Revelation of Jesus

Nicodemus serves as an example for many believers today. Devout, sincere, and knowing all Scripture — able to cite chapter and verse from memory — he remained bound by the old covenant of Moses. Nicodemus knew God’s Word and believed in God. He seemed to love God, but he lacked the revelation of God’s Spirit.

From observation, it seems that many believers today are born by the Spirit (John 3:6) and saved, yet still live under the weight of rules, rituals, and regulations rather than the freedom of grace. Their obedience to every rule and ritual takes precedence over living in the grace of Jesus, who fulfilled all the Law.

Peter and James serve as examples of this attitude. Though born of the Spirit and filled with the Holy Spirit, they slipped back under the Law, attempting to “fulfill all righteousness” through their own efforts (Acts 10:14; Galatians 2:11–12; James 2:10). Paul warned that if they sought justification through the Law, they would nullify the very grace of Christ working in them (Galatians 2:21).

Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus reveals a timeless truth: salvation begins with rebirth, but the abundant life Jesus promised comes by living in the Spirit.

“We speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen… and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?” (John 3:11–12)

Daily Revelation

If we are living in His Spirit, we should expect daily revelation, for the Spirit was given to guide us into all truth (John 16:13). We are, after all, walking with Jesus, who promised to be with us always (Matthew 28:20).

“The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have received… the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.” (1 Corinthians 2:8–12)

Like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, we can anticipate that our hearts will burn within us as He opens the Scriptures and reveals Himself through His Word (Luke 24:32).

If, however, we trust in our own righteousness through obedience to His commands rather than the finished work of Jesus, our understanding becomes intellectual rather than the whispered word of Jesus to our heart. In this condition, revelation is reduced to head knowledge, not heart knowledge—the very warning Paul gave the Galatians when he asked, “After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?” (Galatians 3:3; Romans 10:3).

Paul makes clear:

• The Father conceived and spoke all truth (v. 9).
• The Son embodied that truth (v. 8).
• The Spirit reveals that truth to us (v. 10–12).
  

Together they express “all that God has freely given us”—and what the Father has given is Jesus Himself: the King of kings and Lord of lords, the One through whom and for whom all things were created (1 Corinthians 2:12; Colossians 1:16; Revelation 19:16).

When we try to reduce God’s Word—or Christ Himself—to a formula, a ritual, or a method that must be followed in only one way, we are no longer walking in revelation. We are attempting to fit the infinite Son of God into the limits of our own understanding.

1. The Revelation of Jesus the Spirit Who Birthed the Law

Jesus exposed the heart of God’s Word — showing that every command is meant to transform our motives, not merely regulate our behavior.

Key Scriptures:

• (Matthew 5:21–22) — Jesus exposes anger as the root of murder.
• (Matthew 5:27–28) — He identifies lust as adultery of the heart.
• (Matthew 5:38–44) — He calls His followers to love enemies and bless persecutors.
• (Matthew 15:7–9) — He rebukes those who elevate tradition above truth.
• (Mark 2:23–28) — “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”
• (Mark 3:1–5) — Jesus heals on the Sabbath, showing mercy fulfills the law.
• (Luke 24:27, 45) — After His resurrection, He “opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.”
  

Truth Revealed:
Jesus showed that the law points to love, and that righteousness flows from a transformed heart. He turned the letter of the law into the life of the Spirit.

2. The Holy Spirit Reveals and Teaches God’s Word

After Jesus ascended, He sent the Spirit to teach, reveal, and remind us of all He said. The Holy Spirit is the divine Interpreter who unveils the Father’s heart within us.

Key Scriptures:

• (John 14:26) — “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit… will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have said to you.”
• (John 16:13–15) — “When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth… He will glorify Me because it is from Me that He will receive what He will make known to you.”
• (1 Corinthians 2:9–13) — The Spirit reveals the deep things of God that human wisdom cannot grasp.
• (Ephesians 1:17–18) — Paul prays for “the Spirit of wisdom and revelation” to open our understanding.
• (1 John 2:27) — “The anointing you received from Him teaches you about all things.”
• (2 Peter 1:20–21) — “Men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

Truth Revealed:
The Spirit does not speak independently — He reveals what the Father has given and what Jesus has made available. Through Him, we come to understand “what God has freely given us” (1 Corinthians 2:12).

