Authority and Inspiration

I understand that the intent in making a distinction between inspiration and illumination is to (rightly) safeguard the authority of Scripture. But a problem here is that it is the same Holy Spirit at work in both activities. And I think the Spirit is just as authoritative today as when the Spirit spoke in the past. We are not talking about a different Spirit!

One might think, “but the biblical authors were writing down God’s very words!” In a sense, this is true. At the same time, Luke says that he “carefully investigated everything” and that he “decided to write” about Jesus (Luke 1:3). For the most part, it seems the biblical authors, like Luke, did not know they were writing Scripture, and many didn’t even perceive that they were inspired by the Holy Spirit—this is something that the Church has discerned. And the Church and Christians continue to discern when and where God is speaking.

To be clear, I am not trying to downplay the authority of Scripture. I am simply making the point that the Spirit spoke through biblical authors and continues to speak today; and these two experiences are not as different as many might think.

The Holy Spirit and Prophecy

A couple of years ago at the Society for Pentecostal Studies, my colleague, Dr. Stephen Barkley, gave a presentation where he compared the experience of Old Testament (OT) prophecy with the experience of charismatic prophecy in Canadian Pentecostal churches today.

Barkley explained that when he asks people what the difference is between OT prophecy and contemporary prophecy, most people respond that they are very different, especially because the OT prophets are Scripture and therefore authoritative. One problem with this, Barkley observed, is that there is a coherence between the OT and today in how the person prophesying experiences the Spirit in receiving and giving prophecy. (Barkley’s work is now published in the book Pentecostal Prophets: Experience in Old Testament Perspective.)

I would add that another problem with the common response is that it is the same Holy Spirit that spoke through the prophets in the OT (2 Peter 1:21) that is still speaking through authentic (I emphasize authentic) prophecy today. So, they must both be authoritative!

Like what I said above about “illumination,” the problem here is that too many people, including Pentecostal pastors, want to distinguish the authority of the Spirit speaking in the past from the authority of the Spirit speaking to God’s people today. But…to reemphasize…it is the same Spirit.

When God Speaks

What I am really trying to say is that whenever God speaks, it is authoritative. So simple. So true.

I’ve thought this way for some time, but this hit me even more a few years ago when God made it clear to me that I needed to be willing to take on a new role at my workplace (and I wasn’t willing at the time). As I prayed, I was reminded that God is God, and I have no right to disobey God. For me, God was guiding me, and I had to obey God’s authority. It wasn’t in the Bible, but God was speaking to me.

Isn’t the Bible Special?

I remember N. T. Wright saying we can only speak of the Bible as authoritative if we mean the authority of God being exercised through Scripture. Or, one might say that the Bible is authoritative only because it is a place where God has spoken and continues to speak.

But if God speaks to me, isn’t that authoritative? Yes.

If God speaks through an authentic word of prophecy today, isn’t that authoritative? Yes.

Does this make the Bible equally authoritative to contemporary prophecy or to ways that God speaks to me? Yes and no.

On the one hand, yes, because whenever God speaks, it is authoritative. (I am only speaking of where God has clearly and certainly spoken.)

On the other hand, no, it is not “equally authoritative” in the sense that it is not canonical and, therefore, it is not authoritative for all people.

Authority and Canon

To put it another way, when God speaks through or to someone, it doesn’t automatically become part of the canon of Scripture. Something, even a writing, can come from God and have authority without becoming part of the Bible.

We know, for example, that Paul wrote letters that weren’t included in the Bible (1 Corinthians 5:9; Colossians 4:16). I don’t imagine that his other letters included any heresy. And I imagine that the Spirit was inspiring Paul as he wrote them. But they didn’t become part of the Bible.

Likewise, when the Spirit speaks today, it doesn’t make it canonical. To put it another way, when God speaks to an individual or through an individual today, it is authoritative for those to whom God is speaking. But it is not authoritative for the whole church. Therefore, it is not authoritative in the same way that the Bible is.

Side note: I’m sure someone will ask, what if someone gave a prophecy that was intended for the whole Church today? Could that become part of Scripture? Practically speaking, it could never happen. Plus, in retrospect, we realize that there were numerous criteria for what became part of the canon of Scripture (more info here).

Still Discerning

To be clear, this means that the Bible is still the final and absolute authority for belief and conduct. Moreover, any time someone claims that the Spirit is speaking through them (prophecy) or to them, it still needs to be evaluated in light of the canon (which means “measure”) and authority of the Scripture. At the same time, when we do discern that the Spirit has truly spoken, including through prophecy, it is authoritative for the person or people the Spirit has spoken to.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• Myth #1: “Prophecy is all About the Future”
• The Inspiration and Authority of the Bible
• When God Speaks Through Dreams…

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author/editor of six books, including Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit. He is a theology professor at MCS and Horizon College & Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

The post The Authority of the Spirit, Prophecy, and Scripture appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.