I was teaching the youth group at my church about the origins and accuracy of the Bible recently. It was a bit of apologetics to help equip them. I think is so necessary not just for them but all of us. During this a question was raised:
Why is nothing being added to the Bible if God still speaks to us?
What a great question!
God does speak to us today but in a different way than He did during ‘Bible times’. Today He speaks directly to us through the Holy Spirit. There is no further need for written revelation to be collected into an authoritative source document. It’s funny (well not really!) but I often find conservative evangelicals like me get really nervous when we consider the Holy Spirit and how He works. Rather than ponder and celebrate the third part of the Trinity taking comfort in the fact that God speaks to us no matter how stupid we act sometimes, we just pretend it’s not there, like an elephant in a room.
How do we understand how God speaks to us?
But how are we to understand, biblically, the way God speaks to us today?
The Book of Acts is the key piece to understanding the change in how God reveals Himself to His creation and those who are His followers. Jesus said in Acts 1:4-5 and 1:8 that the Holy Spirit was coming as we see that happening on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. Once that happened, many things, including how God relates and speaks to us began to change.
We know about the Holy Spirit from Jesus’ teaching in the gospels. He goes into detail in John 14 and John 15 letting us know of this important provision for our spiritual lives. The Holy Spirit is not only described as a comforter but also called a ‘counselor’ or one who gives guidance and direction. Before the coming of the Holy Spirit God only spoke through prophets, priests and some leaders who would then relate what God had said. In the gospels we see this narrowing down into the group of disciples that Jesus lived with and taught for three years before releasing them to teach us. Now God speaks to us directly through the Holy Spirit. How AMAZING is that?
Does God still speak authoritatively?
Does this mean then God doesn’t speak authoritatively anymore? No, He still does. He can do that through pastors, Christian leaders, theologians and yes even through fitness trainers who are spirit-filled. Yet he doesn’t do it exclusively that way anymore. The resting place of God is not in a temple in Jerusalem anymore like it once was but now is in ANY who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and savior. We should listen for God’s voice in our own lives and not rely solely on ‘holy men’ because that’s nothing more than spiritual laziness. Paul encourages us that since we live by the Spirit, we should do everything we can to keep in step with the Spirit (Gal.5:25). We keep in step by listening for the voice of God, because He DOES speak. Then we act on it through the strength of the same Holy Spirit who lives within us.
What does this mean for we who are passionate about fitness and Jesus? Like a great coach or trainer God doesn’t leave us hanging but we do have to listen and apply what He teaches us through the Holy Spirit. May this also be a reminder to we who have the call to coach and lead, to listen first and speak second.
So, to go back to the original question that got this thought process going, God no longer needs to add to the Bible because He can speak directly to us. When you think about it, this is a pretty amazing (and sometimes a bit scary!) thing to consider. I leave you with this thought: if this is the case, are you listening to Him?
