Progressive Revelation

The Plan of “Progressive Revelation”

The Fall and Restoration of Man

While this plan was from the beginning complete in the mind and purpose of God, its revelation to man was progressive.  We shall show you this plan in seven progressive steps.

Adam and the “Edenic  Covenant”

This Covenant that God establish with Adam was based on the act of obedience and submission to the creator.  God created Adam for his glory and for fellowship.  God enjoyed communing with Adam because He would meet and fellowship (Walk) with the pair in the “cool of the day”, probably evening (Gen. 3:8).

The  Seed and the “Covenant of Promise”

1. The first intimation we have is in Gen. 3:15, where it is predicted that the seed of the woman shall bruise the head of the serpent.  “The Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering” (Gen 4:4).  In the days of Enos, son of Seth, men apparently had a relationship with God; for we read, “Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord” (Gen 4:26).  A little later we read “Enoch walked with God” (Gen. 5:24).  And in any generation those who called on the name of the Lord was considered a “saved people” (Rom 10:13, 14).

Noah, The Ark and the “Covenant of Grace”

1. God has always had a people who were separated from those that did not worship him, God people has always been distinct with righteousness.  In the generation of Noah God had a chosen people who were called the “sons of God”, where did these people come from one may ask.  In the first step of this progressive plan you will see these people in that “The Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering” (Gen 4:4).  In the days of Enos, son of Seth, men apparently had some relations with God; for we read, “Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord” (Gen 4:26).  A little later we read “Enoch walked with God” (Gen. 5:24).  These sons of God were the same group of people that called on the name of the Lord.  ).  These were of the generation of Adam.  (Gen. 5:1-32).  They were of the seed of Seth, those who called on the name of the Lord.  (Gen. 4:25-26).  This period of time many writers call the Antediluvian Age, that is the time period right before the flood.  During this time we see where the sons of God apostatize and began to mixed with the daughter of men, a people who did not worship God, and this displeased God, “and God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5).  God vowed that He would destroy men off the face of the earth.
2. “But Noah found Grace in the eyes of the Lord (Gen. 6:8).

The Abraham and the “Covenant of Faith”

But when we come forward to the time of Abraham, we find a remarkable revelation of the plan of redemption in the special covenant that God made with the father of the Hebrew nation.  This covenant was divided into two parts. 

• The first part related to Abraham and his literal seed: that God would make of him a great nation; that his descendants should sojourn for a time in the land of Egypt, after which God would bring them into the land of Canaan and give it to them for their inheritance. 
• The second part of the covenant was of a spiritual nature; for in Abraham and his see all the families of the earth should be blessed.  (Gen. 12:1-2; 13:14-15; 15:5, 13-16; 17:1-8; 22:17, 18).

This second division of the covenant so clearly depicted Christ and his universal gospel that Jesus said, “Abraham rejoiced to see my day: he saw it, and was glad” (John 8:56).  Paul says: “The promise that he should be heir of the world, was not to Abraham or his see through the law (of Moses), but through the righteousness of faith….therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all (as it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations)” (Rom. 4:13-16).   And again: “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises of one, And to thy see, which is Christ.”  “That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” (Gal 3:16, 14).

Moses and the Law, the “Covenant of Works”

In the fulfillment of the first part of this covenant to Abraham’s seed, God gave the law of Moses, the ostensible object of which was to govern and benefit the Israelite nation, but the greatest object of which was doubtless to furnish a system of types and shadows—of sacrifices and ceremonies, offerings and oblations—pointing forward to the second division of the covenant, when the spiritual and real worship of Jehovah God should be established among all the nations of the earth.  This law, and the manner in which it was delivered, imparted a clearer revelation of God’s nature and character, as well as of his plan, and thus furnished the means of disciplining the Jews in preparation for the coming Messiah.

The Prophets, and the “Covenant of Prophecy”

The later prophets, however, were not limited to an external system of types and shadows, but the Spirit of God made known to them directly the higher standard of revelation to be brought about by Christ.  Thus Isaiah affirms that “God….will come and save you” (Isa. 35:4) and that this salvation would be effected by His vicarious suffering and death (Isaiah 53).  Daniel predicted that the Messiah would come to “to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness: (Dan. 9:24).  Joel prophesied that in the last days god would pour out his Spirit upon all flesh (Joel 2:28, 29).  Zechariah pointed to the fountain of cleansing for sin and uncleanness which should be opened in the house of David (Zech. 13:1).

Jesus, the Christ and the “Covenant of Blood”

Jesus Christ brought the highest revelation of God and taught a perfect standard of human conduct; but above all, we find in him God’s perfect remedy for sin.  He came “to save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21).  The beloved apostle says, “Ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins,” and, “Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not” (1 John 3:5,6).  Thus the perfect moral restoration of man to the original condition of holiness and purity is accomplished.  He “gave himself for us, that he might REDEEM us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Tit. 2:14).

The Need of Restoration

 Because of man’s fall into sin it is necessary for restoration.  The Restoration plan or the act of restoration implies “to restore that which was lost” Through the fall of man, we as mankind lost something and that something was the image of God.  By sin, man’s image was changed into a sinful image (nature) and God is a God whose eyes are too pure to behold evil.  (Hosea).  Therefore, this separated us from him (Isaiah 59:1, 2).  Man corrupted the very breath of life (spirit) that God breathed into his nostrils.  Did not the scriptures say “ye are gods”?  We are His very offspring Acts 17:28.  This is why God saw this need of restoration, that he might restore man back unto himself, back unto His image and fellowship.

David saw a glimpse of this restoration and expressed it like this, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside the still waters.  He restoreth my soul: Psalms 23:1-3.  In 1 Peter 1:9-12, we see where Peter spoke concerning the prophets, foretelling of this salvation plan.  Read the following scriptures.  Isaiah 57:15-19; 61:7,2; Zechariah 13:1.  We see it was God’s will to bring man back to where he fell from.  That image, likeness and fellowship.