Human Experience as Divine Revelation in Scripture

The concept of human experience as divine revelation is rooted in the biblical understanding that God communicates with humanity through various means, including dreams, visions, and the incarnation of Jesus Christ. The Scripture declares that God's influence extends to humanity's sleeping and waking thoughts, making human experience a potential vehicle for divine revelation ^[2].

In the biblical narrative, human experiences such as those of the prophets and Jesus Christ himself serve as a means of divine revelation. The prophets received divine communications through the agency of the Spirit of God, with the means of communication including direct declaration, visions, and dreams ^[5]. Jesus Christ, as the second Adam and the second Israel, underwent temptation and experienced human infirmities, making him able to sympathize with human temptations ^{[7, 3]}.

The biblical account also highlights the role of human experience in understanding divine revelation. The book of Revelation, for instance, is a revelation of Jesus Christ given to him by God to show to his servants the things that must happen soon ^[4]. The Revelation is characterized as an uncovering or bringing to light of that which had been previously hidden, with the Scriptures being the revelation itself in written form ^[1].

The relationship between human experience and divine revelation is further nuanced by the understanding that human experiences can be both a means of divine communication and a reflection of humanity's fallen nature. The biblical account acknowledges that human experiences can be influenced by various factors, including sin and the divine Spirit. As such, the discernment of divine revelation within human experience requires a nuanced understanding of the complex interplay between the human and divine ^[6].

The Protestant academic tradition interprets the role of human experience in divine revelation through the lens of Christology and pneumatology. Jesus Christ's human experience, including his temptation and suffering, serves as a paradigm for understanding the human condition and the nature of divine revelation ^[7]. The Spirit's role in inspiring human authors of Scripture and guiding believers in their understanding of divine revelation is also seen as crucial ^[6].

In the Reformed tradition, the relationship between human experience and divine revelation is understood within the context of the believer's union with Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit. The believer's experience is seen as being shaped by their relationship with God, with the Spirit providing insight into the meaning and significance of their experiences ^[9].

The understanding of human experience as divine revelation is not limited to individual experiences but is also seen in the context of communal and corporate experiences. The biblical account highlights the role of the community of believers in discerning and interpreting divine revelation, with the church being seen as a body that is guided by the Spirit ^[8].

The various traditions represented in the sources converge on the understanding that human experience can be a means of divine revelation, but they also highlight the need for discernment and interpretation in understanding the nature and significance of such experiences. As the biblical account and the Protestant academic tradition demonstrate, human experience is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that can be both a source of divine revelation and a reflection of humanity's fallen nature ^{[1, 6]}.

The biblical understanding of human experience as divine revelation is thus characterized by a nuanced and contextualized approach, recognizing both the potential for divine communication through human experience and the need for careful discernment and interpretation. This understanding is reflected in the various traditions represented in the sources, which highlight the importance of Christology, pneumatology, and communal discernment in understanding the role of human experience in divine revelation ^{[7, 6, 8]}.

Sources

Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Revelation — An uncovering, a bringing to light of that which had been previously wholly hidden or only obscurely seen. God has been pleased in various ways and at different times (Heb. 1:1) to make a supernatural revelation of himself and his purposes and plans, which, under the guidance of his Spirit, has been committed to writing. (See WORD OF [532]GOD.) The Scriptures are not merely the "record" of revelation; they are the revelation itself in a written form, in order to the accurate presevation and propagation of the truth. Revelation and inspiration differ. Rev”
Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Dreams — The Scripture declares that the influence of the Spirit of God upon the soul extends to its sleeping as well as its waking thoughts. But, in accordance with the principle enunciated by St. Paul in (1 Corinthians 14:15) dreams, in which the understanding is asleep, are placed below the visions of prophecy, in which the understanding plays its part. Under the Christian dispensation, while we read frequently of trances and vision, dreams are never referred to as vehicles of divine revelation. In exact accordance with this principle are the actual records of the ”
Hebrews “For we don’t have a high priest who can’t be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but one who has been in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin. -- Hebrews 4:15”
Revelation “This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things which must happen soon, which he sent and made known by his angel to his servant, John, -- Revelation 1:1”
Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: How The Prophetic Gift Was Received — --We learn from Holy Scripture that it was by the agency of the Spirit of God that the prophets received the divine communication; but the means by which the divine Spirit communicated with the human spirit, and the conditions of the latter under which the divine communications were received, have not been clearly declared to us. They are however, indicated. In (Numbers 12:6-8) we have an exhaustive division of the different ways in which the revelations of God are made to man. + Direct declaration and manifestation: "I will speak”
1 Corinthians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 Corinthians 2:10: revealed . . . by . . . Spirit--The inspiration of thoughts (so far as truth essential to salvation is concerned) makes the Christian (Co1 3:16; Co1 12:3; Mat 16:17; Joh 16:13; Jo1 2:20, Jo1 2:27); that of words, the PROPHET (Sa2 23:1-2; Kg1 13:1, Kg1 13:5), "by the word of the Lord" (Co1 2:13; Joh 20:30-31; Pe2 1:21). The secrets of revelation are secret to some, not because those who know them will not reveal them (for indeed, the very notion of revelation implies an unveiling of what had been veiled), but because those to whom they are announ”
Matthew (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Matthew 4:1: 4:1-11 Parallels between Adam and Jesus are obvious in this account of Jesus’ temptation. Jesus is the second Adam (see Rom 5:12-19) and the second Israel (Matt 2:15). In contrast to the ancient Israelites, he fulfilled Israel’s history by successfully wandering through the desert without sinning. He proved himself the obedient Son of God by defeating Satan in spiritual combat. And because he underwent temptation himself as a human, Jesus is able to sympathize with the temptations we face (see Heb 2:14-18; 4:15) and help us overcome them as he did (1 Cor 10:13). 4”
Revelation (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Revelation 21:10: 21:10 a great, high mountain: In Scripture, experiences with God frequently take place on the mountains (cp. Ezek 40:2; see also Exod 3:1; 19:10-25; Deut 34:1-4; 1 Kgs 18:20-40; 19:8-18; Matt 5:1; 15:29; 17:1; 24:3; 28:16). • the holy city . . . descending out of heaven from God: God’s presence and eternal life cannot be reached by human effort but are received as a gift (Eph 2:8-9; cp. 2 Cor 5:1).”
1 Corinthians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 Corinthians 14:25: And thus--omitted in the oldest manuscripts and versions. secrets of his heart made manifest--He sees his own inner character opened out by the sword of the Spirit (Heb 4:12; Jam 1:23), the word of God, in the hand of him who prophesieth. Compare the same effect produced on Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 2:30 and end of Dan 2:47). No argument is stronger for the truth of religion than its manifestation of men to themselves in their true character. Hence hearers even now often think the preacher must have aimed his sermon particularly at them. and so--”

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