Answering the Mystics

In reference to believers who claim an inside track or hear God's voice: I suggest this disclaimer, I do not doubt the validity of these episodes nor the veracity of the witnesses to God's audible voice, but what I question is, is their motives and spiritual maturity.  Mystics are those who interpret God's Word or His will by their experiences rather than their experiences by the Word of God.  There are flaky Christians out there and many seem to get into the act--I have seen many in mental hospitals who hear voices and end up "cured."  We test our experience by the Word, not the Word by our experience.

I used to be in a church where believers  commonly said that "God told them, this or that."  I don't see any precedent in the Scripture that warrants a special class of believer that doesn't need to read the Bible to have God speak to him--and I don't mean having an existential experience like goosebumps, chills down the spine, or a burning in the bosom.  God spoke to Samuel the prophet through the Word as it says in 1 Sam.3:21 as follows:  "...and there He revealed Himself to Samuel through His Word." It seems that the way it works is that we must accept God's Word first and not expect special messages or a special pipeline, as it were, to God, that others don't have.  I am not precluding God's prerogative to speak to us any way He chooses--He can use the air vent if He wills--but He has ordained His Word to be His focus.

The trouble with people speaking to individuals is that they get puffed up as being an elite Christian or a special class of privileged ones.  If we have an experience with God, it is meant to be between us and God and not to brag about as to promote ourselves or seem like we are "closer" to God.  What pleases God is faith, according to Hebrews 11:6:  "For without faith it is impossible to please God."

Now Paul experienced more than any other Christian and had bragging rights you might say, even having been caught up to the third heaven--but he didn't willingly admit this, but was forced to.  God didn't answer his prayer to remove his "thorn in the flesh" to keep him humble and said, "My grace is sufficient for you..."  My conclusion is that some of us have been given great minds and God expects us to use them and we should not compare ourselves with other believers according to 2 Cor. 10:12, nor commend ourselves and feel inferior; we are all individual works of God for His purposes.

I would rather have great faith and a great mind than just have some existential experience or hear "voices" from above--which, by the way, can be duplicated by Satan and some people are really fooled by the voices of spirits and mislead into heresy. It's not wrong to hear from God audibly, but that is not normative, We shouldn't depend upon it nor expect it.  If one hears from God he should be able to quote Him word-for-word and not have any doubts that it is God--does it line up squarely with the Word?

God always confirms His Word--He's not going to tell you some personal message that isn't verified by other witnesses, the Word, or circumstances (cf. Isa. 44:26; Jer. 1:12).  That's the litmus test! Also, Isaiah 8:20 says that if they speak not according to the Word, it is because they have no light in them.  The problem is that they may very well be convinced God spoke to them, but how do we know that?  Soli Deo Gloria!