God Told Me

Would you believe me if I claimed God told me to write this bulletin article for today. That He also told me to be here this morning and sing these songs and take the Lord’s Supper and even preach a lesson. Well, in a way He did tell me to do all these things. However, the claim “God told me…” is a commonly abused and misused statement uttered in sermons and private conversations.

Televangelists will say, “The Lord spoke to me,” or “God told me to…” The common worshiper and believer in God will hear this so often they will adopt it into their everyday communication without giving any thought as to whether it is pleasing to God. Many have used this phrase to indicate a personal and special communique with God Himself. They claim that God has given them direct individual guidance on what car to buy, whether or not to marry a particular person or when to start a family or where to invest their money. In her book “Grace, Grace, and More Grace”, author Joyce Meyer tells of conversations she has directly had with God. John MacArthur wrote, “the most infamous is Oral Roberts’ preposterous death-threat prophecy. In 1987 Roberts told his nationwide audience that God had threatened to ‘call him home’ if he couldn’t raise eight million dollars by his creditors’ deadline. Whether and how that threat might have been carried out, the world will never know; Roberts received a last-minute reprieve in the form of a large check from a Florida dog-track owner.”

God’s Revelation of Himself to Man

The only way we know what God’s will for us is, is through revelation. This can come through various means, such as, God speaking directly to a person or a dream or vision or through a prophet. There are a myriad of illustrations of these in the Old and New Testaments.

But how does God reveal Himself to man today? There are two views. The first view is that God continues to reveal Himself to individuals directly through dreams or visions or speaking to them. Some refer to this as “continuationism.” They contend for extra-biblical revelations. Like the one lady who claimed that “God laid it upon my heart to divorce my husband and marry this other man.” The other view is that God now reveals Himself only through the written Word. This is called “cessationism.” They believe that God speaks to us indirectly through this inspired and written Word in the Bible. “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds” (Heb. 1:1-2)

Arguments for Continued Revelation

First, some argue that since Christians are “led by the Spirit” (Rom. 8:14), God individually reveals His plans for their lives. However, the Holy Spirit directs us through the Word. Paul is contrasting in the context those who are led by the Spirit with holy conduct and those who are led by the flesh and behave sinfully.

Another proof text is Luke 4:42-44: “Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him and tried to keep Him from leaving them; but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.” And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.” It is thus argued that like Jesus, all Christians today should ask God to tell them their purpose and direction in life. However, God does tell us. He tells us through the written Word: the Bible. And this passage applies to Jesus and not saints of today.

Problems with Belief in Continued Revelation

Harold Camping. president of Family Radio, believes that “God told him” the world was going to end on May 21. However, Jesus said, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Mark 13:32). If Jesus says one thing and a man claims God told him the opposite, then someone is lying and is therefore a false teacher. I will give you a clue: God does not lie.

These modern-day prophecies are nothing like that of the Old Testament. Prophetic statements were not very common. Today, you would think most people receive a message every other minute from God. Someone noted that the Bible period only averages one prophet every one hundred thirty-three years. “For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21).

In order for a prophetic utterance to be from God, it must be 100% accurate. The prophet who spoke one false utterance was to be stoned to death. “But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’ And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’— when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him” (Deut. 18:20-22). The fulfillment of many of these so-called messages from God is completely unverifiable.

Additionally, those who claimed to have a message from God often would be able to back up that claim with a miracle. As Moses was to speak the Words of God confirming them by turning his hand leprous or his rod into a snake or water into blood. The apostles were to confirm their message was from God with special miracles (Mark 16:17f). Peter wrote, “and so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19).

Years ago, I heard a story by a Gospel preacher who lived out in Odessa, Texas. One morning as was his custom, he went to the local coffee shop and read a newspaper at a table and drank his coffee. A man came in and sat down at his table and began to tell him his story. “God has led me to you this morning. I received a leading by the Holy Spirit to drive out west and not to stop till I saw a town raising up out of the horizon as if it appeared out of nowhere. I was to find an eating establishment I would see in a vision and go in and meet a man drinking coffee at a table. So here I am. Do you believe me.” The preacher said, “Well the Holy Spirit told to me to tell you something you need to hear.” The man excitedly asked, “what did He say!?” The preacher answered, “He told me to tell you that you are a liar.” Often one man will claim God told him one thing and another man will contradict, because God told him another. Again, God does not and cannot lie, but all men do (Rom. 3:4).

A fellow preacher told me an interesting experience he had with a random lady. She came up to him and said, “God told me to give you this ten-dollar bill.” I suggested he should have told her, “God told me to tell you to make it a twenty.” Next time someone says God told them something ask them “Really? How do you know it was God”? There is no way to determine with certainty that it was from God. “You say God laid it upon your heart, well Satan has been known to make suggestions in temptation of your heart.” See Deut 13:1-5.

Not only can these claims come from an undetermined source, but some of these visions people claim are of an undetermined interpretation. A young man was out in the corn field picking away, when he looked up in the sky and saw two clouds. One was shaped like a “P” and the other like a “C”. He ran into the house and told his mother what he saw and said, “Ma, it was a sign from God that He wants me to “Preach” “Christ”. His mother retorted, “that’s not the message. The ‘P’ and ‘C’ means ‘Pick Corn.’ Now son, get back out there and pick some corn.”

These special revelations contradict the Bible’s claim that the written Word is sufficient. Paul wrote, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17; see 2 Pet. 1:3). Paul explains “that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets” (Eph. 3:3-5).

Special revelations have ceased with the completion of the New Testament. The canon is closed, and there is no need for special revelation. Jude 3 states: “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” The Bible warns against adding to it. “For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book” (Rev. 22:18).

God is never going to tell you one thing in the written Word and turn around and contradict it with a special revelation. God told me to tell you through His Word that there are no more special revelations. So please stop saying “God told me”, unless the phrase is immediately followed up with book, chapter and verse. God is speaking to you today. So, pick up your Bible and read it.

– Daniel R. Vess