God speaks to us through the bible. It is the Word of God. Many Christians are devoted to the bible and that is good.
But does God only speak to us in the words of scripture?
The bible is our anchor and foundation. We need to find the answer to this question in the bible itself.
What does the bible tell us?
God occasionally speaks in an audible voice. Samuel was a child when he heard the voice of God. He thought it was the voice of his guardian Eli, the High Priest.
Saul was a zealous orthodox Jew who persecuted Christians until he heard the audible voice of Jesus.
In the stories of Samuel and Saul (who became the Apostle Paul) the voice of God was certainly audible. In other stories, it is not always quite as clear whether God’s voice was heard by the natural ear.
When God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, it is not clear whether God’s voice was audible. However, when the Angel of the Lord called out from Heaven to spare Isaac’s life, the voice of God seems to have been audible.
Then he reached out his hand. He took the knife to kill his son.
But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven. He said, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am," Abraham replied.
"Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you have respect for God. You have not held back from me your son, your only son." Gen 22:10-12 NIRV
When God appeared to Moses in the form of fire in a bush, God called out to Moses from the bush, obviously in an audible voice.
So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." Exo 3:4 NKJ
When Jesus was baptised, God spoke from heaven, not only to Jesus, but to everyone present.
And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Mt 3:17 NKJ
Many times in the Old Testament, prophets received verbal messages from God, which the prophets passed on in spoken or written form. We are not told if God spoke in an audible voice, but in many cases probably not.
It appears in the bible that God often communicates in words, both through the words of scripture and through words spoken in the form of thoughts from God’s mind to human minds. The audible voice is much less common.
I have never heard God’s voice with my ears, but some people have.
Some people believe that after the text of the New Testament was complete, God ceased to speak in words other than quoting from the Bible.
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
Clearly, anyone claiming to have received additional holy scripture is in big trouble. The Book of Mormon readily springs to mind.
On the other hand, Jesus said we as believers should hear His voice, in order to understand his directions and follow his leading.
"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. Jn 10:27 NKJ
Some of the most fruitful followers of Jesus have received specific directions from God to go to this or that country or city. Hudson Taylor did wonderful things in China.
Jackie Pullinger transformed terrible slums in Hong Kong with the power of God.
You cannot find directions in the bible to go to South Africa, China or Brazil.
Modern evangelists have received directions from God to use radio or television, which were not even dreamed of by the human writers of the bible.
The idea that God is not allowed to communicate to us outside of bible texts is absurd and simply not practical.
But does God only speak to us in the words of scripture?
The bible is our anchor and foundation. We need to find the answer to this question in the bible itself.
What does the bible tell us?
God occasionally speaks in an audible voice. Samuel was a child when he heard the voice of God. He thought it was the voice of his guardian Eli, the High Priest.
Saul was a zealous orthodox Jew who persecuted Christians until he heard the audible voice of Jesus.
In the stories of Samuel and Saul (who became the Apostle Paul) the voice of God was certainly audible. In other stories, it is not always quite as clear whether God’s voice was heard by the natural ear.
When God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, it is not clear whether God’s voice was audible. However, when the Angel of the Lord called out from Heaven to spare Isaac’s life, the voice of God seems to have been audible.
Then he reached out his hand. He took the knife to kill his son.
But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven. He said, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am," Abraham replied.
"Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you have respect for God. You have not held back from me your son, your only son." Gen 22:10-12 NIRV
When God appeared to Moses in the form of fire in a bush, God called out to Moses from the bush, obviously in an audible voice.
So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." Exo 3:4 NKJ
When Jesus was baptised, God spoke from heaven, not only to Jesus, but to everyone present.
And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Mt 3:17 NKJ
Many times in the Old Testament, prophets received verbal messages from God, which the prophets passed on in spoken or written form. We are not told if God spoke in an audible voice, but in many cases probably not.
It appears in the bible that God often communicates in words, both through the words of scripture and through words spoken in the form of thoughts from God’s mind to human minds. The audible voice is much less common.
I have never heard God’s voice with my ears, but some people have.
Some people believe that after the text of the New Testament was complete, God ceased to speak in words other than quoting from the Bible.
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
Clearly, anyone claiming to have received additional holy scripture is in big trouble. The Book of Mormon readily springs to mind.
On the other hand, Jesus said we as believers should hear His voice, in order to understand his directions and follow his leading.
"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. Jn 10:27 NKJ
Some of the most fruitful followers of Jesus have received specific directions from God to go to this or that country or city. Hudson Taylor did wonderful things in China.
Jackie Pullinger transformed terrible slums in Hong Kong with the power of God.
You cannot find directions in the bible to go to South Africa, China or Brazil.
Modern evangelists have received directions from God to use radio or television, which were not even dreamed of by the human writers of the bible.
The idea that God is not allowed to communicate to us outside of bible texts is absurd and simply not practical.
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