The Connectedness of Evangelism and Revelation

This post, by no means claiming to be exhaustive, suggests three reasons why evangelism and the topic of revelation are necessarily connected: (1) because of the nature of the person of Jesus Christ, (2) because of the nature of the Gospel, and (3) because of the nature of communicating the gospel.  Providing a framework for discussion, this essay also highlights critical components at work in the concept of “Revelation” as specifically pertains to evangelism.

The term revelation refers to that which is revealed concerning the person of God.  God is both the subject and the object of the act of revealing (reflexive action). That is, at work in the concept of revelation is God who both reveals and is revealed.  It is  also typically pointed out that there are two types of revelation: (1) general (or “natural”) revelation and (2) special revelation.  Of central interest to this essay is special revelation as pertains to evangelism.  Special revelation reveals specific and intimately personal information concerning God (in contrast with revealing simply general information about God). It’s also important to note that special revelation is necessary for salvation (if it weren’t the Cross event would not be necessary for salvation). While there is an extensive list of examples of special revelation (The Bible, prayer, sermons, etc.), the purest form of special revelation is the person of Jesus Christ. That is, the person of Jesus Christ provides creation with the clearest image of Who God Is.

From this point forward, the necessity of an inter-relatedness between revelation (namely special revelation) and evangelism emerges. While the person of Jesus Christ is at the center of special revelation, he is also at the center of the Gospel. Evangelism and the topic of revelation are necessarily connected because it is a specific Person who holds them both together. Jesus, who is the Good News, is also the central agent in revealing Who God Is. One cannot speak of revelation without mentioning Jesus, and one cannot speak of the Gospel without mentioning Jesus.  Jesus is the central figure at work in both concepts.

From here, it can be noted that evangelism and revelation are necessarily intertwined also because of the nature of the Gospel itself. That is, the Gospel itself is from God alone.  The Gospel originates with the Divine, not with the created. In sharing the Gospel we share the thoughts of God, not of men. Naturally then, revelation is the foundational under-pinning of evangelism in the sense that evangelism is only made possible because it has been divinely revealed. Obviously, ambassadors of Christ are unable to communicate the message of the Gospel without the divinely revealed content of the message.

Finally, evangelism and the topic of revelation are necessarily connected because of the nature of communicating the gospel. That is, while an ambassador of Christ shares the gospel, he or she is perpetuating the act of special revelation initiated by the the Trinity in revealing the truth of the Gospel and the character of God through sharing the persons and events central to the gospel message. The act of sharing the Gospel is in and of itself a form of special revelation.  The revealing/communicating of the divine reality contained in the Gospel message is equal to special revelation. To share specific information about the salvific acts of God in history by definition is revelation. In sharing the story of the person of Jesus and his ministry activity as pertains the salvation, evangelist are much like the Bible writers who inspired by the Holy Spirit reveal both God’s character and his work in history.