“Jesus I Know. Paul I Know. Who are you?” – Part 8

In the last 7 articles, I believe I have shown, in Scripture, that no fallible individual has New Testament authority to believe or convey the notion that God speaks through them infallibly, authoritatively and without question.  You can read the previous Blogs by clicking here:  

Part 1, 

Part 2, 

Part 3, 

Part 4,

Part 5,

Part 6, and

Part 7

Here's the point: Here’s the point: Fallible vessels are the conduit for the infallible work of the Spirit and out of necessity must rely on an infallible source to validate their claims.   Specific text used to claim the opposite cannot be substantiated in the New Testament, but there are some that at least imply that.

III – SUBJECTIVITY IMPLIED IN SCRIPTURE

I like what Greg Gilbert (from IX Marks Ministry) says in a review of Henry Blackaby’s work, Experiencing God:

“This belief that God gives direct, subjective impressions to His people is certainly not without merit.  Perhaps most importantly, it underlines the reality that God is imminently present and involved in the world.  He has not left it to run itself, but is determined to be a part of His people’s lives.” 

To start at the beginning, we must conclude that the days we are living in are clearly spoken of in Scripture.   We read in Acts 2:16–18 (ESV),

¹⁶ But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: ¹⁷ “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; ¹⁸ even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

The passage Peter here quoted from Joel is 2:28ff.  This refers to the Christian dispensation then in its beginning stages. The same thought occurs often in the New Testament. Note such passages as Hebrews 1:2, 1 Peter 1:20, and 1 John 2:18. The day of Pentecost, therefore, ushered in the "last days"; but the meaning is compound.  One must conclude therefore that the days we are living in include some sort to subjective experience like prophecy and dreams. 

Secondly, we are aware that Paul’s instruction to the Corinthian church included instruction of subjective ideas and revelations.   There we read in 1 Corinthians 12:8 (ESV),

⁸ For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit.

Also in 1 Corinthians 14:26 (ESV) we read:

²⁶ What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.

The “only” defined and determined subjective work of the Spirit, that I have found within the New Testament falls within this category of prophecies.   The word that Paul uses is the word propheteia.  It contains the prefix pro, meaning “forth” and the main word: phemi, “to speak.   So in a very general way the word simply contains the idea of “speaking out”.  It is one of those words that carries with it various implications depending on the context, but the essence of the word “prophecy” is to speak aloud a word from God.  Notice the words of Paul:

“Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy . . . The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church . . . . So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.” (1 Corinthians 14:1, 4 & 39, ESV)


We cannot avoid the conclusion that the Pauline view of prophesy was extremely important and necessary for the edification of the Church. But a careful study of the New Testament ought to provide due care and attention with the exercise of this Spiritual activity.  I'll pursue that in the next blog on this topic.