A popular question that people ask is "Does God really speak to humans today?" Two answers emerge from Christians. Yes or no. There are very intelligent people who find themselves disagreeing over this issue. My own answer is an unqualified YES.
I am sure we could all think of a weirdo or a TV preacher who says that God is speaking through them when we know it isn't true. However, just for the sake of the argument, let's throw that out and discuss the matter sincerely as people who really want to know the answer. In fact, let's get a little more specific. Let's ask, "Does God really speak to Christians today apart from the Bible?"
The group that usually answers no to the question give examples of someone who told others that God spoke to them and they ended up being wrong and it hurt someone. This example is powerful because that is a very tough life experience. It seems to give God a bad reputation when someone does that. But is that any reason to really believe that God never speaks anymore?
Consider this: throughout time, God has used two tools in the life of his church. The Bible and the Holy Spirit. We all know people who interpret the Bible wrongly but we don't throw it out because of that. Just like this, some people don't know how to interpret what the Holy Spirit is saying or doing, but we shouldn't come to the conclusion that he doesn't speak anymore because of this.
The Holy Spirit and the Word of God work together in our lives. We don't have a foolproof method of interpreting either of them to solve every ethical or moral question. We do disagree about what they say at times. But just because we disagree doesn't mean that God is silent. People disagree about all kinds of stuff. The fact that there are disagreements or abuses doesn't mean that we should shut our ears and believe that God, through the Holy Spirit, no longer speaks to us.
A passage from the Bible that supports the speaking role of the Holy Spirit is John 14:6. "I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit who leads you into all truth." If the Holy Spirit really is God inside of us, then God speaks to us. The Holy Spirit is our comforter, encourager and helper. If he fulfills all these roles in our lives, it makes sense that he speaks to us as he helps us in so many ways. Listen to his voice.
More Information:
Matt Tague is a pastor in California. He loves helping people learn to read and enjoy the Bible. Find out more by going to his web site.
What do you think about this article? Do you agree or disagree with it? Be the first to comment on this article, and share your thoughts with the world. No registration is required to post comments.
WHO MADE GOD?I appreciate the question posed by a 7 year old girl and uncle
Mr.Lewis. I will try my best to reply in a brief manner.Every religion has its own God or Gods. Without any God(s), no
religion...
Many have asked why people need a God to cope with life? There must be a reason, because it appears that every culture in recorded history had some belief in some type of god. All the different cultures...
It is so obvious that God works and thinks on a
totally different level than we do. I have spent
most of my life in my left logical side of my
brain trying to figure out God, people, events and
reason. Only to
1. The name Uriel means "Light of God" or "Flame of God." This is because Uriel brings the light, or flame, of knowledge from God to mankind. His symbol is an open hand holding a flame.2. Uriel is one of...
The question, "Is God Dead?," first entered my consciousness when I was ten or eleven years old. I saw it on the cover of a Life magazine, and it's lingered in my mind ever since. At the time, though, I wasn't
The word spirit in Hebrew is ruach and in Greek it is pneuma and both of them mean 'wind.' These words are neither masculine or feminine. They are neuter terms. That means that they refer to the Spirit as...
Consider God for a moment. What is He like? Does He have a massive bushy beard hanging low from His chin towards the Earth as He teeters over a mountain to see and judge the world? Is He a skinny pacifist...
Please notice that we are responsible for the underlined sections, God is responsible for the rest when we obey and perform our part. Unless otherwise stated, all scriptures are from the New Living Translation
The Sun god, Mithras, was the most widely worshipped deity in the Roman Empire in the first century when Christianity was first forming. Mithras was called the Son of God, the light of the world, he was a...
When I pay attention, I clearly see the arresting ways God works in my life. Often people I meet in my programs (or elsewhere) give me such profound, relevant messages I know the hand of God is at work and...
Christmas - is the celebration of Jesus' birthday. Although the precise date of his birth is unknown, December 25th was probably selected because it coincided with a pagan mid-winter festival. The 'Twelve Days
Baptism is an important ritual in the Catholic community. This is the start of the child's journey in his spirituality, and his or her parents, godparents, relatives, and friends are there to welcome him...
Have you ever seen a golden rosary? They are not things you see every day, but they are very striking and they can be found if you look around. A rosary is a symbol of your faith, a method of doing...
The gospel is important for more than just salvation, but to stay in line with Christ. Grace and Peace is a group of individuals who seek to understand their everyday lives according to the knowledge of the...
Every time we go to church, it seems, we are given a new list of people to pray for. Most of them are sick, some have lost jobs, and some are having other difficulties. What they all have in common, though, is
A Native American made the following observation about Daylight Saving Time, "it is like cutting the top off a blanket and sewing it to the bottom in the false belief it makes the blanket longer."
For a devout Christian, a funeral ceremony is a celebration of the soul's journey into eternal life hereafter. This is the primary reason why such services are alleviating as they are looked upon as an...
Without a doubt, children are affected in very deep ways by exposing them to products that center on Christianity. If our children are exposed to these things regularly, they will understand much more...
Like many people, I sometimes fear for the direction that our popular media is going. This is probably most attributed to the fact that I am a Christian, and I feel like I just can't find anything that is...
Before the beginning God had a thought or a plan in mind that he wanted to accomplish. It was a thought then 'in the beginning' he expressed that thought and it became logos. "In the beginning was the word and
Article: Does God Still Speak To Us Today? Author: Matt Tague Publication Date: 2009-10-10 Total Views: 719 Word Count: 464 Category:Home /
Religion / Christianity
Categories
