How does God speak?

What the Bible says

The Bible does not present a silent God but a speaking one. God made the world by his word (Ps 33:6), spoke to human beings, and still speaks. Hebrews sums up the whole course in one sentence.

On many past occasions and in many different ways, God spoke to our fathers through the prophets. But in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son

Heb 1:1-2

First he spoke through the prophets, last of all through a Son. John calls this Son "the Word": "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us" (John 1:14). God's fullest word is not a voice or a sentence but a person, Jesus Christ.

That word was written down and handed on. Paul tells Timothy:

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness

2 Tim 3:16

Peter explains how Scripture came about: "no such prophecy was ever brought forth by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Pet 1:21).

God also speaks through creation. Psalm 19 sings, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands" (Ps 19:1). But this wordless witness does not tell the gospel, which has to be heard in words: "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ" (Rom 10:17).

Finally there is the Spirit. Before he left, Jesus promised:

However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come.

John 16:13

The Spirit opens the heart of the one who reads Scripture, makes Christ known, and "testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children" (Rom 8:16). That God speaks is clear. How that speech reaches us today is the question.

The church's witness

From the beginning the church believed that God speaks through Scripture, and it tested teaching by it. Matthew Henry says on 2 Timothy 3, "The Bible is a sure guide to eternal life" Matthew Henry. On Hebrews 1 he sums up the earlier ways, "sometimes by dreams, sometimes by visions," and then says the gospel revelation is "excellent above the former" Matthew Henry. In the Son the word reaches its fulfilment.

On the Spirit's guidance, Augustine comments on John 16:13: "The Holy Spirit both teaches believers now all the spiritual things which they are capable of receiving, and also kindles in their hearts a desire to know more" Augustine. The Spirit leads us deeper into the truth already given.

The church also knew early that discernment is needed. John warns, "do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God" (1 John 4:1). Matthew Henry comments, "The more pure and holy any doctrine is, the more likely to be of God" Matthew Henry.

In the original languages

"God-breathed" in 2 Timothy 3:16 is one Greek word, theopneustos (θεόπνευστος). It means "breathed out by God." The authority of Scripture rests on God, not on human religious genius, and one word confesses it.

The commonest Old Testament word for "word" is davar (דָּבָר). It can mean both what is said and what happens. When God says "Let there be light," there is light. God's word does not merely inform. It acts.

The word for discernment is dokimazo (δοκιμάζω), "to test, to prove." In 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21 Paul says not to extinguish the Spirit or treat prophecies with contempt, and in the same breath, "test all things." The verb was also used for testing the purity of metals. Honouring and testing go together.

Common objections

"Everyone claims God told them something." People contradict one another and all say "God spoke," and harm has been done in God's name. Sincere believers sometimes mistake their own feelings for God's voice, and Scripture knew the problem. In Jeremiah's day false prophets flattered the people, and Matthew Henry says on that passage that we should beware of treating our own visions and dreams as revelation from God Matthew Henry. So the Bible gives ways to test. Deuteronomy says that if a prophet performs a sign but urges other gods, "you must not listen" (Deut 13:1-3), and that a message that does not come true is one "the LORD has not spoken" (Deut 18:21-22). Isaiah sets the standard: "To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn" (Isa 8:20). Paul says even he or an angel must not preach another gospel (Gal 1:8). So a Christian does not simply accept "God told me." The claim is tested against Scripture, against the testimony to Christ, against its fruit, and by the discernment of the community of faith. Augustine observed that when heretics are rejected for their extravagance, they "try to defend themselves by this text" Augustine. This method does not settle everything, because people also read Scripture differently. But it does not treat all claims as equally true.

"If God really speaks, why can't I hear him today?" This is an honest question. People in the Bible were called by name, like Samuel, who answered, "Speak, for Your servant is listening" (1 Sam 3:10). Many people today do not. Here views differ.

Some hold that God's giving of new revelation ended with the apostles, and that God now speaks through Scripture, with the Spirit illuminating it. They point out that Hebrews says God spoke "in these last days" by his Son, and they fear that accepting fresh revelation would weaken the sufficiency of Scripture. Guidance comes through scriptural wisdom, prayer, counsel and circumstances, which they also regard as the Spirit's work. Other Christians believe the Spirit still speaks through prophecy, inward promptings, and sometimes dreams or visions. They cite Paul's "Do not treat prophecies with contempt" (1 Thess 5:20) and the way the Spirit directs the church in Acts, and they say that, so long as these things are tested by Scripture, they serve it and do not replace it. Catholic and Orthodox Christians, for their part, receive Scripture within the church's living tradition, which they believe the Spirit also guides, and read it in that light.

All these views share some things. Christ is God's final word, Scripture is God's word written, and no inner prompting can contradict it. And not hearing a voice is not evidence of lack of faith. God came to Elijah not in wind, earthquake or fire, but in "a still, small voice" (1 Kings 19:12).

"The Bible was written by people, so how can it be God's word?" The human authorship cannot be denied. The church does not deny it. It confesses that God spoke through human writing. Peter says men "spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Pet 1:21). As Christ came as a man, God's word came to us in human words. For how far this can be trusted, see Can the Bible be trusted?.

Going further

The surest way to hear God is to read the Scripture already in our hands. Jesus said, "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matt 4:4). The psalmist confesses, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Ps 119:105). For someone seeking guidance in a decision, James says, "he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault" (Jas 1:5).

You might ask yourself some questions. If I want to hear God, how much Scripture do I read? Have I ever tested something I felt was God's word against Scripture and the counsel of wise people? When God seems quiet, can I learn to wait?

To read further, see Who is the Holy Spirit?, How should we read the Bible? and Does God answer prayer?.