Does God still speak to us today? If we’re honest, most people would have to admit they endure times of frustration with God because He doesn’t speak the way they want Him to. Perhaps they wish God would simply write a message in the sky or whisper in their ears.
What does the Bible have to say? In the Old Testament, God spoke to people through prophets in various ways (Heb 1:1). It is common for people to think of a prophet as someone who foretells a future event. It is true many of the prophetic messages of the Old Testament involved God’s plans for the future, however, the word prophet means spokesman, and anyone God chose to receive and deliver His message was a prophet. When Moses spoke to the Israelites of the Law he received from the Lord (Exodus 24:3), he was just as much a prophet as Isaiah when he foretold the suffering of Christ (Isaiah 53). The Lord gave His word to the prophets in various ways, including direct speech, dreams, and visions.
Direct speech is when the chosen prophet audibly hears God speak to them. Such incidents happened with Moses when God spoke from the burning bush (Exodus 3), and Samuel in the temple (1 Samuel 3:4-14).
Prophetic dreams occur when an individual receives God’s divine message while asleep. An interesting thing about these dreams is many required an interpreter. God would allow a person to have a special dream they did not understand and would reveal the message through an interpreter, who would be considered a prophet because they were given the understanding of God’s message. One such example is Joseph when he interprets Pharaoh’s dreams regarding the seven years of productivity and seven years of famine that were to come upon Egypt (Genesis 41).
Visions are similar to dreams, but they’re different. In a dream, the onlooker is not conscious while receiving the dream and cannot interact within the setting of the dream (with the exception of Solomon’s dream in 1 Kings 3:5-9). A vision is an ecstatic experience a person receives while they are awake. In visions, the person can interact and ask questions as it happens (Ezekiel 37:1-9; Zechariah 1:18-21).
When the prophets delivered God’s message, there were times the Lord performed signs and wonders through them. This occurred to give credibility to the prophet’s message as truly being from God (1 Kings 18:36-38).
In the New Testament—before the Canon was complete—God spoke through His Son (Heb 1:2). This was done during Jesus’ earthly ministry (John 1:14) and through the Apostles, who were messengers sent directly by Jesus.
Scripture is God’s complete revelation of Himself and serves as the final authority by which all things are judged. The Bible is the primary way God speaks to us, and Jesus gives a fervent warning to be on guard against false prophets (Matthew 7:15). Christians must have discernment.
Scripture must be handled correctly (2 Timothy 2:15), and anyone who teaches God’s Word is held to a higher standard (James 3:1). Intentional or not, some pastors and Sunday school teachers are false prophets because they deviate from the teachings of Scripture. Therefore, an immature believer should never make the mistake of dependence on a teacher as their sole means of knowledge about God. God’s Word is the only perfect source of godly things for our edification and training (2 Timothy 3:16-17). All teachers, no matter how well studied they may be, are still imperfect people, and they, just as everyone else, sit under the authority of Scripture. Their teaching is only authoritative if it adheres to Scripture. God gifts people to teach to the Church Body to clarify the meaning and application of His Word, however, they are to merely assist, not take the place of Scripture.
God gives all believers the responsibility to strive with diligence to know His Word (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 119:11). We must remember, God has given each believer the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14), and because of Him, every believer is able to understand God’s Word (2 Corinthians 2:12-16). We will never understand all Scripture perfectly, however, each believer can comprehend enough to live an effective life for God, being governed by His Word and safeguarded against false teaching.
It’s vital to clarify what someone means when they say God still speaks today. If anyone makes the claim God gave them a new revelation of Himself, they are wrong. The author of Hebrews is clear. God’s revelation was fulfilled through Jesus (Hebrews 1:2; Luke 24:25-27). In this verse, the word spoken is past tense to indicate a finished action. It is the completed word of Christ that speaks to us. That is why the author states, “in these last days [He] has spoken to us in His Son.” The last days refer to the Church Age in which we now live, and Jesus instructed the Apostles concerning His complete revelation (Luke 24:44-45).
An Apostle had the unique gift of being able to write Scripture because they were trusted with Jesus’ Word and given authority to do so (1 Thessalonians 4:1-2). The Apostles faithfully proclaimed the full Gospel message of Jesus Christ, and, for this reason, the Bible includes the Epistles. Scripture says one could be an apostle only if he had direct instruction by Jesus (Acts 1:21-22). The Apostle Paul made it clear he was the last person to whom Christ made an appearance (1 Corinthians 15:8).
The completed word of Christ (the entire Bible) is what continues to speak to us today. Hebrews gives an example of this when the author quotes an Old Testament passage, Psalm 95, and states this is what the Holy Spirit says to us (Hebrews 3:7-11).
Scripture is the definitive way God speaks to us today and is why the author of Hebrews describes the Bible as living and active (Hebrews 4:12). The truths revealed in Scripture include who God is, how He operates, and who we are in relation to Him. They are every bit as active today as when the Bible was written.
One cannot say God doesn’t speak to us today. Yet a person must be prudent anytime they want to accredit to God something which speaks in their life, for all things must be judged in light of Scripture. We were given the Holy Spirit as a Helper to assist with the practical application of God’s Word in our lives, and if God does speak to someone, it will align with Scripture.
There are certain movements in which people give divine authority to thoughts motivated by spiritual stimulation as if they were received directly from God. Such people tend to validate their doctrine and theology based on spiritual experience and emotion instead of God’s Word. We must remember God is not the only Spirit active in the world. The devil can stir our hearts and minds (John 13:2 Mark 8:31-33). It would not be surprising if the devil encouraged a pleasant spiritual experience in someone’s life to foster false belief which blinds them from God’s truth.
When Peter spoke about his spiritual experience regarding Jesus’ transfiguration, he put more emphasis on the authority of Scripture concerning Jesus over his own experience (2 Peter 1:17-21).
The Apostle John instructs us to “test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (1 John 4:1).
A person should never make their heart or spiritual feelings the primary means through which they seek God. If anything, such experiences should be judged after they have passed the test of Scripture (Acts 17:10-11).
It has become popular for people to judge what God says in His word based on how well it lines up with our modern understanding of life (humanism). As a result, people reinterpret or even ignore God’s Word when it goes against the grain of society. Believers should never get roped into this way of thinking. God is not interested in winning any popularity contests among people (Acts 4:18-20; Galatians 1:10), and He warns us not to get swept away by the mob rule of culture (Exodus 23:2a). Jesus never changes, and neither He nor His Word is impacted by time or society (Hebrews 13:8).
A believer can have full confidence the perfect God-given Word (the Bible) is what still speaks today.
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