“I am in Seminary and am currently studying how people hear God or listen to God. I read your blog on this issue and agreed with much of what you said. You are a gifted communicator. In my studying I came across another blog talking about a similar topic and was wondering what you thought. The link is:
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TasteAndSee/ByDate/2007/2021_The_Morning_IHeard_the_Voice_of_God/
In this article Piper talks about the danger of the extra-biblical revelation of God and I am still trying to get my head around all of this. If possible would you mind letting me know what you think about what he is saying. I would really appreciate it.”
This is a great question and I really enjoyed reading Piper’s article and the article he comments on. Differing perspectives on this subject are really interesting to me. I have much respect for John Piper and his warnings but I think I would have to ask him some specific questions to fully understand his view on this topic. For example, I would like to know if Piper believes that God can and does speak “outside” of scripture or “extra-biblically” (i.e. “The money is not yours” as referenced to in his article…by the way, when I say “outside” of scripture I don’t mean “contradictory to scripture”…though that would be an interesting discussion in itself when you consider that Abraham was told by God to murder his own son while scripture clearly teaches us not to murder…but that is for a another much more controversial discussion)
Piper seems to affirm the possibility of the professor’s “extra-biblical” conversation when he says,
“What makes me sad about the article is not that it isn’t true or didn’t happen,” but then he goes on to rebuke the article as giving “the impression that extra-biblical communication with God is surpassingly wonderful and faith-deepening. All the while… communication of the living God…through the Bible everyday is passed over in silence.”
Piper also seems to give the Professor the benefit of the doubt writing,
“I am sure this professor of theology did not mean it this way, but what he actually said was, ‘For years I’ve taught that God still speaks, but I couldn’t testify to it personally.’ Surely he does not mean what he seems to imply—that only when one hears an extra-biblical voice like, “The money is not yours,” can you testify personally that God still speaks. Surely he does not mean to belittle the voice of God in the Bible which speaks this very day with power and truth and wisdom and glory and joy and hope and wonder and helpfulness ten thousand times more decisively than anything we can hear outside the Bible.”
While I agree with Piper’s rebuke of the implication that God’s revelation through scripture is somehow less than extra-biblical revelations I think he might be missing the point of the professor’s comments. It seems to me that the professor is merely expressing the unique joy and satisfaction of hearing God’s voice addressing him personally and specific to his circumstance. For example, it is great to know that we are loved by God because we read it in John 3:16, but isn’t it a sweet experience to hear His voice in our soul tell us personally that he loves us?
Now, must those two experiences; (1) the reading of the words “God so loves the world” and (2) personally hearing the Spirit’s voice within us say, “I love you,” be mutually exclusive and unrelated? Of course not! I can read John 3:16, or some other passage about God’s love, and it can be a catalyst by which I hear the Spirit’s inward voice expressing his love for me personally. That personal voice from the Spirit is sweet and wonderful as compared to merely reading words on a page. It seems to me that Piper is affirming that sweet pleasure in the first half of his article, which I greatly enjoyed reading.
Piper goes on to say,
“I grieve at what is being communicated here. The great need of our time is for people to experience the living reality of God by hearing his word personally and transformingly in Scripture. Something is incredibly wrong when the words we hear outside Scripture are more powerful and more affecting to us than the inspired word of God.”
Again, I don’t disagree with Piper’s warning here, but what Piper doesn’t address in this article is the very unique and specific circumstances of life that scripture doesn’t necessarily address. The professors situation is a great example of God speaking and working with his child in a specific time and place. Does God only address us through the pages of scripture even in such circumstances?
When tempted to sin scripture can make our decisions very clear cut, but when you are faced with a choice to go to this town or that town…buy this thing or that thing…give to this ministry or that ministry what passage and verse do you turn to? If you are ONLY listening through the pages of scripture could you miss the Spirit’s prompting about a very specific matter in your life?
Jesus said to his disciples,
"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.” (Jn. 16:12-15)
Now, some might argue that only the appointed disciples had the privileges of this personal councilor and guide to truth, but I believe we all have this Spirit residing within us to teach us “much more” than even what the incarnate Word taught while here on earth. It is the Spirit who brings the scripture’s alive in our hearts, but I believe God is big enough to speak to us even when our bibles are closed. As Piper warns, the scripture revelation should never take a back seat, but I don’t believe we should limit Him to those means either. {which, as I said, I don't necessarily believe Piper was doing}
OBJECTION: But what about the immature believers that will start to say, “God told me to do this or that…” and it’s some off the wall unbiblical thing they are teaching? Doesn’t that prove that “extra-biblical” communication is dangerous and should be discouraged?
ANSWER: No, it proves they are immature and like to put words in God’s mouth. The scripture teaches us to test the spirits to see if they are from God because there will be false spirits and false teachers, but these things should not keep us from experiencing God's guidance in the here and now of our lives. It shouldn’t keep us from the joy of walking with a Spirit you cannot confine and systematize. Like the wind, “you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going." Following Him may be a little risky at times and may even make you look like a fool to the religious establishments of the day, but there is nothing unbiblical or even “extra-biblical” about that; is there?
