Throughout history God has spoken to mankind. He communicates with us through His Word, Christ, the Holy Spirit, angels, visions and audibly. In Genesis 2:16, we are told, “And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.’”
Genesis 3 records a lengthy discourse between Adam and Eve with God when they are banished from the garden of Eden after their sin. Throughout the Old Testament God spoke to humanity in many ways. The writer of Hebrews states, “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things. And through whom also He made the universe.” (Hebrews 1:1-2).
There are many theologians today that believe God stopped speaking to mankind once the New Testament was completed. This is known as Cessationism theology. The logic behind this line of reasoning is based upon the doctrine of Sola Scriptura, which is Latin for “by scripture alone.” Interestingly, there is nothing withing the Bible limiting God’s communication with man to the Bible.
Some claim that hearing God’s voice supernaturally is not as reliable as the written word or the wisdom of counsel and dismiss audibly hearing God’s voice, dreams, visions and prophecies. This logic seems counterintuitive since that was precisely how God communicated with people in the early church age.
CESSATIONISM IS PROBLEMATIC
The theology of Cessationism is problematic because it fabricates a disconnect between humanity and God which limits people to knowing about God and prevents them from knowing God in a personal relationship. Conversely, there are many false teachers who have claimed God spoke to them but lacked the discernment to ascertain whether it was actually God or Satan masquerading as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14).
Cessationists cite 1 Corinthians 13:8-10 to support their theology, however, Paul’s context is not regarding the completion of the apostolic age, but rather, the age to come, which is when Jeus returns. It is obvious that our current age still sees as a reflection and knows only in part. We will remain imperfect until perfection comes.
Cessationism also imposes limitations upon God that conflict with His pattern of communication with mankind throughout history. This inconsistency stands in opposition to God’s declaration that, “I the Lord do not change;” (Malachi 3:6) and the proclamation in Hebrews 13:8. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Furthermore, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that is given to all believers as a deposit on their inheritance in God’s kingdom (Ephesians 1:13-14; 2 Corinthians 1:22, 5:5) places the voice of God within us. This is confirmed by Acts 2:16-17, which states, “In the last days, God says, ‘I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.’”
The Bible promises that the Holy Spirit will always be with believers. “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him or knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17). Scripture never implies that the Holy Spirit is silent.
We also know that the Holy Spirit speaks through us (Matthew 10:20; Acts 2:4; 16:6-7; 20:22-23) and to us: “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.” (John 16:13).
CONSISTENCY IS CRUCIAL
Consistency is crucial when we consider the ways that God speaks to people. God never contradicts Himself, therefore, when we believe that God is speaking to us, the message must always be congruent with His word. Jesus declared, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.” (Matthew 24:35), and Isaiah 40:8 says, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” Scripture remains the standard by which we measure all prophecy.
One often overlooked detail regarding the written word is that it has its origin in the spoken word. The oral traditions of the Hebrew culture preceded the written scriptures and were considered trustworthy before writing, therefore, when God speaks to us now, He still speaks with authority. He is the author and perfector of our faith.
When we believe that the Lord has spoken to us, it is incumbent upon us to test what we heard against the written Word. We must hold what we have heard tentatively and humbly until it has been confirmed through multiple avenues, including: scripture, circumstances, or other authentic and trustworthy believers.
There is nothing extraordinary about questioning whether it is God speaking to us or not. Even renowned people in the Bible, who had experienced supernatural events, had doubts at times. When God told Gideon to go up against the Midianites, “Gideon replied, ‘If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me.’” (Judges 6:17).
And even after his offering to the Lord was consumed by fire, Gideon still left a wool fleece on the threshing floor and asked God to demonstrate His authenticity with it. (Judges 6:36-40). In 1 John 4:1, the disciple advises us, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
GOD SPEAKS TO US IN A STILL, SMALL VOICE
When God spoke to Elijah in the cave at Horeb, He wasn’t in the powerful wind or the earthquake or the fire. He spoke with a gentle whisper. God speaks to us in a still, small voice and we have to pay attention if we are to hear it. We must clear our space of all distractions and listen intently or we will miss it.
There are times when the Holy Spirit speaks through others, as was the case with Paul before he travelled to Jerusalem (Acts 20:22-23, 21:4, 21:10-11). God spoke though His prophets and through Jesus and through angels when He announced the birth of Christ to Zechariah and Mary (Luke 1) to Joseph (Matthew 1:20), and to the shepherds (Luke 2:8-14).
Today, people are experiencing visions of Jesus appearing before them in jail cells, hospital rooms and in their homes. He appears to Muslims, satanists and atheists. And the underlying message doesn’t contradict the Bible. The Lord is being glorified, the gospel is being reinforced and all nations are being blessed through Christ.
Paul teaches in Galatians 5:16-17 to live in alignment with the Holy Spirit because our sinful desires are in conflict with the desires of the Spirit. When we hear God’s still small voice, we must not confuse it with our own inner voice. The Holy Spirit will never advise us to do something that is misaligned with God’s desire for us.
In John 10:2-5, Jesus provides insight about hearing His voice: “The one who enters by the gate is shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for Him, and the sheep listen to His voice. He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out. When He has brought out all His own, He goes on ahead of them, and His sheep follow Him because they know His voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”
Humans were created as relational beings to have a relationship with God. Relationships require communication, and communication is a two-way street. When one participant in a relationship remains silent, all you have is a monologue, which cannot be construed as reciprocal communication. If Christianity is to be more than religion – to be a relationship with the living God – then communication is paramount to that relationship being healthy.
To say that God stopped talking when the apostles stopped writing is a weak argument. The Martyrdom of Polycarp, written by the church at Smyrna shortly after his death in about 155 AD, records the voice of God being heard as he entered the arena to be executed. No one saw who spoke but many witnesses heard the voice.
Those who assert that God doesn’t speak to people today simply won’t be spoken to. In the same way that our faith is crucial to receive miraculous healing, we must believe and not doubt if we want to hear from God. Jesus says in Mark 11:24, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
When we become still and listen, we can hear God speak to us. If we do all the talking, we’ll miss the message. King David wrote, “Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;” (Psalm 37:7). The Hebrew term here (Dāmam), means being silent or resting. Silence speaks volumes.
