, you cannot really have a personal relationship without propositional truth. To have a relationship with another person, you would need to know something about that person. Personal relationships are not built with those that you do not know. And a personal relationship cannot grow without growing in knowledge about that person. The same is true in our relationship with God. It depends on knowing about Him as well as knowing Him personally. So, the goal of special revelation is both Personal and Propositional. 

What are the various ways that God has spoken? 

The ways God has spoken are called the modes of Special Revelation. These are the various ways through which God reveals Himself in special revelation. We can put these into 3 major categories. We have historical events, divine speech, and, most importantly, the incarnation. 

First of all, we have a category called historical events. God has revealed himself in many ways throughout human history. We frequently see these events referred to in the Bible as His “mighty deeds.” In this category, we can include many supernatural and ordinary. These include God’s call of Abraham, His protection of Joseph, the Passover, the crossing of the Red Sea and many other events. In each of these events, God not only speaks to people, but He also reveals His nature and His character.  

It is clear that these events are not just historical, but they are revelatory. In other words, there is an objective revelation that was associated with historical events. We not only see the work of God; we often are given clear, verbal explanations of those works. For example, in John 14:9, when Phillip asks to see the Father, Jesus tells him, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.”  In this passage, we see not only the historical event, but clear, propositional revelation about Jesus. And often, after his teachings, Jesus tells his listeners, “he who has ears to hear, let him hear.”  This is both a historical event and propositional revelation that must be heard and received. 

Second, we have divine speech.  Very frequently in the Bible and especially in the Old Testament, we see the phrase, “the word of the Lord came to me.”  The Old Testament prophets understood that the message they were giving was not their own creation but rather a message from God. Divine speech may come in several forms.  At times, it might be an inaudible voice or an inward hearing of God’s message. At other times, it might be a dream or a vision.  Sometimes it might be simply the Holy Spirit bringing to remembrance those things which the writers had heard, like Jesus spoke about in John 14:26. Sometimes the revelation might even be a direct voice, like was heard at the baptism of Jesus or on the mount of transfiguration.  

The final form that we have of God’s special revelation is the incarnation.  In John 1:14, John tells us that “the word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” The incarnation is God’s most complete and final revelation of Himself.  John 1:18 says, “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known.” If anyone wants to see the fullest revelation of God, then they must look at the incarnation of Christ. He is God who has come in the flesh and lived among us. In Hebrews 1:1-2, the writer of Hebrews tells us that God had spoken many times in the past, but now He has spoken specifically through His son.  The incarnation is the final and the most complete revelation of God.  When the prophets spoke, they were bringing a message that they had received from God about God.  But when Jesus spoke, he was God speaking in the flesh. In Hebrews 1:1-2, the writer of Hebrews tells us that God had spoken many times in the past, but now He has spoken specifically through His son: “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.” 

The Bible: God’s Special, Special Revelation 

The Bible holds a very important place as Special Revelation. Scripture is God’s special word. If God’s special revelation includes the historical acts of God, these can be written down. If God’s revelation includes propositional statements and truths, then these can be written down as well. What is Scripture? Scripture is the special revelation of God that has been written down and preserved for all generations. All special revelation of God is important, but that which has been written down and preserved is extra special for us all. 

What are the benefits of having God’s special revelation written down and preserved for us?  

First, because it has been written and preserved, it can be remembered. It is preserved so that future generations can also benefit from this special revelation of God. If God reveals but it is not written down and preserved, then only the contemporary hearers can benefit.  

Second, because it has been written down and preserved, it can be examined. Written revelation has the benefit of being able to be examined and carefully studied. 

Finally, because it has been written down and preserved, it can be shared. And while it is possible for some of this truth to be passed down by oral tradition, it is also clear that much is lost when ideas are transmitted orally. A written revelation is able to be translated into many different languages and shared with people of many different cultures. 

All of God’s revelation is important for us. General Revelation helps us to see that there is a God. All creation declares His presence! But it is not clear, and it is not specific. We need to hear directly from the God of the universe. Special revelation does that for us. Because we have the Bible, we are not left to our own imaginations about who God is or what God wants. The Bible is God’s specific, special revelation for us. 

