If You Will Diligently Listen: Hearing God's Voice in Scripture
This post was written by Michael W. Sciarra, the author of one of our releases, If You Will Diligently Listen. If you enjoy what you read, you can get your copy today:
It was a rainy Los Angeles winter day. I was in the basement of a theological library, studying views opposed to my own. It laid me low and grieved my soul. As I ascended the steps out of the building it was as if I had emerged from a dungeon. My soul was dragging. I was weary and discouraged.
I had been exposed to harmful teachings, and my soul needed a deep clean. I reached into my backpack for my goatskin Bible. First, I turned to John 8:43. Jesus said, “Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear my word.” Next, John 10:27-30, then John 14:21-31, and finally, John 18:37, where I heard Jesus saying, “Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”
When we are exposed to lies, nothing helps so much as to meditate on the greatness and glory of Christ in the Word.
I needed my mind to be recalibrated, lifted out of the muck. I needed to hear glorious gospel truths that first set my soul free in 1982, singing in the college choir of the First Baptist Church of Downey, desperately wanting the lyrics to be true in my life.
There are widely popular and deceptive false teachers today, standing in opposition to Scripture’s authority and sufficiency, claiming God speaks apart from Scripture.
Proponents will say the Bible is inspired and inerrant but will not declare it fully authoritative and sufficient. This idea has permeated the evangelical, confessing church, tripping up the unsuspecting, leaving them emotion-driven and disappointed when things don’t work out.
I want to engage a common teaching in evangelicalism today regarding how Christians are to “hear God’s voice.” As commonly taught, God’s voice is either inaudible speech or impressions given by the Holy Spirit during times of quiet personal prayer. The prevalence of “hearing God’s voice” or “listening to God”—apart from Bible reading, study, and meditation—and the abuses of such teachings make this exercise necessary.
The voice of God is the Bible. We hear God’s voice in Scripture alone. In the Word we see the glory of Christ most clearly. God illumines our minds as we meditate upon His Word. God gives us the sweetest fellowship with Him by His Spirit as we ingest the Word, believing and practicing it. Anything beyond this leads us into dangerous, uncertain territory.
The Holy Spirit does indeed teach, guide, and protect believers by speaking to them in the written Word.
The ultimate goal in hearing the true voice of God is to behold Christ’s glory, which eclipses all rivals. When you cherish Christ, you cherish His Word.
I pray God uses this to encourage the faithful, and to keep well-meaning believers from falling prey to lies. For the skeptical, thank you for being willing to hear a different perspective.
If you like what you’ve read so far, you can order your copy of Michael W. Sciarra’s If You Will Diligently Listen, at this link:
I advocate for a renewed commitment to Scripture’s sufficiency and authority, which results in Christ’s glory, blessing for the church, and robust witness to the world. With all my heart, I want every Christian to handle and understand the Word accurately, to know what the Spirit has said to the church.
I will never forget teaching on this subject at Central Africa Baptist University in Kitwe, Zambia, in early 2023. Opportunities for training are not as plenteous there as in the States, and pastors from different theological persuasions were in attendance. It was obvious who agreed, and who did not. At one point, an earnest young man stood up and boldly declared his opposition to what I was teaching. It was a friendly environment; I encouraged questions and comments, and I appreciated his honesty. From across the room an older gentleman raised his hand and asked permission to address the young man. I nodded in agreement. What happened next was beautiful: the older man stood up, looked across the room at the younger man and said, “I do not think I am better than you, but you are wrong.”
I also do not think I am better than anyone, but I am convinced that many are wrong. I sincerely hope they would change their ways and agree with God: we hear His voice in the written Word of God alone.