THUS SAITH THE LORD

    Does God still speak today?  If so, how?  Can Christians expect new revelation from the Lord, or has the time for divine revelation been completed with the last book of the Bible?  Can any individual declare a “thus saith the Lord” today?

The answers to these questions are vitally important for believers.  The way the church of Christ worships, preaches, teaches, evangelizes and defends the faith depends on the correct answer to the above questions, as does the very salvation of people.  Throughout church history and today, the wrong answers to these questions have proven disastrous.  Unfortunately the twenty-first century church finds itself in a position of being tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine due to a lack of understanding concerning the answers to these questions.

The battle for the Bible is always raging.  In the 15th and 16th centuries, Christians were being martyred for possessing a bible in their own language.  During that time the leaders of the Established Church orchestrated the battle against the Bible; the attack came from within.  The battle continues to rage on from within the church by those who question the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible.  Without question the Bible is ridiculed and lambasted from those outside the church, yet the greater danger comes from scholars, leaders and others who profess the name of Christ and reject the truth concerning inspiration, inerrancy or the sufficiency of Scripture.

There is a disturbing number of Christians in positions of authority today who declare that they are apostles and prophets, even though those offices were for the foundation of the church, and not for those who appoint themselves as such. “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone…” (Ephesians 2:19, 20).  Along with these there are many Christians who are consistently saying that God talked to them.  It is not unusual to hear “the Lord told me” in our churches today.

Has the One True Living God really spoken to these individuals?  Do they really have a “word” from the Lord?  If so, how authoritatively did He speak?  Or better, how authoritative are the people who say, “Thus saith the Lord?”  Are they fully inspired and inerrant in what they declare?  These are critically important questions.

I believe that many Evangelical Christians do believe that the Scriptures are fully inspired and inerrant.  Yet it appears that there is an increasing number of Christians who do not trust the sufficiency of Scripture.  I say this because many are searching for a “word from the Lord” from other sources or so-called “prophets” and “apostles.”  The Scriptures are so full and rich, nourishing and satisfying, and fully sufficient for all that a believer needs for life and godliness.  Why look elsewhere for “revelations” and “words from the Lord?”

The canon of Scripture is complete.  There is NO new revelation today.  God does certainly speak, but only in and through His perfect and complete Word.  There is significant danger in seeking the voice of God outside of the Scriptures.  If ever anyone, as a follower of Jesus Christ is not fully delighted in and satisfied with God’s Word alone, then that person needs to search his or her heart and turn to God for His wisdom.  “For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

We need to remember that only God Himself can ever say, “Thus saith the Lord,” and He says it only through the inspired, inerrant and all sufficient Word of God – the Scriptures.