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NASB | John 10:4 "When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 10:4 "When he has brought all his own sheep outside, he walks on ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice and recognize his call. |
Subject: How to teach people to hear God's voice? |
Bible Note: Angel, the passion you feel over this topic has caused you to stop thinking clearly. You have read much more into my post than warranted or intended. You have also covered a huge amount of territory in your own post. I just got out of the hospital a few days ago, so forgive me for my disinclination to respond at every point right now. However, 1. How does God communicate? No, God communicates with us in a variety of ways. The scripture, however, is "the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience." The Old Testament in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek are the only were "immediately inspired by God, and by his singular care and providence kept pure in all ages, are therefore authentic; so as in all controversies of religion, the church is finally to appeal to them." Furthermore, they are "the supreme judge, by which all controversies of religion are to be determined, and all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men, and private spirits, are to be examined, and in whose sentence we are to rest, can be no other but the Holy Scripture delivered by the Spirit, into which Scripture so delivered, our faith is finally resolved." 2. Personal experience? Personal experience is less authoritative than the Word itself, no matter how certain an experience seems. This is because I am fallible, prone to error, and easily deceived. Experience bears this out. 3. Hearing God's calling? "Hearing God's calling" is a separate issue. This is also not an audible thing, but another metaphor. We experience God's calling when He grants us the ability to see Himself and ourselves in the correct light. This can only happen by His divine and sovereign will and action. It is the only way we can accurately attribute value to God and to our own fallen nature. 4. Authority to limit? We do not have the authority to limit God. However, God has the authority to limit Himself, which He has done, for our own good. "It pleased the Lord at sundry times and in divers manners to reveal Himself, and to declare that His will unto His church; and afterward for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan, and of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing; which maketh the Holy Scriptures to be most necessary, those former ways of God's revealing his will unto his people being now ceased." 5. Dropping to our knees? Any correct understanding of scripture does exactly this. The Word can only be spiritually discerned. When it is properly understood, it drives us to our knees. This occurs in every way just as surely as Isaiah's experience in the temple, etc. I hope that this brief response helps to clarify the point. I further hope that my pain medications have not muddled my thinking too much and that I have accurately relayed the truth as best as I understand it. May God grant us even greater clarity as we submit to Him. In Him, Doc PS Regarding evaluating a claim: Brother EdB's tradition recognizes various supernatural communications from God. He has an incredibly sound and sensible set of Biblically based rules for validating such messages. Perhaps we can persuade him to post something on this here. This is a critical issue in our day, let us not be afraid to wrestle with it, regardless of our final theological points of view. |