The Paradox of God's Revelation and Hiding in Scripture
The Paradox of God's Revelation and Hiding in Scripture
The concept of God's revelation and hiding is a paradoxical theme present throughout Scripture. On one hand, God desires to reveal Himself and His purposes to humanity; on the other, there are aspects of God's nature and plans that remain concealed. This tension is evident in various biblical passages.
The book of Proverbs states, "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing; but it is the glory of kings to search out a matter" [2]. This proverb highlights the contrast between God's desire to hide certain things and humanity's drive to uncover them. According to Keil & Delitzsch, this verse suggests that God's glory is associated with concealing mysteries, which in turn prompts humans to acknowledge the limitations of their knowledge [9].
In the New Testament, the apostle Paul writes about the mystery of God's plan, which was "hidden from ages and generations" but is now revealed through the Gospel [3]. This mystery refers to the inclusion of Gentiles in the Christian Church, a truth previously unknown but now made manifest [4]. John Gill notes that this mystery is not just a secret but a complex of truths that, although revealed, remain mysterious to those without spiritual understanding [5].
The paradox of God's revelation and hiding is further complicated by the role of human agency. According to Calvin, the truth of God is maintained through the pure preaching of the Gospel, which is not dependent on human faculties or understandings but on the Word of God itself [8]. This underscores the idea that God's revelation is not solely a human discovery but a divine act.
The biblical concept of "mystery" (μυστήριον, mysterion) is central to understanding this paradox. In the New Testament, mystery refers to a truth or plan that was previously hidden but is now revealed through Christ [4]. The Gospel is considered a mystery because it contains truths that are not accessible to human reason alone but require divine revelation [7].
Different Christian traditions have grappled with this paradox. For instance, the Reformed tradition, as represented by John Gill, emphasizes the role of divine revelation in understanding the mystery of God's plan [5, 6]. In contrast, the Lutheran tradition, as seen in Keil & Delitzsch's commentary on Proverbs, highlights the glory of God in concealing things, which prompts human inquiry and acknowledgment of God's sovereignty [9].
The tension between God's revelation and hiding is not a contradiction but a nuanced aspect of God's interaction with humanity. As Easton's Bible Dictionary notes, revelation involves the uncovering of previously hidden truths, which are then committed to writing under the guidance of the Holy Spirit [1]. This process acknowledges both the divine initiative in revelation and the human role in recording and interpreting that revelation.
Ultimately, the paradox of God's revelation and hiding in Scripture invites believers to trust in God's sovereignty and wisdom, even when they do not fully comprehend His ways. As the biblical narrative unfolds, it becomes clear that God's revelation is not a static event but a dynamic process that continues to unfold throughout history.
The interplay between concealment and revelation is a recurring theme in Scripture, reflecting the complex nature of God's relationship with humanity. By embracing this paradox, Christians can deepen their understanding of God's character and purposes, even as they acknowledge the limitations of their own knowledge.
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”
- Proverbs “Proverbs 25:2 (LEB) — The glory of God conceals things, but the glory of kings searches out things.”
- Colossians “Colossians 1:26 (NASB) — that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints,”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Mystery — The calling of the Gentiles into the Christian Church, so designated (Eph. 1:9, 10; 3:8-11; Col. 1:25-27); a truth undiscoverable except by revelation, long hid, now made manifest. The resurrection of the dead (1 Cor. 15:51), and other doctrines which need to be explained but which cannot be fully understood by finite intelligence (Matt. 13:11; Rom. 11:25; 1 Cor. 13:2); the union between Christ and his people symbolized by the marriage union (Eph. 5:31, 32; comp. 6:19); the seven stars and the seven candlesticks (Rev. 1:20); and the woman clothed in scarlet”
- Colossians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Colossians 1:26: Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and generations,.... This is said, as explanative of the word of God; signifying that he did not mean the Scriptures in general, which are the word of God, and every part of them; some part of which is historical, another prophetical, another practical, and another doctrinal; nor the law, which also is the word of God, but the Gospel, called "the mystery", as it often is; because it contains things, which, though revealed, are mysteries to a natural man; and even to enlightened persons, who have the clearest view of t”
- Ephesians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Ephesians 3:9: And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery,.... Or "the dispensation of the mystery" as the Complutensian, and several copies, and the Vulgate Latin and Syriac versions, read. The mystery is the Gospel; the fellowship of it is the communication of grace by it, a participation of the truths and doctrines of it, communion with Father, Son, and Spirit, which the Gospel calls and leads unto, and that equal concern and interest which both Jews and Gentiles have in the privileges of it. Now men are naturally in the dark about these things, and the minis”
- 1 Corinthians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 1 Corinthians 2:6: But we speak the wisdom of God,.... Not of men, not of the wise politicians, the learned philosophers and Rabbins; that which human wisdom has no hand in forming, nor in revealing, nor in propagating, and which is disliked and disapproved of by it: the Gospel is the sole produce of divine wisdom, and in which there is a glorious display of it; even in those doctrines which are the most charged with folly, as salvation by a crucified Christ, justification by his righteousness, pardon by his blood, satisfaction by his sacrifice, &c. in a mystery; it is mysteriou”
- CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on 1-2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, section 15.4: be a Church; now there is nothing of all this in Popery, but only ruin and desolation; and, therefore, the true mark of a Church is not found in it. But the mistake arises from this, that they do not consider, what was of the greatest importance, that the truth of God is maintained by the pure preaching of the gospel; and that the support of it does not depend on the faculties or understandings of men, but rests on what is far higher, that is, if it does not depart from the simple word of God. 16 Great is the mystery of godlines”
- Proverbs (Lutheran) “Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 25:2: It is characteristic of the purpose of the book that it begins with proverbs of the king: It is the glory of God to conceal a thing; And the glory of the king to search out a matter. That which is the glory of God and the glory of the king in itself, and that by which they acquire glory, stand here contrasted. The glory of God consists in this, to conceal a matter, i.e., to place before men mystery upon mystery, in which they become conscious of the limitation and insufficiency of their knowledge, so that they are constrained to acknowledge, Deu 29:28, that "”