The Need For Special Revelation

It is very important to understand Paul's letter to the Romans in order to understand God's plan of salvation for mankind.

Romans chapter 1

Romans chapter 2

Mankind lives in a state of constant sin when left to his own desires. All of mankind is included here and there is no exception except for Jesus. Natural Revelation (looking only at nature) is not sufficient for mankind to find God due to our being blinded by our own sin, but it is enough evidence of God's power to condemn all men for not seeking God on our own.

Since all of mankind has fallen seriously into sin and continues to live there, God says that man needs extra revelation in order to be redeemed. This is why the word of God was given. It is something completely unique and comes from outside of creation and springs from God's true nature of love.

This Special Revelation introduces God's perspective and power into man's situation. Now man has hope from God for reconciling the relationship.

It is extremely important to understand that salvation is entirely from God. We were lost and rightly condemned for not seeking God on our own simply from Natural Revelation. God sending Scripture into the world to reach us shows that he is now seeking us. We are not seeking him.

The Law was introduced and Romans explains this very complicated issue well. The Law shows us even more obviously to be sinners and shows us that we cannot please God on our own. Grace is introduced to illustrate again that salvation is from God and not from us.

Jesus himself is the ultimate Savior for us. He did everything for us on the cross when he died to carry our sins and we receive his righteousness in place of our sins.

Romans chapter 3

Eternal Words

Everything dies and decays in this world. Change is the only constant. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is the person called the Word of God and the Holy Scriptures are the written Word of God. They are both eternal.

Nothing else in this world measures up. Many people in the world have put their complete faith in this word. Many have tested these words and found them to be true in a way that other truths are not. They are eternally true. "Heaven and earth may pass away, but my words will not pass away" said Jesus.

Man is of such a temporary nature that he is compared to grass, a seasonal form.

We have so little power. We are made of dust and return to dust in a matter of seventy or eighty years. Did you know your grandparents? Did you know your ancestors going back six generations? Do you know where they lived? Do you know anything about your ancestors from a thousand years ago? Two thousand years ago? Three thousand years ago?

You get the picture.

This is why modern man has so much trouble realizing his place in the universe. He is here so briefly and changes so little of what is going on.