HOW DOES GOD REVEAL HIMSELF? by Mike Brummel for Core Christianity
I grew up about 15 minutes from the ocean and I recall many times I was dazzled and overwhelmed by the vastness of the ocean. In vain I attempted to peer to the other side of the sea and was instead reminded not only how small I am, but also how great God must be.
The natural world has a way of grabbing our attention, reminding us that life is made up of more than work, grocery lists, and our busy schedules. This is because this world has been created by a God who, from the beginning, has been pleased to reveal himself in and through his mighty works. When we consider God’s self-disclosure in creation, we’re talking about what is typically called “general revelation.”
The External World Reveals God
The Psalmist helps us to understand nature’s message when he writes, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge” (Ps. 19:1–2). In other words, nature is not mute. The sun in its radiance, nourishing plant life; the moon with its cooling and calming presence; the wonder-evoking starry skies above—all of these things, in one way or another, “pours out speech,” or “reveals knowledge.” So, what does nature reveal? Well, it reveals God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth.
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Every beautiful sunset, every blade of grass, every fruitful season, every living creature—including human beings—are sign-posts of sorts, pointing back to the goodness, power, and wisdom of God.
And if the earth is full of breathtaking beauty, consider how beautiful and glorious God himself must be! He is, after all, the source and chief architect of the universe in all of its manifold wonder. The things that have been made, that are visible, have a marvelous way of unveiling certain qualities of the eternal and invisible God (Rom. 1:20).
Our Inner World Reveals God
But it’s not just the external world that displays the power and wisdom of God. Our inner world—our capacities as image bearers—also testify to the same (Gen. 1:26–27; Ps. 139:14). The apostle Paul helps us understand part of what that looks like when he says, “For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them” (Rom. 2:14–15).