3. Jesus Reveals Himself Through Revelation, Not Religion

Revelation — not ritual — is how we come to know Christ. Religious observance can inform the mind, but only revelation transforms the heart.

Key Scriptures:

• (Acts 9:3–6) — Jesus appears to Saul: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”
• (Galatians 1:11–12, 15–16) — Paul’s gospel came “not from man, but by revelation from Jesus Christ.”
• (Acts 26:15–18) — Jesus sends Paul to “open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light.”
• (2 Corinthians 12:7–9) — “My grace is sufficient for you… My power is made perfect in weakness.”
• (Revelation 1:1) — “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants…”
• (Matthew 16:16–17) — “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father in heaven.”

Truth Revealed:
Knowing Jesus comes through revelation, not rules, rituals, restrictions, or repetition. Religion teaches about Jesus; revelation leads us to an encounter with Jesus. Paul fell to the ground when he encountered Jesus in revelation. Those with Paul heard the sound. Paul heard Jesus. John, on the island of Patmos, fell as though dead when Christ revealed himself. The Son still reveals Himself to those whose hearts are open — just as He did to Paul, Peter, and the disciples on the Emmaus road.

4. The Pattern of Revelation: Word → Understanding → Transformation

Revelation is progressive. The Father gives His Word, the Spirit opens the eyes of our hearts, and Jesus appears through a Rhema word.

Key Scriptures:

• (John 6:63) “The words (rhemata) I have spoken to you—they are Spirit and they are life.”
• (Luke 5:4–6) “Master, because You say so (epi tō rhēmati sou), I will let down the nets.’”
• (Matthew 4:4) “You will live by every word (rhema) that proceeds from the mouth of God.”
• (John 15:7) “If you remain in Me and My words (rhemata) remain in you, ask whatever you wish.”
• (Luke 1:38) (Mary’s Response) “Be it unto me according to your word (rhema).”
• (John 8:47) “He who belongs to God hears what God says (ta rhēmata tou Theou).”
• (Romans 10:17) “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word (rhema) of Christ.”
• (Psalm 119:18) — “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in Your law.”
• (Proverbs 1:23) — “I will pour out my Spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.”
• (Isaiah 11:2) — The Spirit of the Lord brings wisdom, understanding, counsel, and knowledge.
• (Ezekiel 36:26–27) — God replaces hearts of stone with hearts of flesh and puts His Spirit within.
• (Jeremiah 31:33–34) — “I will write My law on their hearts.”
• (2 Timothy 3:16–17) — All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for training in righteousness.
• (Romans 12:2) — Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Updated Truth Revealed:

Revelation begins with Scripture, grows through understanding taught by the Holy Spirit, and bears fruit through action, power, signs, miracles, and transformation.

• The Holy Spirit teaches and gives understanding (John 14:26; John 16:13–14; 1 Corinthians 2:10).
• The Spirit confirms God’s Word with power (1 Corinthians 2:4; Mark 16:17–18; Acts 1:8; Hebrews 2:4).
• The Spirit transforms us into Christ’s image (2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 12:2).

The Holy Spirit doesn’t rewrite God’s Word — He writes God’s Word on our hearts so we live by His Word.
“This is the covenant I will make… I will put My laws in their minds and write them on their hearts.” (Hebrews 8:10; Jeremiah 31:33)

5. The Revelation of Jesus Through Word, Spirit, and Power

The revelation of Jesus — seen in His actions in the Gospels, the power of the Holy Spirit in Acts, and God’s Word living within us — declares: “You are made righteous through Christ; now live from His Spirit within you.”

Key Scriptures:

• (2 Corinthians 5:21) — “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
• (Galatians 5:25) — “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”
• (Philippians 2:13) — “It is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.”
• (Romans 8:10–11) — “If Christ is in you… His Spirit gives life because of righteousness.”

Through the Father’s Word, the Son’s example, and the Spirit’s power, revelation becomes relationship, and relationship becomes transformation.

Summary

From Sinai to Pentecost, from stone tablets to living hearts, God’s purpose has never changed:

• The Father gives the Word.
• The Son reveals its meaning.
• The Holy Spirit imparts its power.

Religion says, “Do this and don’t do that to be right with God.”
Revelation says, “You are made righteous through the blood of Christ — now live from His Spirit within your heart.”

Jesus brought understanding.
The Holy Spirit brings revelation.
The Father shares all that is His with us — through the Son and by the Spirit — so that His Word becomes life within us.