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November 18, 2024

Q & A: Does God Still Speak?

by Jason Neill

Scripture reading: Acts 17:10-15 (especially verse 11); 2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 1:1-4

A few weeks ago, I asked if anyone had questions about the Christian life, theology, or the Bible. I received quite a few questions and will address the first one today.

Question: People frequently say they hear God saying (blank) or speaking to them. I don’t hear God. What am I doing wrong?

Answer: This is an excellent question! Christians, of course, disagree on this question. Does God still speak today? I suppose it depends on what a person means by “speaks.” Does God verbally speak so I hear Him telling me to do so-and-so such as take this job? Marry this person? Go to this college? Buy this car versus that one? No, I don’t think He does.

The Christians I speak with who say God spoke to them usually mean they had some type of internal impression. The best way of articulating this impression might be something like a “gut-level feeling.” They didn’t report hearing a voice from Heaven but felt an impression to say or do something. In those instances, how do we distinguish between a “gut-level” impression and whether it was truly God. I think the answer gets fuzzy and isn’t so clear. For that reason, I don’t attribute those fuzzy feelings to God’s voice. I don’t because I have been wrong regarding my conclusion. The only time I know with certainty God has spoken is when I read the Bible. God has given us 66 books to search through, meditate on, pray over, and study diligently.

God speaks to us today via the Bible. If we want to know what God has said on a matter, we have the privilege of searching the scriptures to see what He said. What does God say about marriage and divorce? Read Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19, Mark 10, and 1 Corinthians 7. What does God say about drinking alcohol? Read Proverbs 23:29-35, John 2:1-11, and Ephesians 5:18. We should emulate the Bereans in Acts 17 by searching the scriptures to see what they say about a topic.

Granted, there are topics that are not addressed in the Bible. As mentioned above, what kind of job should I pursue? What college should I attend? Should I go to a trade school and learn a set of skills (i.e., become an electrician or a plumber) and bypass college? When it comes to questions like these, or other questions not specifically addressed in the Biblical text, then how do we make a wise choice? I think God gives us the ability to make wise decisions based on wise counsel from others and principles from scripture. If the job is not immoral or would cause you to live a life of disobedience to God, I think God allows us to choose. This may appear scary at first, but it should really be freeing. If I am trying to choose between job “a” and job “b,” and both are honest careers then God allows us to make the decision.

What about who to marry? If you are a Christian, then God only places two requirements on your potential marriage partner. First, they must be a Christian and second, they must be of the opposite sex (read 1 Corinthians 7). Beyond those two criteria, that leaves open a number of options.

So, no I don’t think you are doing anything wrong because you don’t hear God’s voice. Does God still speak today? Yes, if you mean you can read God’s words in the Bible. No, if you mean does He speak audibly like He did to Moses at the burning bush (read Exodus 3). On topics God has not spoken about in the Bible, we are encouraged to make wise choices based on Biblical principles. The book of Proverbs is especially helpful in providing wise counsel in making decisions. Indeed, you can read the entire book of Proverbs in one month (it has 31 chapters). Read a chapter a day, at the end of the month start over with chapter one on the first day of the new month. The book can be read 12 times in one year. If you cultivate this habit, I guarantee you will be wiser for it and will hear God speak to you because it is His very words.  

For more on this, I commend the following resources: Decision Making and the Will of God by Gary Friesen and God Doesn’t Whisper by Jim Osman.