Revelation

Definition and Meaning

The Korean term for revelation, gyesi (啓示), means "to open and show." It translates the Greek word apokalypsis, which denotes the uncovering of what is hidden. The title of the Book of Revelation also derives from this word. Protestant theology commonly divides revelation into two kinds.

• General revelation: revelation made known to all people through nature, history, and the human conscience.
• Special revelation: revelation that imparts the knowledge necessary for salvation. Jesus Christ and the Bible belong to this category.

Biblical and Historical Background

Psalm 19 celebrates revelation through the heavens and nature in verses 1–6 and revelation through the law in verses 7–11. Romans 1:18–25 states that because God can be known through the things he has made, people are without excuse. Hebrews 1:1–2 records that God, who in time past spoke through the prophets, has in these last days spoken through his Son.

The Reformation, championing sola Scriptura ("Scripture alone"), made Scripture the final authority of revelation. Chapter 1 of the Westminster Confession of Faith holds that general revelation alone cannot bring a person to salvation and confesses that the former ways in which God revealed his will have now ceased. In the twentieth century, Karl Barth understood revelation above all as an event of God taking place in Jesus Christ. He strongly opposed natural theology, the view that God can be known through nature.

Practice in Korean Churches

• Presbyterian churches: Denominations that follow the Westminster Confession of Faith teach that special revelation was completed with the writing of Scripture. They caution against claims of so-called "direct revelation" (jiktong gyesi), that is, receiving God's will directly apart from Scripture.
• Methodist and Holiness churches: Following the tradition of Wesleyan theology, these churches tend to hold Scripture as the primary authority while also taking tradition, reason, and the experience of faith into account.
• Pentecostal and Charismatic churches: Churches in the Pentecostal and Charismatic traditions hold that gifts of the Holy Spirit such as prophecy and visions continue today. They explain, however, that such gifts are not new revelation carrying the same authority as Scripture but must be discerned in the light of Scripture. This difference underlies the debate over cessationism and continuationism.

In the Korean church's designation of heresies, claims to have received new revelation outside Scripture, or claims that only a particular individual knows the hidden meaning of Scripture, have frequently been cited as key criteria. Although the expression "I received a revelation while praying" is sometimes heard in congregational settings, many denominations teach their members to describe such experiences instead as personal insight or divine guidance.