Does the Bible Allow for Personal Revelations?
Does the Bible Allow for Personal Revelations?
If you asked any Christian---Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant or non-denominational---where they received their beliefs, invariably they would tell you from the Bible, the Word of God. They may explain that Christianity as a religion, is based upon the life, death and teachings of Jesus Christ. While His coming was foretold in the Old Testament, the apostles of the New Testament confirmed his life and influence, preaching His message even after He died. Yet the pages of the Bible are inerrant, living and accurate.
Perhaps put another way, the foundation of the Christian message is rooted in the Old Testament and articulated and confirmed in the New Testament.
Now, if you aren’t a Christian, you may not receive the Bible as God’s Word. However, if religious, you probably have your own set of inspired texts on which your religion is based. Heretical ideas are measured against that standard and any attempt to pervert it would be thrown out based on the inspired text.
So, if any lay member, preacher, or teacher came bringing an inspiration or revelation, you simply could know if it is true by measuring that against the standard, the Holy text of your religion. Measuring against a standard is the only way to separate true from the false.
“In any religion, if you misrepresent and twist foundational texts to fit your preconceived notions or presuppositions, it is a deceptive and damaging process.”
Identifying Counterfeits
One knows a counterfeit when it’s compared to the genuine article.
Specifically within the Christian world, there has been an endless parade of apostles, prophets, Elijahs, witnesses and “inspired preachers,” all claiming to have special insight which only they, and a small group of people have. These types of claims have trapped and confused thousands down through the years. Charles Taze Russell, Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, Mary Baker Eddy, Ron Hubbard, Herbert Armstrong, David Koresh and many others are just a few examples who all claimed extra biblical inspiration which they mixed with Christian theology. Unfortunately these counterfeits have caused spiritual, emotional and sometimes physical wreckage as a result from bad theology.
So we could ask: “Is there room for extra-Biblical revelations in Christian theology?” In other words: Would God reveal additional, divinely inspired truth secretly to a single person, after He had already revealed Truth to the world through Jesus Christ and the biblical apostles?
Since I approach this topic from a Christian worldview, my first place to look is in its pages.
Jude 1:3 - Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
Titus 1:3 - But hath in due times [NIV: now at His appointed season---During His life] manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour;
Colossians 1:23 - If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
Revelation 1:1 - The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
Mark 16:15 - And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Romans 15:19 - Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.
Romans 16:26 - But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:
Ephesians 1:9 - Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
Ephesians 3:5 - Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
These verses, (and many others) suggest that the Gospel was given to God’s servants [plural] and they preached it in its entirety during their lives. This was continued after His death and they preached it to every creature (or everywhere they went). Christians (the saints) no matter when they lived, have had the full Gospel delivered to them by Christ. He made it known at His first coming, which was recorded in the Bible and we all have equal access to it. There simply isn’t room for someone to come 1,900 years later and add to (or subtract from) what was already delivered. According to the Bible, Jesus Christ, a literal God walked among men, revealing His message. There is no man who could measure up to that standard and modifying that message.
Cults Always Claim Special Revelations
The hallmark of heretical belief is when a religious leader claims that God speaks solely to them and only they can uniquely reveal “true knowledge.” Sometimes these leaders claim “God working with me,” “we are learning new truth” or “we are seeing something the apostles wouldn’t have understood.” This is simply justification to alter the message of Jesus Christ.
The Bible contains God’s complete message and cannot be added to by personal revelation, historical presuppositions, extra-Biblical ideas, or independent personal divine inspiration. When someone does so, they have automatically started building on a “different foundation,” other than Christ. This was addressed as a “foundation of sand” in Matthew 7:24-27. Once alternate ideas creep in and change the Gospel., it’s obvious the teacher has nothing to do with the Christian God.
I think it’s good to consider beliefs that challenge your own, however, beware of those who manipulate biblical texts and weaponize religion for their own means.
In any religion, if you misrepresent and twist foundational texts to fit your preconceived notions or presuppositions, it is a deceptive and damaging process. In the Christian religion, the book of John carefully calls Jesus Christ the “Logos,” meaning the “literal Word of Truth.” If one distorts this word, nothing good could come from such a system.
When weighing the arguments and teachings of any religious leader, measure their words against the only yardstick that matters, Jesus Christ and arm yourself against their twisted personal revelations.