GENERAL REVELATION OF GOD FOUND IN NATURE, HISTORY AND HUMANITY: PART I.

I agree with Millard J. Erickson’s view that the general revelation of God has been found in three areas: nature, history and humanity.1 As for the nature area, God reveals Himself through His creation and its vast variety: what man can see with his eyes, as for example the blue sky with its majestic paintings while sunsets and sunrises are taking place; the stars and moon at nighttime; the flora variety: such as flowers with all its variety of different shapes and colors; the variety of trees bearing all sorts of fruits; the green grass and different plants some bearing various vegetables; the fauna variety, with the different species of beasts, birds, fish and even insects, with its different sizes and colors; and of course His culminating creation the human. All this is visible to the human eye and with his reasoning mind he should give credit to a Majestic Creator, as it says in the following Scripture: “For His invisible attributes, namely His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” Romans 1:20.

History is another way that God reveals Himself. Millard J. Erickson says: “If God is at work in the world and is moving toward certain goals, it should be possible to detect the trend of His work in events that occur as part of history.” 2 Looking throughout history, a person can see how the nations have moved with its leaders: to the perceptive eye, he can only say that certain trends can only have taken place at the direction of a higher power, Someone who is a great Designer and King! And they can only come to the conclusion that He is God! Specially in the 20th century great changes took place that can only be attributed to God: the industrial revolution, the invention of cars, planes, T.V.’s, radios, the cell phones, computers with internet. People can say that it has been the reasoning mind of man which has brought this new technological advances but then that’s where the concept comes that it was God who created humans with its ‘physical structure and mental capacities’ .3 He is the One, who through the Holy Spirit, bestows the gift of knowledge to enlighten his mental capacities. To the unbelievers, these are signs and wonders, in order that they might worship the God of the Bible! He is even shown in the U.S. dollar bill in that is says ‘In God we trust’. So this should bring the unbelieving person, one day, to a personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. To the believers these historical trends should show them the wonder of God and how much He loves them. In contemporary times, as they are called to ‘watch and pray’(Matthew 26:41) they should perceive His trends now as well as those of the past in order to take advantage of the opportunities God is giving in order to evangelize the nations noting those that are open and those that are closed to the gospel!

WATCH AND PRAY
“Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.
The spirit indeed is willing,
But the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41

NOTES
1Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology,(Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006),177.
2 Ibid.,179.
3 Ibid.,180.

LOBIKO NA NZELA YA YESU KRISTO!

Lokola lisolo ya boklisto ezalaki kokola, nkombo ‘Yesu’ eyebanaki lokola ‘Yahwe azali Lobiko’. Uta na makanisi ya Kondimana ya Kala ya Nkolo, Mosikoli, Mobikisi, Nzambe, bandimbola oyo epesamaki na Yesu mpe lolenge nini baklisto bandimaki Ye. 1 Ya solo, sima, tomoni sikawa Yesu lokola Mobikisi mpe Mosikoli uta na masumu mpe molili ya molimo, oyo asopaki makila na ekulusu mpo na kofuta masumu na biso, soki tondimi! Mpe ete Ye azali nzela se moko epai ya Nzambe! Bongo Ye azali Mobikisi na biso!

Tosengeli sikawa kozala na likambo ya kobotama lisusu mpo na kozala na boyokani na Ye! Na Yoane 3:3,16 elobi boye: “ ‘Yesu ayanolaki mpe alobaki na ye ete, ‘na ntembe te, nalobi na yo, soki moto abotami lisusu te, akoki komona bokonzi ya Nzambe te’….’Mpo ete Nzambe alingaki mokili mingi na boye ete apesaki Mwana na ye se moko, ete moto nyonso oyo akondimela Ye akufa te kasi azala na bomoi ya seko.’ “ Lisusu na Yoane 11: 25-26 yango alobi boye: “ Yesu alobaki na ye ete: ‘NGAI NGAI lisekwa mpe bomoi. Moto oyo andimi Ngai, ata akoki kokufa, akozala na bomoi. Mpe moto nyonso oyo azali na bomoi mpe akondimela Ngai akokufa soko moke te.

Na yango tosengeli kondima mpe koyambola uta na masumu na biso mpo na kozala sikawa na boyokani na Nzambe oyo eyaka kaka na nzela ya likambo ya kobotama lisusu elongo na Yesu Mobikisi mpe Nkolo na biso! “Ebandeli ya bomoi ya moklisto esengaka koyeba masumu ya moto ye moko mpe mokano ya kotika lolenge ya bomoi ya komibanzabanza mpo na ye moko.”2

BILOKO YA KOSALELA

1Sinclair B. Ferguson, David F. Wright mpe J.I., oyo bazalaki na bomoi na ntango ya kala. Packer, babongisi, Diksionɛrɛ ya sika ya teoloji, (Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 1988), 610.
2Millard J. Erickson, Teoloji ya boklisto,(Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006),959.

LOBA LOSAMBO OYO ALANDA PO OKOMA KOBOTA-LISUSU:
“Yesu Nandimi Okufaki na ekulusu, .
kosopa makila na Yo mpo na bolimbisi ya masumu na ngai ;
Mpe asekwaki lisusu na mokolo ya misato!
Nayebi ete nazali mosumuki. Nasengi yo limbisa ngai masumu na ngai;
Svp boya na motema na ngai!
Yaka mpe zala Mobikisi na ngai mpe Nkolo ya bomoi na ngai!
Matɔndi na Yo Yesu”