Journal: Southeastern Theological Review
Volume: STR 16:2 (Fall 2025)
Article: God’s Revelatory Presence: A Synthesis Of God’s Revelation And Presence
Author: Nicholas Andrew Dawson

STR 16:2 (Fall 2025) p. 61

God’s Revelatory Presence: A Synthesis Of God’s Revelation And Presence

Nicholas Andrew Dawson

Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

Abstract: Scripture frequently depicts God disclosing his presence to humanity through special revelation. How such encounters are described often reflects whether emphasis is placed on divine omnipresence, the doctrine of special revelation, or the motif of relational presence. Given the diverse emphases within biblical, systematic, and philosophical theology, this study contends that a constructive synthesis—integrating insights from each discipline—offers significant advancement in the theological discourse on divine presence, omnipresence, and revelation. Further, this article proposes the category of God’s revelatory presence as the most precise designation for instances when the Triune God manifests himself. This category provides a unifying framework that honors the contributions of multiple disciplines and furnishes a more comprehensive account of the objective and subjective dimensions of encountering God. This study defines God’s revelatory presence, examines its nature and function, and shows its theological importance, while highlighting the gaps it addresses in current scholarship.

Key Words: biblical motif, God, omnipresence, presence, relational presence, revelatory presence, special revelation, synthesis

How should one best describe an encounter with God? Throughout Scripture, the Lord consistently reveals himself through his presence so that humanity might experience his love, grace, and mercy. One’s approach to God’s revelation and presence inevitably shapes the framework for understanding their relationship. Although much biblical, systematic, and philosophical scholarship implicitly treats revelation and presence as inseparable, the nature of each discipline warrants closer examination. Such exploration requires attending to the metaphysical attribute of divine omnipresence, the doctrine of special revelation, and the biblical motif of God’s relational presence. What remains lacking is a unified framework that synthesizes these realities. This study contends that the concept of God’s revelatory presence provides a constructive and integrative approach that both synthesizes and advances existing theological discourse on divine presence, omnipresence, and revelation.

STR 16:2 (Fall 2025) p. 62

In this article, I refine the relationship between revelation and presence through the category of revelatory presence, which I define as the means by which one encounters the manifestation of God’s presence—expressed audibly, visually, or experientially—that progressively discloses his nature, ch...