The Necessary Revelation
In
spite of what false religion says in our day, Christ and His word
still say, "All things are
delivered unto Me of My Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the
Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son,
and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal
Him" (Matthew
11:27). No man can by searching find out God, God must reveal
Himself to us and in us. This He does to His people through the word
of the truth of the gospel and by His Holy Spirit.
He
does this, as Paul says, when it pleases Him to do so. He cannot be
hurried, and His hand cannot be stayed. Paul’s description of his
own experience is the same with all that God saves: "But
when it pleased God, Who separated me from my mother’s womb, and
called me by His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach
Him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and
blood" (Galatians
1:15-16).
Not
even the clearest preaching of the gospel alone will avail for
sinners who are dead spiritually and blind to all that is of God. But
God will bring this work to pass in all those He loved, chose and
redeemed in Christ. His sheep will hear His voice. They will be all
taught of God, and when they learn of Him, they will come to Christ.
Christ promises that the Holy Spirit whom He would send would do
this:
"Howbeit
when He, THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH, is come, He
will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but
whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you
things to come. He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine,
and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are Mine:
therefore said I, that He shall take of Mine, and shall shew it unto
you" (John
16:13-15).
It
is the command of God to His servants to "preach the Word"
and it is His command to all to "seek the LORD."
As this is done, He graciously reveals Himself to the objects of His
saving mercy. "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen,
nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things
which God hath prepared for them that love Him" (I
Corinthians 2:9-12). But there is another "but"
also: "But God hath revealed them unto us BY HIS SPIRIT..." What does He reveal to us? "Now we
have received, not the spirit of the world, but THE SPIRIT WHICH IS OF GOD; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of
God."
-Gospel report by preacher Gary Shepard
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