God Told Me (part 4)

For most of this week, I have been discussing the question of whether or not God still speaks, with local pastor Jim Samra’s book God Told Me as something of a conversation partner. And you don’t have to be incredibly astute to see that much of what I’ve written has been warnings and cautions. The idea that God would tell you something He didn’t tell anyone else is an incredibly powerful idea. If abused, it could lead to self-delusion or worse—deluding others. When God speaks, nothing else matters. So we had better be very, very sure it’s not anything less than God in the control booth.

In this last entry, I want to confront the subjectivity embedded in this discussion. When people say “God told me,” it usually means there was a feeling or sense involved, or an interpretation of specific events. Hearing an audible voice or appealing to logical argument or pointing to Scripture is more objective, easier to invite others to see for themselves. But how do you put an intuition up for examination?

Or what about that one time God answered my question with the very miracle I requested? None of its elements were miraculous; it could have just been a coincidence. So why trust my interpretation of events when another interpretation is possible—one where God didn’t “speak” after all? Isn’t that safer? Isn’t that more reasonable?

This is where it helps to have a healthy understanding of the conscience. The conscience is your internal moral barometer. Unlike Scripture or church history or a logical proof, the conscience is invisible, interior, and completely subjective. I can only ever have indirect access to your conscience, and you to mine.

But like Scripture or reasoning or the testimony of the church, I have a biblical responsibility to listen to my conscience. Think about it: something completely interior, invisible, and subjective is nevertheless a force that I am called to obey.

A few examples from Scripture that highlight this responsibility:

• “So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man.” (Acts 24:16)
• “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” (1 Timothy 1:5)
• “Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things.” (Hebrews 13:18)

I would even go so far as to say that pursuing a clear conscience is one of the core responsibilities of every Christian. Of course, your conscience isn’t always right, and if your conscience is in conflict with Scripture it’s your responsibility to obey the Bible anyway. But where the Bible is silent—even if it turns out you are wrong—you should follow the dictates of your conscience. (Consider Paul’s teaching on the weaker brother in both Romans and 1 Corinthians.)

Now, my point here is not that the feelings we might associate with God’s guidance are parallel, although maybe there’s a point to be made there. Instead, my point is this: if your conscience is telling you that God has spoken, shouldn’t you approach the situation the same way that you approach any other act of conscience?

In other words, if you’re sitting on a plane and feel the Holy Spirit is prompting you to talk with the person next to you, you don’t simply have that feeling to contend with. You also have your conscience telling you that you should obey this feeling. Once your conscience is involved, it’s a matter of doing what you must to keep a clear conscience.

As I wrap up this series, I want to make two more quick points:

First, I appreciate Samra’s teaching that just because someone claims that God told them does not mean they are above scrutiny. Anyone claiming to be following direct orders from God should be able to withstand interrogation. It may be that you have a chance to talk someone out of a mistake—or you may just get the chance to help them on their way. Don’t let “God told me” end the conversation!

And second, I did a Bible study of God’s will a few years ago, and what I found was that we are commanded to know God’s moral will, (as in that which God desires at all times for all people), but not to know what God’s historic will for the next step in your life will be. So again, even though I am once more open to God’s direct leading, I would caution anyone who thinks God requires us to figure out His plan for us ahead of time. God telling you what will happen next may likely be very rare, and that’s ok.

So, to recap:

• Seek God’s Word in Scripture above all. Treasure His voice there. God there first and last and in between. He is always speaking.
• Pray for wisdom and do everything within your power to get it. Study great people, investigate relevant subjects, ask people you respect for advice—do whatever is necessary to become the kind of person who makes good decisions.
• If you think God is leading you to do something, or if you want Him to provide such guidance, test everything by the Scriptures, seek wise counsel, pray earnestly, and follow the dictates of your conscience.
• Avoid saying “God told me” and instead speak with humble conviction about what you think God is leading you to do.

I think that about covers it. This has turned out to be a longer series than I expected, and even so it could have gone longer. I may come back and hit other angles separately, specifically the idea I mentioned earlier about how God relates to the world. I think this impacts everything in a powerful way.

In the meantime, thanks for sticking with me, and please let me know what you think!