Tema 2. El Porqué de La Revelación
Tema 2. El Porqué de La Revelación
The titles 'Son of God' and 'Christ' are theologically significant in Revelation as they affirm Jesus's divine nature and mission. 'Son of God' underscores His unique and eternal relationship with the Father, attesting to His divinity and His role in the divine plan of salvation. The title 'Christ' or 'Messiah' signifies Him as the anointed one, fulfilling Old Testament prophecies and expectations of a savior. These titles collectively emphasize Jesus's central role in the history of salvation, not merely as a historical figure, but as the divine agent of God's redemptive purpose .
The 'history of salvation' serves as a narrative thread that connects the Old and New Testaments by chronicling God's ongoing interaction and fulfillment of His salvation plan for humanity. In the Old Testament, the history of salvation includes pivotal events like creation, the Exodus, and the establishment of Israel, which set the stage for God's revelation through Christ. The New Testament presents the culmination of this history through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, offering a complete revelation of God's purposes. Therefore, this historical continuity reflects God's consistent and unfolding plan for human redemption .
The historical aspect of Revelation is central to the Christian understanding of salvation as it demonstrates how God intervened in human history to fulfill a divine plan for salvation. This plan unfolds through key events, such as the call of Abraham and the liberation of the Israelites, showing God's ongoing commitment to His people. These events, culminating in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, reveal God's desire to guide humanity toward salvation, emphasizing that salvation history is both a series of divine interventions and a divine project initiated from eternity with its fulfillment in Christ .
God's covenant with Israel is significant in the context of divine Revelation as it establishes a foundational relationship between God and His chosen people. This covenant is not based on any need of God's but on pure benevolence and love. It is through this covenant that God reveals His commitment to humanity's salvation and sets a pattern of interaction with His people, marked by guidance, law, and mutual obligations. This covenant lays the groundwork for understanding the nature of God's Revelations and the concept of a faithful relationship with the divine, which is further developed in the New Testament .
The idea of Revelation challenges the notion of God being wholly beyond human understanding by asserting that God, while transcendent, is also deeply immanent and has chosen to make Himself knowable. Although God's essence is beyond complete human comprehension, Revelation provides a means—through words, events, and ultimately through Jesus Christ—for humans to gain true knowledge of Him. This self-disclosure of God illustrates a divine initiative to bridge the gap between the infinite and the finite, integrating the mysteries of faith with the realities of human understanding .
God's Trinitarian nature influences the conception of divine Revelation by presenting a dynamic and relational understanding of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This nature is manifest in the way God reveals Himself: as a personal God who enters history through the Incarnation and through the action of the Holy Spirit. The Trinity reflects a deeper reality of God's personal engagement with humanity, where God communicates, through the Son's incarnation and the Spirit's ongoing work, His plan for salvation and invites humanity into a communal relationship with Him .
Faith plays a crucial role as the human response to divine Revelation. It is described as a light from God that opens one's heart and mind to embrace the truth of God's presence and His actions in the world. Faith is both a gift and a human act, involving trust and acceptance of God's invitation to communion. It completes the process of Revelation by allowing individuals to partake in the divine mystery through belief. While Revelation communicates God's truth and intentions, faith is necessary to receive and act upon this divine communication .
The analogy highlights the impossibility of fully comprehending God's mystery through human intellect alone. Just as the child tried to fit the ocean into a small hole, an impossible task, Saint Augustine realized that trying to understand the divine mystery with the limited human mind is even more unreachable. This story underscores the limitations of human understanding and the need for divine Revelation to truly know God .
Divine Revelation fulfills human aspirations by responding to humanity's innate desire for truth, meaning, and ultimate happiness. It reveals God's plan to offer eternal happiness and fulfillment beyond the limitations of worldly experiences. By unveiling the divine mystery, Revelation satisfies the deepest human longings for connection with the infinite, laying a path toward a lasting relationship with God. Thus, Revelation offers not just temporary solutions, but eternal joy and fulfillment, surpassing human expectations and aspirations .
Divine adoption is significant in understanding the human relationship with God as it elevates this relationship beyond creator and creature to that of a familial bond. Through divine adoption, humans are seen as God's children, brothers of Christ, implying an intimate and personal connection with the divine. This relationship is intended to reflect God's eternal love and His purpose for human beings, emphasizing that the relationship is part of a divine project rather than a mere consequence of creation. It establishes a profound sense of identity and purpose within the divine framework .