In this series on the Lord’s church, we have seen that first-century Christians did not have the luxury of having the completed New Testament in written form, at least not during most of the century.  They survived without it because many possessed the miraculous measure of the Holy Spirit, which they received by the laying on of an apostle’s hand (Acts 8:18-19; 19:6).

Eventually, the written word was completed.  The critical point I want to emphasize in this blog tonight is that once the word of God was completely revealed, special revelation ceased.  There is no such thing as a latter-day revelation. The Bible is the way God reveals His will to us today.

God reveals Himself to us in two ways—general revelation and special revelation.  General revelation comes from God speaking to man through nature, that is, by the things that He has created.

Psalm 19:1–3 (NKJV)
¹ The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. ² Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. ³ There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard.

We should appreciate God’s general revelation.  It reveals to us the greatness, power, and majesty of our God.  The universe is so massive that it is hard to comprehend its size and capacity, and God spoke it into existence in one day (Genesis 1:1-2:3; Psalms 33:6).  But as great as God’s creation is, it does not teach us the will of God, nor anything about His character.  That is left to special revelation.

Through the word of God, we learn about the love, kindness, mercy, and long-suffering of God.  But even more important is the fact that by the Bible, the inspired word of God, He communicates His will to us.  We know how He wants us to worship only because of what is written in His word.  We know the work that He wants us to do only because He has revealed it to us in the bible.  We know God’s scheme of redemption and plan of salvation only because of what is written.

God does not have to continue to reveal these things to us.  We have everything we need to know about God’s will, and how to obey it and be saved.  Peter said that God has given to us “all things that pertain to life and godliness…” (2 Peter 1:3).  What more do we need?  The faith has been once delivered (Jude 1:3).  W.E. Vines tells us what the Greek word for “once” means:

Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words
(b) “once for all,” of what is of perpetual validity, not requiring repetition, Heb. 6:4; 9:28; 10:2; 1 Pet. 3:18; Jude 3. 

Why is it so critical to understand that revelation is complete?  It is because there are many false teachers today claiming that God is speaking through them.  They are liars.  If any preacher tells you that God has given him a special message for you apart from the Bible, challenge him to prove it.  Ask him for a miracle.  That is how God confirmed the word when it was being delivered in New Testament times.

If you want to know God’s will, read the Bible.  That’s the only place to find special revelation.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.