Opportunities to Serve and Teach …  

Last month, I taught the Evangelism class online at Kyiv Theological Seminary (KTS). We had 4 students and a really good class. The topics seemed to be helpful for the students, and their questions raised a number of practical and theological issues. Most interesting was that I did not have a translator for the first class. Somehow that was overlooked. So, I taught the class in Russian the first day. I managed but it was difficult for me. I quickly called Natasha Bochko to see if she could help. She was only available for Tuesday and Thursday, so I talked Katya into translating for me the other time. They both did great – much, much better than my Russian! 

Kyiv Theological Seminary continues to train students in all areas. But they are the only training program for evangelical chaplains in Ukraine. Our dear friend, Anatoly, has been serving as a chaplain for about 10 years and he is also leading in teaching and training other chaplains. Pray for these men as they minister to the soldiers and their families in the war. 

I’m also helping with the doctoral program at Ukranian Baptist Seminary (UBTS). I’m meeting with one student this month. He was one of my first students at KTS in 1996, and he has been serving as a professor and is now the Dean of Pastoral Ministries at UBTS. 

I didn’t have much time to work on developing the theological education courses for GlobalServe missionaries. I’m hoping that I can get at least the framework done soon so I can get it approved, and we can start our first group next year. Be praying for me. I’m really a teacher and not a developer and organizer so this takes much more mental energy than teaching classes 😊! 

Finally, Kyiv Theological Seminary celebrates 30 years of ministry this year! I was privileged to be one of the first professors when KTS opened their doors to students from Ukraine and all the former Soviet Republics. Anatolii Prokopchuk (pictured at the top) first invited me to come and teach at KTS. We became good friends, and I really loved what he was doing at KTS, so I kept coming back to teach at KTS as many as 5 times a year. Ruslan Khmyz, (pictured at the bottom) is the current president, and he was also one of my first students at KTS. What a blessing this school has been (and continues to be) for Ukraine! 

Family …  

This month, we also celebrated a number of birthdays. Joy’s triplets and Joel’s son, Lucas, and Meredith’s daughter, Harley, all had birthdays this month. As usual, we celebrated Harley’s birthday with a special weekend retreat at New Life Ranch. 

The girls also participated in a Narnia Festival together. This was really special since they have read all the Chronicles of Narnia books multiple times. 

And the girls have started learning to play around with photography. They figured out how to do all these pictures on their own. It’s pretty cool. 

Homeschooling continues to be a blessing. We are enjoying studying about American History and learning about the great inventions of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Also, we enjoy having Haven and Harley visit and play with the girls. Finally, we had a little bit of “adult time” too. Meredith and Sean went to Bikes, Blues and BBQ together and Katya and I found time one afternoon to sit and have some tea and dessert at a local Mexican restaurant.  

We continue to work on small things for the house, but we really haven’t had much time. Hopefully, this fall, we will get a few more things done. We were hoping to finish everything before Christmas, but that seems unlikely. Still, it is really a joy to be here in our own home. 

Pray for Ukraine … 

Please continue to pray for Ukraine and the war. It is frustrating to see what Russia does nightly to the people of Ukraine, but it is encouraging to see how Ukrainians continue to resist the Russian attacks. While all Ukrainians want peace, more than 80% say they would rather keep fighting than let Russia have their territories in exchange for peace. Pray that peace will come soon, but that it will be a peace that is just and lasting. Pray for Russia and the people of Russia. Since the government controls all the TV and internet access (like China, they block anything they do not agree with), most don’t really know what is happening. Now that the West has allowed Ukraine to directly attack Russian refineries, the people of Russia are beginning to understand that the government has been lying to them. Most of all, pray for the churches of Ukraine and Russia that they might be able to share the good news about the Prince of Peace so many will come to faith! 

Thank you for your prayers and support. We are always amazed at how the Lord has provided for us all these years. 

By His Grace, 

Jim and Katya, Kristina and Nadia 

If you missed previous updates or just want to read some short theological reflections, you can find these at our website at https://teachingresources.org/ .  

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