Who Is a Prophet?Sýnishorn

If you hang out in Christian circles long enough, it’s inevitable you will hear someone say, “God told me . . .” If God tells a person something through the work of the Holy Spirit that is consistent with God’s Word, we can probably conclude that it came from God. Why? Because the Spirit’s job is to confirm the written Word of God to the child of God. And what this person is saying has already been revealed as authoritative in the Word. So they are merely reminding someone else of what God has already said.

But what we are talking about here is something called extrabiblical revelation. This is when a person claims to hear from God on a matter totally unrelated to the written Word of God.

First, when you come across people who consistently claim to have extrabiblical revelations from God, it’s probably because they want others to think they have some private connection with God that others don’t have. Being able to hear from God on a regular basis is a spiritual status symbol. It somehow proves they have this intimate relationship with God like Moses did, where God speaks to them about even the most minute matters of life. It invariably makes other Christians who don’t hear from God as clearly or consistently feel that their connection with Him isn’t as deep or meaningful. Let’s be honest. These kinds of claims elevate the person who makes them rather than building up those who are listening.

The second major problem is that, if we’re being honest, there is no 100 percent certain way of knowing whether it was truly God speaking or our own thoughts or desires. When I thought God told me to go to Burger King, maybe I was just craving a Whopper more than a Big Mac (even though I don’t eat either of those—ha!). Perhaps it would be better to say, “I truly believe it was God who led me to. . .” By saying it this way, you are humbly introducing the potential of human error. “I truly believe” shows that you understand your revelation very well may not have been God, but as best you can discern, you believe it was. Considering how God feels about people who speak on His behalf, I would encourage you to use the words “God told me” sparingly—or even remove them from your vocabulary.

Prayer:

Lord, I want to be close to You and to know You intimately. Please forgive me for using our relationship to elevate myself, and please use me to help other Christians know and trust You. Amen.

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