Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Speaking the words of God
A little while ago, I wrote briefly on the matter of frivolous claims of divine revelation, so I was struck when I ran across this saying of Jesus in my morning Scripture reading:
What an amazing statement this is! "He who hears you hears Me." Our Lord offers no mights or maybes. "He who hears you hears Me." To put it another way, whoever speaks the words of Christ speaks for Christ. Although professing believers often err insofar as claiming special direct revelation from God, when we speak or preach the Word of God, we are certainly speaking for God. This is a great privilege and a great responsibility, for if we are speaking for God, we owe it to Him to rightly interpret what He's said. Whereas we are rarely provided any certainty as to whether this or that impression from a "still small voice" is indeed from God, Christ here teaches that Scripture, as the Word of God, speaks for God even when imperfect human vessels such as you and me speak it.
So, my friend, if you wish to speak forth the mind of God, you need look no further than the Scriptures. You have no need of further revelation from God, for He has seen fit to provide all that it necessary for faith and practice in the Scriptures. Therefore, I encourage you to put aside any misguided faith in random thoughts or impressions and instead put your faith in the Scriptures alone, for in them we can discern the mind of God with perfect assurance and clarity.
He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.
Luke 10:16
What an amazing statement this is! "He who hears you hears Me." Our Lord offers no mights or maybes. "He who hears you hears Me." To put it another way, whoever speaks the words of Christ speaks for Christ. Although professing believers often err insofar as claiming special direct revelation from God, when we speak or preach the Word of God, we are certainly speaking for God. This is a great privilege and a great responsibility, for if we are speaking for God, we owe it to Him to rightly interpret what He's said. Whereas we are rarely provided any certainty as to whether this or that impression from a "still small voice" is indeed from God, Christ here teaches that Scripture, as the Word of God, speaks for God even when imperfect human vessels such as you and me speak it.
So, my friend, if you wish to speak forth the mind of God, you need look no further than the Scriptures. You have no need of further revelation from God, for He has seen fit to provide all that it necessary for faith and practice in the Scriptures. Therefore, I encourage you to put aside any misguided faith in random thoughts or impressions and instead put your faith in the Scriptures alone, for in them we can discern the mind of God with perfect assurance and clarity.
