1.1 The self-revelation of God in creation and history

1.1 The self-revelation of God in creation and history self-revelation throughout history, that is through His word addressed to human beings, that the nature and will of God can truly be perceived by man- kind. 1.1.2 God reveals Himself in the history of Israel The fact that God revealed Himself in history first becomes clear in the devel- opment of the people of Israel as attested in the Old Testament. When He revealed himself in the burning bush, God provided an histor- ical reference by pointing out that He had already revealed Himself to the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exodus 3: 6). The central event of salvation for the people of Israel is their liberation from slavery in Egypt. Here, God led His people in the form of a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire (Exodus 13: 21–22). This deliverance is mentioned again and again in the Old Testament: the prophets make reference to this great deed of God, and the Psalms sing of it. In addition to the exodus from Egypt, the promise that the people of God would be given a land of their own in Canaan and the covenant made at Mount Sinai are divine revelations of decisive importance: God Himself deter- mined the place where His people were to live and, through the Command- ments at Mount Sinai, gave Israel rules and standards by which to live. The faith of the people of Israel is based upon divine revelations in their history, which they experienced either as an expression of God’s helping care or of His punitive judgements. Psalms 105 and 106 proclaim in impressive fashion that God both shapes history and manifests Himself within it. Likewise, the events during the time of the judges and kings in Israel and Judah, the Babylonian captivity, and the return from exile, provide examples of the fact that God intervenes in history. Moreover, God revealed Himself through His prophets: “I have also spo- ken by the prophets, and have multiplied visions; I have given symbols through the witness of the prophets” (Hosea 12: 10). It is the same God who leads and instructs His people: “Yet I am the Lord your God ever since the 35 1 The revelations of God land of Egypt, and you shall know no God but Me; for there is no Saviour besides Me” (Hosea 13: 4). It is likewise through the prophets that God pro- mises the coming Messiah, the Saviour (Isaiah 9: 6; Micah 5: 2). 1.1.3 God reveals Himself in His Son God’s incarnation in Jesus Christ is the historical self-revelation of God that surpasses everything before it (John 1: 14; 1 Timothy 3: 16). The gospel ac- cording to Luke expressly places the birth of the Son of God in a historical framework: “And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria” (Luke 2: 1–2). The historicity of God’s incarnation is also underlined in the first epistle of John. There John confronts groups within the Christian community who denied that Jesus Christ had really “come in the flesh” (1 John 4: 2). John goes on to write: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life ...—that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1: 1–3). 1.1.4 God reveals Himself in the time of the church With the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem on Pentecost, God re- vealed Himself to mankind as the Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In addition to the revelations of God attested in Holy Scripture in ancient times, there are also insights of the Holy Spirit in recent times, which are im- parted to the church of Christ through the Apostle ministry. The deeper in- sights into His plan of salvation, which are provided by the Holy Spirit, serve as a reference to the unique self-revelation of God in Jesus Christ, to maintain awareness of it, and to point to Christ’s return. 36