Doctrine Series

Non-Written Special Revelation

Prior to the completion of Scripture, God's special revelation was given through more than the written text of Scripture.

Different Types of Non-Written Revelation

Traditions - the church’s reflection and application of previous revelation.

Mark 7:3–13 ESV

(For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.) And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “ ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban” ’ (that is, given to God)— then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”

1 Corinthians 11:12

1 Corinthians 11:12 ESV

for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God.

Dreams

Genesis 20:3 ESV

But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.”

Matthew 1:20–21 ESV

But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Theophanies - Appearance of God to a person or an experienced event.

Genesis 33:11 ESV

Please accept my blessing that is brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.” Thus he urged him, and he took it.

Entire time Christ is on earth

Visions -  are revelatory experiences that manifest before the visionary God’s will, plans, and/or perspective.

Isaiah 6 “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for u…”

Revelation

Prophecy - God’s direct utterances from heaven, in inspired oral proclamation

Can unwritten forms of special revelation occur today?

No.

“For the purpose of man's redemption and His own glory, God has committed that which He had in times past revealed through theophanies, dreams, and prophets "wholly unto writing: which maketh the Holy Scripture to be most necessary; those former ways of God's revealing his will unto his people being now ceased." God's special revelation, therefore, is now found in its permanent form in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.”

Keith Mathison (commenting on The Westminster Confession of Faith)

Time to argue...

Who made the Bible?

1. All branches of the Christian church accept the Old and New Testaments as the Bible, the written Word of God.

2. All Christians believe that the Bible is the very Word of God penned (written down) by human authors.

We explore the “Canon” next week…

Now it’s your to be a theologian?

Do you believe that prophecy, visions, dreams from God happen today? Are they equal to special revelation?

What amount of authority does someone saying “God told me...” have on you listening to their advice, regardless of what Scripture says?

God told me that you should break up with your girlfriend/boyfriend

The Holy Spirit revealed to me in a dream that I should disciple you