Why Beth Moore and Not Me? The Danger of Claiming to Receive Direct Revelation - by Erin Benziger

Originally found here. Reproduced here for fair use and discussion purposes. My comments in bold.

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It seems there is an ongoing debate between cessationists and those they deem to be not cessationist enough. Happily, the general dialogue seems respectful. This article appears to be written in pursuit of that debate, for it appears on the website that spends a lot of effort attempting to refute what it considers false doctrine.

My purpose here is not to defend Beth Moore, but rather to consider what the author offers as proof of her position. Read on:

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When God speaks, He does so with authority. He issues no 'lesser' revelation. (The author is establishing what she considers to be the opposition's position by making bare assertions. Let's see if she provides scriptural evidence.)

His words are full and final and they stand for eternity. (Here is her premise, but is what she says true? Is she correct on these points? She provides no scriptural support for the assertions, so we can rightly contest them. Indeed, she presumes what she sets out to prove that His words are "final.")

This is why His Word is so precious. It is unchanging, and it is the sole authority for the Christian. (Again, is the author 100% correct? Is the Bible "the sole authority for the Christian?" Well, no. What about government authorities? Human spiritual authorities? But again, these are bare assertions, which she needs to back up with evidence.)

In the Bible, God has revealed all that the Christian needs to know in matters pertaining to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). (I've noticed a trend among cessationist writers lately. They make an assertion about a Scripture without quoting it. Does the Scripture really say what is being attributed to it? Apparently it is left to me to quote it in full: "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." The reader will note that this Scripture says nothing about the Bible, and in fact appeals to "His divine power." 

She then attempts to connect this Scripture to a second one, as if they speak to the same issue:)

In this Word, He has revealed to us His Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is the Living Word (John 1:1) and He is the final Word (Heb 1:1–2). (Again the author attempts to force a concept onto a Scripture in order to establish her point. But here's the full quote: "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe." So, does this Scripture make the claim that Jesus is the "final Word?" Well, no. 

It is clear that Hebrews is equating the revelation of the prophets of old to the revelation of Christ so that the superior nature of His revelation is established. In fact, much of what follows in Hebrews expounds on the superiority of Christ as the revealer of God's purpose, as the sacrifice for sin, and positionally higher than the angels. When understood in context, we see that the author's claims are misinformed.)

Any claim that is made, then, that God continues to speak outside of His Word and deliver direct, personal revelation is one that must be considered with great seriousness. (This is certainly true.) 

After all, if God always speaks with authority, then such revelations must be perceived to be as inspired as Scripture. (This does not follow, and no one who believes in the gifts of the Spirit takes this position.) 

Any private prophecy, voice, dream or vision that is claimed to be from God must find a place in the back of our Bibles and our Bible 'reading plans' must be extended to include these words. Mustn't they? (No, not at all. We know that Jesus did many other things that were not written down (John 20:30, John 21:25). Would it be accurate to say that these things did not rise to the level of Scripture, since they were not included? Or what about 2Ch. 20:34, where we read, "The other events of Jehoshaphat’s reign, from beginning to end, are written in the annals of Jehu son of Hanani, which are recorded in the book of the kings of Israel." Here we discover that a number of events did not rise to the level of being recorded as Scripture.  

In 2Ch. 26:22 we find that the prophet Isaiah recorded some things but not others: "The other events of Uzziah’s reign, from beginning to end, are recorded by the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz." And why didn't the book of the annals find its way into the canon?  Es. 2:23 "And when the report was investigated and found to be true, the two officials were hanged on a gallows. All this was recorded in the book of the annals in the presence of the king." Can we ask, what happened to these scrolls upon which Jeremiah's wrote? Je. 51:60 "Jeremiah had written on a scroll about all the disasters that would come upon Babylon — all that had been recorded concerning Babylon."

We must conclude that some things rose to the level of Scripture, yet amazingly some of the miraculous signs performed by Jesus did not! The fact that this principle holds true today should not surprise us at all.)

For some, the Word of God as revealed in the 66 books of the Bible is not enough. (Of course it's not enough. We can't have a relationship with a book. The Word of God is a person.) 

