How does God reveal Himself to us?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

God reveals Himself to us in many ways, each of these ways shedding light on His nature. His Word serves as our primary source of understanding, revealing His words, character, and purposes including His plan of salvation for all of humanity. Jesus Christ, as God incarnate, made the Father known through His life and actions. The Holy Spirit teaches and reminds us of the truth, helping us understand His nature and purposes more deeply. God also communicates through creation, which displays His glory and power, making His existence and attributes evident in a tangible way. Other people can also reflect God's character through their actions, particularly when influenced by the Holy Spirit. God reveals Himself in many ways, and we are all called and held responsible to respond to how He reveals Himself to us.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• God's Word is a primary way He reveals Himself to us (Psalm 119:105). Within His Word, we see examples of every other way He reveals Himself to us. God's Word shows us who He is (Exodus 34:6–7), what He has done (Psalm 103:2–5), how He calls us to live (Deuteronomy 6:6–7), and what His purposes are (Isaiah 55:11).
• God’s character never changes, so the wisdom and revelation we gain from the Word is never going to diminish in value or importance: "The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations" (Psalm 33:11). God's Word is always relevant. It is "firmly fixed in the heavens" (Psalm 119:89).
• The beauty of the nature God has created and the order by which He created the universe is a way by which He reveals Himself to us: "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork" (Psalm 19:1).
• God calls us to respond to His revelations throughout the Bible. In Isaiah 55:6–7, we are urged to seek the Lord and turn to Him with repentance.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• God promises in the New Testament as well that those who seek Him will find Him (Matthew 7:7–11).
• The New Testament confirms that God reveals Himself through His Word (Hebrews 1:1; 1 Peter 1:10–12; 2 Peter 1:20–21). Matthew 4:4 quotes from Deuteronomy 8:3 in saying that we live not only on physical nutrition “but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” John 5:39 indicates that Scripture reveals God. Jesus told the religious leaders, "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me."
• Second Timothy 3:16–17 confirms that Scripture is breathed by God and is profitable for things that lead to our equipping and completion.
• Jesus is God incarnate, who came to reveal God to humanity and to fulfill God’s purposes for salvation: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). No one has seen God the Father, but Jesus makes God the Father known to us (John 1:18). Hebrews 1:3 says of Jesus: "He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature." When we look at the life of Jesus, we see God being revealed through every action.
• The Holy Spirit teaches us and helps us to understand the Word and put its principles into practice, and thereby He reveals to us the nature and character of God to a much deeper degree than we could understand on our own: "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you" (John 14:26).
• The Holy Spirit indwells all who have put their faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:13–14). His presence in our lives helps us better see God and know Him.
• God places understanding of Him within our hearts. We see evidence of this in the fact that we have a human conscience, even before we are saved (Romans 2:14–15). Even so, God desires that we seek Him: "His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us" (Acts 17:27, NLT).
• Romans 1:19–20 says that God's creation alone is evidence of Him: "For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse."
• When other people show us care and treat us with the qualities of the fruit of the Spirit, we see God's character being revealed to us through them (Galatians 5:22–23). First John 4:7–12 links our love for one another to God’s love for us. It says, in part, “No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us” (cf. John 13:34–35; 17:20–23).
• God calls us to respond to what He reveals of Himself in the New Testament as well. James 1:22 reminds us to be doers of the Word, not just hearers. Romans 12:1–2 calls us to live transformed lives as a response to God’s mercy. Hebrews 3:7–8 warns us not to harden our hearts when we hear His voice.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

We are better able to recognize God’s character being revealed through others when we already have a solid foundation of knowing Him through His Word and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Scripture shapes our understanding of who God is, and the Holy Spirit deepens that understanding, guiding us to discern His presence and actions around us. When someone demonstrates genuine kindness, patience, or peace, especially in difficult circumstances, these are reflections of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23) and facets of God’s character. These moments become more evident to us when we have immersed ourselves in the truths of God’s Word and allowed the Holy Spirit to mold our hearts and minds.

God is always revealing Himself in various ways, whether through creation, people, or circumstances. The question is if we are paying attention and turning to Him. As we diligently seek Him in prayer, study His Word, and remain sensitive to the Spirit’s leading, our spiritual senses are sharpened. This growing awareness enables us to recognize His hand in the small and significant moments of life, seeing His love, wisdom, and power at work. The more we engage with God’s Word and the Spirit’s teaching, the more attuned we become to His presence, making it easier to identify and respond to His revelations in our daily lives.

UNDERSTAND

• God's Word is the primary way He reveals Himself, showing us His character, actions, and purposes, and pointing us to Jesus Christ, who made the Father known.
• The natural world reflects God's glory and power, making His existence and attributes evident to all people.
• God wants to be known and calls us to respond to what He reveals of Himself.

REFLECT

• How have you experienced God revealing Himself to you in your daily life, whether through His Word, creation, or circumstances?
• How can you be attentive and responsive to God’s revelations in your life?
• How has your understanding of God deepened through the ways He has revealed Himself to you recently?

ENGAGE

• God reveals Himself to everyone through creation. One thing that God reveals to us in His creation is a sense of our own smallness and His greatness. If you have ever gone on a hike in the mountains, surrounded by giant trees and met with expansive views; if you have stared up at a starry night sky; if you have looked out at a sea of blue water and watched the waves come crashing into shore; you have likely become aware of your own smallness and the miracle that it is that God cares about you. Psalm 8:3–5 expresses this sense of awe:
• "When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
• the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
• what is man that you are mindful of him,
• and the son of man that you care for him?
• Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
• and crowned him with glory and honor."
• How does the way God reveals Himself through His Word compare to the way He reveals Himself through creation?
• How can we encourage others to be more aware of and responsive to the ways God reveals Himself?