“Jesus I Know. Paul I Know. Who are you?” – Part 10

Here is the 10th and final installment of this study. Having said all that we have determined so far in this study that the Spirit of God inwardly enables us to deal with sinful habits.  He also grants us deep understanding of the truths of God. He confirms that Jesus is the Christ, inwardly and subjectively … and He confirms to us subjectively that we are children of God freeing us to call upon the Lord.   We also believe that from time to time he gives spontaneous messages for the edification of the Church – but they must be weighed and tested – none of which take authority over the Word of God.  The content of such guidance in the New Testament tends to relate to the ministry of the church rather than to private, personal interests (e.g. Acts 11:27ff).

We are told in God’s Word that He has already revealed what is sufficient for life and godliness (Deu. 29:29; 2 Pet. 1:3). God has severely warned His people several times not to add to His word (Deu. 4:2; 12:32; Prov. 30:6; Rev. 22:18, 19).  This is Sola Scriptura! 

Plainly speaking I have learned several things about this topic:

1. I've learned that God does lead people subjectively, but normally or perhaps only in the context of the gathered Church.

2. I've learned to claim subjective and authoritative leadings of the Spirit in individual and personal ways is at very best dangerous and at least lacking no Biblical affirmation.

3. I've learned that all subjectivity, even that originating with God, must be tested, for it is transmitted through fallible people.

4.  I've learned that the Bible is silent on the common practice to claim Divine insight and revelation on the plethora of activities that we as Christians engage in on a day to day basis. 

5. I have learned that there is no biblical warrant to listen to the “voice from within” to guide my day to day choices.

So, in my shepherding capacity, what advice can I offer?

IV - Some Practical and Pastoral Advice.

1.  God’s Word in Its Precepts and Principles is given to guide us.   It is of God's words in Scripture that we can say with confidence, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105, ESV). A leader within a denomination that known for the charismatic gifts said this:  Donald Gee (of the Assemblies of God) writes:

"Many of our errors where spiritual gifts are concerned arise when we want the extraordinary and exceptional to be made the frequent and habitual. Let all who develop excessive desire for 'messages' through the gifts take warning from the wreckage of past generations as well as of contemporaries.... The Holy Scriptures are a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path."

Dr. J. I. Packer gives this stark warning:  "The idea of a life in which the inward voice of the Spirit decides and directs everything sounds most attractive, for it seems to exalt the Spirit's ministry and to promise the closest intimacy with God; but in practice this quest for super-spirituality leads only to frantic bewilderment or lunacy . . .."[1]

2. Right Spiritual Choices are the direct result of Godly Character.  “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.” (Proverbs 11:3, ESV). A person’s who redeemed character is rooted in godly character (I dare say The Fruit of the Spirit) is better qualified to make godly decisions.  Why is that?  Answer?  Godly character produces godly motives. Godly motives are not self-pleasing, people-pleasing, but are God-pleasing kinds of motives.

More importantly, a godly character will be painfully aware of it own defects.  We need to be warned that our hearts are so deceitful and desperately wicked that we cannot understand them (Jer. 17:9).  This fact alone ought to make us very hesitant to heed promptings and messages that arise from within ourselves – without questioning and checking them out.  “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” (Proverbs 14:12, ESV)   The quality of life of the an individual is to be closely scrutinized (Mt. 7:15-20).

4. It appears to be a universal principle of discretion to affirm every matter by 2 or 3 witnesses.  (cf. Num 35:30 ; Deu 17:6 ; 19:15 ; Mat 18:16 ; John 8:17 ; and 1Tim 5:19 )  The Lord will always establish what He has said by two or three witnesses.  Note this Corinthian passage: “This is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.” (2 Corinthians 13:1, ESV).  Every word (Greek: rhema[2]) here means everything opinion or idea – everything you are talking about -- including what you think is right is going to be dealt with fairly and judiciously because we are going to measure it before the right standard.  

5. This leads me into the last pastoral principle: God promises to give wisdom.  When it comes to getting guidance or even applying it to our lives, the thing we need most is wisdom. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:5–8, ESV)

Prudence is a cousin of wisdom. It basically means "to be discerning", but is often rendered "good judgment" in some Bible translations. Remember, the book of Proverbs was written for this end. "The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, To perceive the words of understanding, To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, judgment, and equity; To give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion; A wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel…" (Proverbs 1:1-5)  How does this instruct us?  Are we not to give all our attention to the words of Scripture?   Are we not to study, memorize the Word of God (Joshua 1:7-8; Psalm 1)?   Are we not to seek wise counsel (“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.” (Proverbs 12:15, ESV))?

v – conclusion

There is no doubt that our risen Lord and Savior indwells us in the person of the Holy Spirit.  Having believed, we've been sealed with the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption. We've been baptized in the Holy Spirit. He comforts us in difficult times. He confirms in our hearts that we are children of God. He enables us to know the mind of Christ and the things of God.  The Holy Spirit is in and through every part of our lives, and He ought to be.

The question is not whether there is a Holy Spirit, or whether that Holy Spirit indwells us, or whether that Holy Spirit does things for us or to us in an experiential, subjective way. All of those things are the case.   The question is actually two-fold: Is it normal to expect inward subjective impressions of the Spirit on a regular, routine basis?   And secondly, is it right for Christians to simply say, “God told me (showed me, etc.) without applying due care and attention through weighing, testing and confirming? My answer to both is “no”.

John MacArthur adds a good summation:  “Once we see Scripture as less than the final infallible authority for faith and practice, we opened the doors to theological chaos.  Anyone or everyone can claim to be speaking God’s revelation.  While it is true that some of the new revelations or words of prophecy may agree with Scripture, it is equally true that some of them may not.”

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[1] (J.I. Packer, Knowing God, p. 235.)

[2] rhema ( 4487 ) denotes “that which is spoken, what is uttered in speech or writing”; in the singular, “a word,” e.g., Matt. 12:36 ; 27:14 ; 2 Cor. 12:4 ; 13:1 ; Heb. 12:19 ; in the plural, speech, discourse, e.g., John 3:34 ; 8:20 ; Acts 2:14 ; 6:11 , 13 ; 11:14 ; 13:42 ; 26:25 ; Rom. 10:18 ; 2 Pet. 3:2 ; Jude 17 ; it is used of the gospel in Rom. 10:8 (twice), 17, rv , “the word of Christ” (i.e., the “word” which preaches Christ); 10:18 ; 1 Pet. 1:25 (twice); of a statement, command, instruction, e.g., Matt. 26:75 ; Luke 1:37 , rv , “(no) word (from God shall be void of power)”, v. 38 ; Acts 11:16 ; Heb. 11:3 .

The significance of rhema (as distinct from logos ) is exemplified in the injunction to take “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,” Eph. 6:17 ; here the reference is not to the whole Bible as such, but to the individual scripture which the Spirit brings to our remembrance for use in time of need, a prerequisite being the regular storing of the mind with Scripture. (Vine, W., Unger, M. F., & White, W. (1997, c1996). Vine's complete expository dictionary of Old and New Testament words (electronic ed.) (Vol. 2, Page 683). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.)