These are those who find themselves on a constant quest for 'more'. (Biblically speaking, this is understandable. Jesus himself tells us we can have more. Lk. 11:13: "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Col. 2:2-3 says, "My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Obviously there is a deeper level of understanding and desire to press in to the fullness of Christ. What form that might take is another question, but nevertheless, the author's summary dismissal is unjustified.)

A deeper, more meaningful emotional experience coupled with an alleged 'word from the Lord' often offers precisely what the dissatisfied seeker desires. But what of the one who longs for such an experience, but does so in vain? What of the woman who finds herself in despair because 'God' is 'speaking' to her friend or favorite Bible teacher through divine nudges and dreams but is seemingly silent in her own situation? (This is unrelated to the matter at hand. The author is attempting to divert us from the topic by claiming that it isn't fair that one person would have revelation while another did not. This argument does not even pass the smell test. Is it fair that some people are saved and others are not? Some are rich and others are poor? Some are healthy and others are sick? Some can preach in front of the church while others are terrified at the idea? 

The fact of the matter is that some people don't listen, can't listen, or won't listen. Further, God moves in a variety of ways to accomplish His purposes. Has the author never read Ep. 4:7? "But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it." It is God who made us, and He equips us, gifts us, and empowers us according to His purposes. It is nonsense to impose a fairness test on God.) 

What are the dangers of claiming to be the recipient of direct, personal revelation from God? (This is not the question. The question is, what does the Bible teach about the topic. Further, what dangers there might be presumes the existence of the revelation, for which the Bible provides direction.)

Popular SBC Bible teacher Beth Moore is no novice when it comes to 'hearing' from God. In her book, The Beloved Disciple, she makes the following claim:

Beloved, I am convinced one of our severest needs is pure rest. Not only sleep, but refreshment and recreation. Recently God spoke to me about capturing what He and I are calling "Sabbath moments." Like many of yours, my schedule right now is particularly tough, and I see no time in the near future for a number of days off. God spoke to my heart one Saturday morning while I was preparing for Sunday school: "My child, in between more intense rests, I want to teach you to take Sabbath moments." I wasn't certain what He meant. Just that morning God confirmed His desire for me to drive all the way to the other side of Houston to the medical center to visit a patient with brain cancer. I was very thankful for the privilege of visiting this patient, but I knew in advance it would be tough emotionally and far from restful. Beth Moore, The Beloved Disciple, (B&H Publishing: 2003), 220.

In other places, Moore has claimed to have received a vision of the "church as Jesus sees it." And when God once said to her, "I’m gonna tell you something right now, Beth, and boy you write this one down, and you say it as often as I give you utterance to say it . . ." well, all Christians should have added those words to the back of their Bible. (An unsupported assertion.)

Beth Moore thus has claimed on more than one occasion to have heard from God outside of Scripture. To question Moore's words, then, is ultimately to question the God who allegedly spoke them to her.

That is why claims such as Moore makes in a recent blog post ought to be approached with somber consideration. In a January 2014 post entitled, "A New Year, A New Time," Beth Moore vaguely shares some future plans for her Living Proof Ministries. These changes, she says, are a result of God speaking to her heart in 2012 through the words of another teacher and reinforced by a God-given dream that she experienced one year later in November 2013. Writes Moore,

I have a simple truth on my heart this new year but it is washing over my soul like a waterfall.

I want to obey God.

In mid-November of 2012, God dropped a word so convicting on my heart through another teacher’s lesson that my face instantly burned. . . . This was the word:

"Stop sowing over and over in the exact same field." I wasn’t looking for it. I didn’t ask for it. I was happy where I was. Like many of you, I like things to stay the same. I loved my circle of relationships and the familiar places I got to serve. I’ve never lost a passion for those places and have often wept with thanksgiving to God for the privilege of walking through some of the same doors again and again. I have a history of long relationships and staying put and that’s how I like things. But I knew God was talking to me. It burned like a branding iron. Every single day for nearly 14 months, that same word has reverberated in my soul and troubled my feet. . . . Fast forward 12 months exactly to the most recent November. A year after hearing from God so clearly about sowing further than the field that I’d loved and served in for so long, I had a very disturbing dream. I can count the significant dreams I’ve had through the decades on one hand so I’m not prone to look for messages in my sleep to keep from having to actually pray and read the Bible. That God can speak through dreams is clear in our own Bibles, of course, but for many of us it is unusual. I don’t feel the release right now to describe the dream though I may someday. What I do feel is a strong compelling to share with you what I knew beyond a doubt it meant. I believe that I can either be obedient to God in the faith walk He is setting before me or He will take my voice. I do not feel that it was a rebuke. I felt that it was a warning."

