In a mirror, dimly

I’ve had several really interesting questions posed this month and it was hard choosing which to tackle first. This month’s question was, in fact, the last one submitted. Which truly proves that “the last shall come first”!Does God speak today?”); ?>I’m going to tackle this question in three stages:

1. Does God speak today?
2. Has direct revelation from God stopped since the cannon was closed?
3. Isn’t it presumptuous to say “God said…”?

1. Does God speak today?

There is no debate among bible believing Christians that God still communicates to His people. We all believe that He spoke clearly through the authors of the 66 books of the bible to give us the revelation that we will need to come into a relationship with Him, and to grow in that relationship. In John 16:12-15 we read of Jesus saying:

I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.

All Christians believe that the Holy Spirit will illuminate our reading of Scripture, bringing the truth of God’s word to bear on our lives. So, in a general sense, yes God speaks very clearly: through His written word.

2. Has direct revelation from God stopped since the cannon was closed?

I also believe that God still speaks in a more direct, revelatory fashion; there are times when the Holy Spirit will communicate in ways that do not utilize the written word of God. One reason to say “God doesnt speak today” is one of safety - all revelation can be rejected, thus keeping us free from deception. The alternative is to ask yourself what the source is - is it your own self, is it the Holy Spirit or is it the enemy of our souls trying to deceive - and to deal with issues of “getting it wrong” in an adult manner.

The question is (basically) one of authority. Does the revelation receieved today supercede what is written in the bible or is it subservient to it; will a revelation from God ever contradict or supercede something in scripture?

Groups such as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), the Jehovah’s Witnesses and others believe so. For instance, in the introduction to the Book of Mormon, it says,

Concerning this record the Prophet Joseph Smith said: “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”

The bible itself, however, says:

Hear now, O Israel, the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you.

— Deuteronomy 4:1-2

Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.

— Proverbs 30:5-6

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

— Revelation 22:18-19

Once the cannon of scripture was closed, there can obviously be no more revelation on a par with the bible. I believe that is obvious and not up for debate. Any communication we feel might be God speaking to us must fall in line with the principles and specifics of what the Bible says.

3. Isn’t it presumptuous to say “God said…”?

If you can be sure that the revelation you have received it from God, is totally in line with His written word and is being delivered in exactly the way He wants it to be … sure, go ahead … tack a “thus saith the Lord” onto it. I dont believe, however, that we can be as sure as the Isaiah’s or Nahum’s of the world and should reflect that in how we communicate what we think God might be saying.

All revelation must be in line with the bible, so be open to correction. Be under the authority of the local church and submit to their guidance on these matters. God loves the church in all its forms and is pleased to work in and through it. Be humble in your delivery of the things you believe God to be speaking - be tentative about its source - give the benefit of the doubt on matters. The bible promises that God’s word will never return void, so if you have something to share with someone, be gentle and respectful and let God do the work not your own enthusiasm.

The issue, as I see it, isnt so much whether God speaks today but our obedience to listen and discern the source, and to be humble in our delivery of the revelation should it be something we need to share with someone else.

I was talking to someone in work today and he said, “we’ll look for a way to incent you to do this, other than for the good of the company…” and to be honest the use of the word incent just set my teeth on edge. I queried him, “are you sure that is a real word?” and he pushed it back, saying he was sure.

I checked online and I stand corrected:

TRANSITIVE VERB: Inflected forms: in·cent·ed, in·cent·ing, in·cents

To incentivize: “would use tax breaks to incent corporations to invest in their future” (Scott Canon, Houston Chronicle 12/20/92).

All I can say is to echo George Bernard Shaw’s classic quote “England and America are two countries divided by a common language”

I know it’s not all of them, but here’s the list of movies I’m interested in for 2006.

Why do they do that?

Why do the flat-pack furniture companies always give the wrong number of dowel rods and screws? Do they think they can freak out the general public?

When we moved into our house (May 2002) we put a clear plastic storage crate in a corner and a computer monitor found its way on top of that storage box. In the last week we upgraded the computer monitor moving from a Philips 17″ CRT monitor to a very nice MAG 17″ TFT flat panel monitor. That upgrade alone improved the corner of the living room no end. It seemed to me that the size of the gap by the shelves in that corner (20″ by 15″) was a little odd, and we needed something roughly 24″ tall if the monitor was to be the right height to use from the couch. Not only did we find a small wooden cabinet that size (I think it was 18″ rather than 20″, but who’s counting) but it was a great price and easy to assemble - go Walmart!

Despite how nice that corner looks now I am still a little phased thanks to the left-overs - makes me wonder if somewhere along the line I might have missed something and the cabinet will fall apart in front of our eyes like the clown cars at the circus!