My husband and I are currently facilitating a discipleship class at our church. We have taken this class before almost two years ago. One of the questions in the homework material caused me to we write a super long response and I decided to turn it into a blog post. Does God speak to people as clearly today as he did in biblical times? My answer to this question was basically the same as the first time we took this class but this time I was able to expand on my answer more throughly.
When I look at the Old Testament I see that God only spoke to a select few. The majority of people in scripture weren’t hearing God’s voice or able to be in direct contact with him. He spoke to Adam and Eve in the garden, warned Noah about the flood, called Abraham to be the father of a nation, and gave Moses the Ten Commandments. These are just several of the examples of who God spoke with directly. God reached out first and desired a relationship with his chosen people.
I have personally never had a burning bush experience like Moses did but that doesn’t mean God doesn’t speak to me. The bible is God’s written word and it has convicted me deeply by revealing sin in my heart and calling me to repentance.
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
In the Old Testament and up until the death of Jesus the bible explains about the temple and how this huge curtain was hung in order to divide God from the outside world. The curtain separated the Holy of Holies which is were God’s presence resided on earth. Very few people had access to God in the Holy of Holies. God is setting the plot of his story up for the ultimate redemption by showing with the curtain that man is separated from God by sin. Only the high priest was permitted to pass beyond this curtain once each year to enter into God’s presence for all of Israel and make atonement for their sins by offering an unblemished sacrificial lamb.
When Jesus died the need for the curtain was no longer necessary. The curtain being torn signified that now the way into the Holy of Holies was open for all people, for all time, both Jew and Gentile. Sin offerings were no longer needed because Jesus himself was the ultimate sacrifice.
Jesus, being both fully God and fully man, came to communicate with his creation because he desired a relationship with them. Jesus came to call us out of our sin and into his holiness and grace. Jesus is crucified and he becomes the sacrificial lamb and the ultimate high priest. After Jesus ascends into heaven the Holy Spirit comes.
“But the advocate the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all the things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 14:26
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23
When I speak and act in ways that I know can only be described as the Holy Spirit working in and through me I hear God speaking clearly.
When I react with kindness instead of hate, I hear God.
When peace instead of worry blankets my spirit, I hear God.
When I love another mothers child like they were my own, I hear God.
Anytime I see the Lord at work in the life of myself or of another believer I hear God clearly speaking to me. Showing me his goodness and revealing how powerful the gospel is to transform lives.
The people in biblical times didn’t have copies of the bibles accumulated in their homes. They were living what would later be written about to encourage and edify others who were to come after them.
Living in the United States and reading about the persecution of my brother and sisters in Christ around the world is horrifying. As is knowing that there are still nations that do not have a printed copy of the gospel in their own language. I realize I am blessed to be able to study the bible freely, to go to church without fear of being persecuted, and to have a copy of the bible in a language I can read. I used to take these things for granted but I don’t anymore.
I have discovered that the best place to hear God speak is through the Bible and by seeking out mature believers to help me clarify my thoughts and opinions and align them with scripture. It is dangerous to base what you think God is saying on one verse instead of in the context of the passage of scripture you are reading and without learning what was happening in the culture and at that time in history.
I am thankful for the bible, my church, and community of believers that God has surrounded me with. God does speak clearly today we only have to seek him.