According to Beth Moore, God has used a dream to warn her that He will "take her voice" if she does not comply with the word she allegedly received in 2012 to "Stop sowing over and over in the exact same field." Assuming for argument's sake that Moore's claims are true, and thus setting sola Scriptura (A doctrinal position that presumes its own correctness.) temporarily aside, the question may rightly be asked, "Why Beth Moore?"

Why has Beth Moore been chosen to receive such clear, direct and personal revelation from Almighty God? Why not me? (This seems so sad. A plaintive cry for which she does not know the answer.) 

Why not my best friend or my coworker? Why not my pastor? What has Beth done to warrant such special treatment? Nonsense questions, unrelated to the matter of the genuineness of the gifts. Has she not read Ro. 9:21: "Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?" Or this: Ep. 4:11 "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers..." 

But more to the point, most cessationists agree that the Holy Spirit is required to illuminate the Scriptures. Indeed, a couple of paragraphs later we discover that the author believes in the revelatory power of God, it's just that she draws the line in a different place.)

Herein lies one of the great dangers of these claims. While many Americans may claim that God has, at one time or another, spoken to them, the despair that can overcome a person who hears of these stories and has not had such an experience can be devastating. (It is truly astounding that the author singles out one thing as being a source of damage to people. And it's a bare assertion. Who exactly has been overcome by despair because they don't receive amazing revelations?)

Those who follow the teaching of Beth Moore greatly respect and revere her. They admire her and because of this, many undoubtedly strive to mimic her Christian walk. But what if some of those women, who long to be as spiritual as Moore appears, have not experienced such intimate conversations with God? What must they be doing wrong? What is lacking in their faith? (I presume the author tries to live a virtuous life. Some people might attempt to emulate her. She is a published author, writing with sufficient skill for her to be included on the Worldview Weekend website. There are probably many people who long to be gifted in that way. What about them? What are they doing wrong?)

The good news for those who have found themselves in this disheartened state is this: God has spoken to you. (Whoa, here it is. God has spoken to you! I thought some people were discouraged because they couldn't hear God like Beth Moore does. Now we find out that the author offered it as a red herring.) 

Do you own a Bible? If so, find it, open it and read it. There before you are the living and piercing words (Heb 4:12) of the one and only true God. These words are final, complete and sufficient. (She repeats her assertions but has not established them.)

They are God-breathed (2 Tim 3:16–17). Do not seek a temporary experience in the form of a voice, vision, nudge or impression. (Why not? The author has failed to bring any evidence at all that we should not do these things.)

Seek instead the pure and undefiled, objective truth of our holy God. Even the Apostle Peter, who witnessed the magnificent transfiguration of Christ, had this to say about God's Word: (Thankfully, the author actually quotes Scripture.)

"For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, "This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased"—and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.

"So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." (2 Pet 1:16–21)

The Christian need not seek for anything more than God has already graciously provided in His Word. This Word will never pass away. (Unfortunately, this conclusion does not follow from the quoted Scripture, and remains firmly in the growing list of unsupported assertions.)

For, "All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls off, but the word of the Lord endures forever." And this is the word which was preached to you. (1 Pet 1:24–25)

This Word is the only truth. "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth." (John 17:17)

This Word brings life. "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." (Rom 10:17)

This Word reveals to us the only thing that matters in this life and the next, namely, the Lord Jesus Christ. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." (John 1:1–15)

Do you know Him? You may come to know Him through His Word—His Word read, His Word taught and His Word preached. The Spirit works through this Word. (Again an acknowledgment of the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit.) Do not belittle it by setting it aside in pursuit of fleeting emotional whims. (She presumes that people who believe in the prophetic word are belittling the Scriptures. Like so many other things, she offers no evidence of this either.) Do not neglect so gracious a gift.