Episode #76—Does God Speak to Us Today? Holding Scripture Tightly and Impressions Loosely

The question of whether God speaks to us today is one that often creates tension between different theological traditions. It touches on deep concerns about revelation, cessationism, and the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit. Yet perhaps much of the difficulty lies in our terminology and what we mean when we ask if God “speaks.”

First and foremost, God speaks to us through his revealed word. This is not a matter of debate amongst orthodox Christians. The Scriptures are inspired, preserved, and sufficient. As Sproul beautifully explained, theology itself means God (theos) making himself logical and understandable (logos) to us. His word is how he has chosen to reveal himself definitively.

God does not speak to us in an audible voice today. The era of Moses and Abraham, who heard God audibly, has passed. We are not prophets receiving new revelation to add to the canon of Scripture. God’s word is complete, and we must hold to it tightly—it is non-negotiable.

Yet to say that God only speaks through Scripture risks treating him as though he were mute. As our Father, and by his Spirit, God communes with us. After all, we speak of “communion with God,” and communion involves some form of communication.

This is where careful terminology becomes important. While God does not give us new revelation or inspired truth on par with Scripture, there is another kind of communication that we might call confirmation. Sometimes, God confirms things to us, his Spirit bearing witness with our spirit, giving us a sense of assurance that something is from him.

Consider a personal example: Years ago, after witnessing to a professed atheist for a long time, he finally accepted an invitation to church. Later that day, while driving on the freeway, there came an overwhelming sense of assurance—”I think God’s about to save this man.” And indeed, that Sunday, he was converted. This was not a new revelation, but rather God giving a real assurance about what he was doing.

Such experiences require careful handling. When dating my wife, Jill, I had a strong sense while reading Psalm 34:3—”Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together”—that we would one day magnify the Lord together as husband and wife. I held to that assurance for years, even when she made it clear she was looking for someone else.

But here’s the crucial point: While I was sure of that impression, I also came to a place where I thought, “Lord, even if this doesn’t work out, I’m still going to serve you.” There was an overall assurance, but also an acknowledgement: I might be wrong.

This is the key difference. We hold such impressions with a loose hand, recognising we may have misunderstood. But when it comes to the word of God, we hold that tightly. It is inspired, it is certain, and we can hang onto it without negotiation.

The real danger comes when people say, “God told me,” “God instructed me,” or “God showed me this,” and then treat those impressions as though they carry the same weight as Scripture. If the thing doesn’t come true, who gets blamed? It is far safer to say, “Lord, I’m convinced about this, but I don’t know your will completely. Whether it happens or not, I’ll still serve you.”

We must avoid making our experiences the litmus test for others. Not everybody has to have dramatic assurances or impressions. Sometimes, God communes with someone in a particular way because of their circumstances and his knowledge of their needs. But the normal way of knowing God’s will is found in Proverbs 3:5–6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” As we obey and surrender to him, God opens doors and sheds light.

Much of discerning God’s will is straightforward. Interested in marrying someone who isn’t a believer? God’s word is clear: Don’t do it, no special impression needed. Deciding whether to move to another country for ministry? Consider the circumstances, the open doors, your willingness to go—you don’t necessarily need a Macedonian vision beyond the biblical command to preach the gospel wherever you go.

Another vital way God speaks is through the people of God. In a multitude of counsellors there is wisdom. Consider the question of calling to pastoral ministry. Yes, there must be desire, a sense of compulsion, appropriate gifting, and godly character. But a huge confirmation comes from the congregation. If you’re saying “God’s called me to pastor,” but the church is saying “No, he hasn’t,” you should listen. Much damage has been done by men claiming God’s call while the congregation sees no evidence of it.

We shouldn’t be surprised when the Spirit moves. Recently, a friend in India came to mind during prayer. A quick message—”Praying for you, brother”—was sent. His reply: “How did you know I was going through a hard time?” The Spirit often prompts us to pray for people at just the right moment. When you sense you should pray for someone, do it. Even if it’s not directly Spirit-prompted, it’s still not wrong to pray.

The caution is this: Don’t assume every thought you have is Spirit-induced. That can lead to a strange mysticism and become dangerous. But equally, don’t live as though the Spirit never prompts or leads at all.

God also speaks powerfully through the preaching of his word. Many have sat under a sermon and thought, “How did he know what I was struggling with?” The Spirit takes the faithful exposition of Scripture and applies it to hearts in diverse ways. This isn’t the preacher adding to Scripture—it’s the Spirit using the word preached to speak to particular needs.

Every week, a faithful preacher should pray, “Lord, give me the burden of the word.” The exegetical work must be done, the passage explained accurately, but what is the particular burden behind this text for this congregation? God then takes that faithful preaching and uses it in ways the preacher may never fully know.

There are dangers on both sides of this question. On the Reformed side, there’s the risk of dead orthodoxy—sound doctrine but no room for the experiential. The Puritans understood “experimental Christianity,” and we do well to recover that balance if we’ve lost it.

On the Pentecostal or Charismatic side, the danger is treating every thought as God-given, living in a constant battle of, “Is that God or is that my mind?” This bypasses the mind that God has given us and can lead to instability.

In Acts 16, when Paul wanted to go to one region but “the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them,” what did that look like? We don’t know exactly. But we shouldn’t relegate such experiences only to New Testament times. The Spirit still forbids, keeps, leads, and guides us today. He communicates with us to do this and not that.

Understanding cessationism is important—the canon is closed, revelatory gifts have ceased, new Scripture is not being written. But if cessationism means there’s no allowance for God to impress upon us certain directions, to lead us through his Spirit, to give assurance about his purposes, that goes too far. We must be careful not to box in the Holy Spirit, or we risk spiritual death.

So does God speak to us today? Yes, he does. Definitively and authoritatively through his word. Normally through obedience, circumstances, and the counsel of his people. Sometimes through impressions and assurances that we hold carefully, testing them against Scripture and holding them with a loose hand. Always through his Spirit, who leads, guides, and applies his word to our hearts.

The key is qualifying everything by Scripture. God will never contradict his written word. His impressions will never add to it. But his Spirit is alive and active, communing with his children, bearing witness with our spirits that we are his.

We need both sound doctrine and experiential reality. We need minds saturated with Scripture and hearts sensitive to the Spirit’s leading. We need the confidence of God’s revealed word and the humility to say, “I may be wrong about this impression.”

Above all, we need to trust in the Lord with all our hearts, not leaning on our own understanding, but in all our ways acknowledging him. As we do, he will make our paths straight—speaking to us through his word, by his Spirit, in ways both ordinary and, occasionally, remarkably confirming.