What do we mean when we say, “God told me?”
The impression being suggested is the communicator has had an “immediate” experience with God, i.e. God spoke with them, as with Moses, “mouth to mouth” (Ex. 33:11 & Num. 12:8).
One might reasonably suggest, on the basis of the evil one’s attack in the Garden, that God’s intended relationship with man, this side of heaven, is to be a “meditated” one.
That is, save for those instances in the progress of revelation’s development, God intends for His people to “know Him, meet Him, follow Him” via the precepts and principles laid out on scripture, when “correctly handled”.
This is not to suggest God “cannot” immediately communicate with his people. God is Free to do whatever He wills, when He wills it!
The question is: What is the normative basis of relationship between God and His peoples?
When the evil one assaulted Eve, he approached the one who had “mediated” information. Adam had had “immediate” contact with God. Nothing in the record indicates Eve to be in the same category as Adam when it came to this prohibition.
Why Adam took the fruit and ate is wrapped up in the eternal counsel of God, maybe to be disclosed to us on the “other side”?
On this side, my suggestion is, our relationshi0p with God is a mediated one, with the medium being the scriptures.
Peter seems to suggest as much in his statement in 2 Peter 1:16-21 and Paul draws out attention to the value of the scriptures in the New Covenant era by citing the value of the what had already been written (1 Cor. 10:11 & Romans 15:4).
Peter declares the value of what has been written, in terms of our continuing experience with Christ in 2 Peter 1:3-11.
It seems to me, we are to take our experiences “captive to scripture” and evaluate them against that standard. I would suggest we are not to seek after an “immediate” experience with God, but rather submit ourselves to His word, and allow it to transform our lives.
If, in the good providence of God, one is granted an “immediate” experience; for God can and will do whatever He pleases, my suggestion is: if this happens to you, don’t tell me about it! Don’t tell anyone about it. Keep it personal and secret. Not even Paul spoke of his unique experience in the “third heaven”! ( 2 Cor. 12:4).
Our daily walk with Christ is via the word of God. Our relationship with Him is a “mind on mind” relationship. Given we have, as Paul says, “the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16) in the scriptures, our intimacy with Him will be a function of how well we know Him via His “mind”.
“God told me”, ought more properly to be expressed as, “God’s word seems to teach, and I believe I have the freedom in the New covenant to…”
Nuff said
Pearcey Report
2 comments:
There are some who seek an immediate relationship with God "in" Scripture. They don't claim that God speaks directly to them, but that a certain verse was written "to" them.
e.g. One believes God is telling them to move to Arizona and live near the Grand Canyon via Is. 43:18-19.
What should be the believer's perspective on the uses of Scripture?
In reading the scriptures, keep in mind the issue of "...audience relevance..."
Paul reminds us in 1 Cor. 10:11 and Romans 15:4 the scriptures were written "...for us..." versus "...to us...".
Such being the case, it behooves us to remember Paul's admoninition to Timothy in 2 Tim. 2:15 to "...correctly handle the word of truth.
Untold confusion has run rampant through the household of the faith simply because saints have neglrected this admonition, albeit with sincerity, though ignorantly.
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