Who am I? How do you define yourself?
Isn’t that the question we have wrestled with since being a small child? Who am I? Where am I going? What do I want? We understand these basic ideas when we search for identity. Identity is the very idea that objects, things have a definition.
In philosophy, there is a logical law called the law of identity. A=A, You are you. Though you may change and the you from age 2 is different from who you are now. An apple changes from a bit of an offshoot to a ripe fruit until it decays, withers, and dies.
But still, through all that the definition, the essence at each moment is truth. In each of those instances, we can monitor, study, and determine some property of you, me, or the piece of fruit. There is a substance we can grasp, measure, and study.
Study God?
But to study God, we lack such an ability. We understand that, in every moment, God is who he is, just like I am who I am right now sitting in this chair, typing away at a keyboard, your eyes scanning this document; hopefully, you find it interesting.
You have a purpose in reading. I have a purpose in writing. God, if he exists, has a purpose in creating the universe.
There are two ways we can learn about God.
- From the observable world around us, the things he has made – General Revelation
- Jehovah can tell us about himself – Special Revelation
We call these two ideas general revelation and special revelation. As you read these articles, you can glimpse an idea of who I am; my interests, my desires, and my history. Through these articles, you get general and special revelation.
General Revelation
However, what if these articles contained no personal information? Every article was devoid of references to children, science fiction, study of science and biology but only attempted to answer these questions with bible quotes.
So when you ask why must God reveal himself? My answer is God says…
- I am who I am – The Law of Identity
- Jehovah, Exodus 3:14
- I am Jehovah, I do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.
- Jehovah, Malachi 3:6
I contend we prefer special revealtion over general revelation. We enjoy, usually, to know more about individuals. We crave knowledge and insights. We are a relationship oriented species. We hear birds singing or someone laughing and wonder what does that mean.
Still, our current current knowledge is a pale reflection of all the knowledge available, about nature, other people, and eternity. We have enough information to search for God, but not to know God without him telling us more. Please read more in what is general revelation?
Special Revelation
You, as the reader, would gain no special revelation about myself, but you would know that I exist. You might develop conclusions and assumptions about me. This writer is judgemental, strict, bible believing, etc.
You come to some conclusion about me, judge me, and determine if I am worth listening to, but never quite knowing in any real sense who I am. We would have no relationship, so your definition of me would be incomplete. I hope you see where I am going with this train of thought.
“Complete knowledge of God or me is not possible without a special revelation from the information giver.”
Kolan Wright
Multi-faceted Blogger
A person knows his own identity. You could search for me, but without some personal information, it would be challenging.
If God just created the universe but said nothing else, humans would search and search, develop theories and stories, trying to determine all the difficult questions of philosophy, but ultimately how would we prove the truth?
- Why are we here?
- We can never see the first cell or the first human.
- Where are we going?
- There are no regular visitors from the afterlife.
Young man, your words are vain and worldly. They are as sounding brass and tinkling cymbals, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing
“Complete knowledge of God or me is not possible without a special revelation from the information giver.”
Solomon Kane
A Blue Flame of Vengence. Multi-faceted Blogger
Without special revelation from God, without his self-definition of not only who He is, but what is his purpose for creation, we are without hope for the inevitable death that will overtake each one of us.
We try to push the thought and consideration from our minds hoping that we will somehow continue eternally or be reincarnated, developing stories and theories about some afterlife or cosmic merger that will bring nirvana, but still without knowledge.
Vanity, Vanity. It is all vanity.
Soloman
Ecclesiastes 1
Where is our wisdom, where is our knowledge?
This longing, this hunger is an attempt for us to search for truth, search for the creator, search for God, search for Jehovah, the personal creator God who loves us so much that he revealed that he would send an anointed one, a messiah, Immanuel, God with us so that we would know who he is, that he would reveal himself, that he loves each and every human being.
Why does God reveal himself?
God does not want us to speculate and guess who he is. He wants us to know with certainty.
Without him, For now, we see in a mirror dimly but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
1 cor 12:13
When you search for God, He rewards that inquiry. God reveals himself to those who cry out to him. Open the door of your heart, search, plead.
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 1 thess 4:13-14
This is the gospel. This is the good news. That God has visited humankind, spoke to us, loved us, died for us, took our afflictions and sins, rose from the dead, leading the way into eternal life.
A life of peace, love, and knowledge.
Without God’s definition of himself, without God telling us who he is, in his special revelation, humans could not have created this plan, understood this plan, nor knew this plan of redemption from the general revelation of the stars and earth. All we would know is eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.
Special revelation tells us …
Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?”
The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul (Saul) of Tarsus
1 cor 15:51-57
That is the special revelation of the creator of the universe, a God who reveals that he loves us enough to die for our rebellious nature.
Why must God reveal who he is?
Without him, we are lost in the woods, hearing voices and whispers, people frantically shouting and running, all trying to guide us out of darkness into safety. What are you seeking? Knowledge? Life after death? Peace? Love? Forgiveness?
These things can come through limited human guesses and theories or from the promises of the Eternal God, who stepped out of time into the forest as another human to guide you home.
All he asks is, “Follow me.” Your choice.
What to Read next
- How would you prove you are God?
- How do we know God is true?
- How can we trust the bible as the word of God?
What Next?
- What is the crucial concept?
- Why is that significant?
- If you agree, the next steps.
- If you disagree, please consider reading.