Basic Training: The Bible Is Sufficient - by Michelle Lesley

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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It has been some time since we have revisited our quest for a biblical explanation of cessationism. No one has seemed up to the task. So let's see how Ms. Lesley does in this article written about four years ago.

Remember, we require the cessationist to document his/her assertions with Scripture. Happily, Ms. Lesley will quote Scripture, but perplexingly, none of them speak to the point. 

In fact, it seems Ms. Lesley wanted to write a different article than the title indicates, for most of her presentation is taken up with attempts to debunk the idea that God speaks outside of Scripture. Precious little is about the sufficiency of Scripture or what that concept means.

For something entitled "basic training," one would expect to find some actual basics. Nope.

We discuss sufficiency in detail here.)

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God said to me…/I heard God say…

Listen for God’s voice…

God spoke to me in a dream…

God gave me a vision of…

We hear things like this non-stop these days in pop-evangelicalism. And it’s not just in the whack job Word of Faith or New Apostolic Reformation movements, or in Charismatic churches, either. These words are coming out of the mouths of regular, every day Baptists and Methodists and Lutherans and Presbyterians, too. It’s largely due to the infiltration of Word of Faith and New Apostolic Reformation false doctrine into our churches via a) “Bible studies” from false teachers like Beth Moore, Joyce Meyer, Priscilla Shirer, Christine Caine, Lysa TerKeurst and others and b) individual church members who feed on a steady diet of “Christian” television such as TBN, CBN, Daystar, and GodTV. Christians are getting the false idea that they need to hear, or should be hearing, God speak to them instead of trusting in the sufficiency of God’s word. (Ms. Lesley begins with a false choice. God speaking to someone does not come to bear on the sufficiency of Scripture.)

The theological term for “God spoke to me/showed me in a dream/etc.” is extra-biblical revelation– words or revelations, (A "theological term?" That seems a bit aggrandizing.)

supposedly directly from God, that happen outside the pages of the Bible. I’d like to share with you six reasons God’s word is sufficient, and extra-biblcal (sic) revelation is both unbiblical and unnecessary. (Yes, indeed. The biblical case. Tell us from the Bible.)

1. Extra-biblical revelation is not the method God has established for communicating with us.

Maybe you and I would prefer it if God would just talk to us and tell us, one on one, in no uncertain terms, what He wants us to do. But that’s not the way that God prefers to communicate with New Testament Christians this side of a closed canon. God chooses to communicate with us through His written word. (So we expect the following Bible quotes will back up this claim, but they won't.)

He says:

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. Hebrews 1:1-2

Let’s bear in mind, it is God Himself who breathed out these words. These verses are God speaking to us, and He says Scripture is enough (No, "profitable." This is a sign of a bad Bible teacher, switching terms.)

to make us complete and mature, and to equip us for everything He has for us to do. (After term switching from "profitable" to "enough," we actually would agree that Scripture is "enough." That's a good definition of "sufficient." But "enough" does not mean "ended," "nothing else," or "everything there is." 

The first quote tells us about the wonderful utility of Scripture. It does not tell us there is nothing else. It does not say that Scripture is exclusive. 

The second quote tells us that God previously spoke through the OT prophets, but in "these last days (our days)," He λαλέω, to utter or form words. "Speaks," not "spoke." The past tense of the English is not found in the Greek, so Jesus has not ceased speaking in the day in which we live, these last days. 

In fact, the very next verse tells us us His powerful word is still being spoken to sustain the universe.)

When we insist on “hearing God speak” outside of Scripture, we’re essentially saying, “God, I reject Your way and demand you do things my way instead.” (Imagine. Rejecting Ms. Lesley's faulty doctrine means we are rejecting God...)

Remember, God set up this whole Christianity thing, and He gets to make the rules, not us. (Yes, we would agree. But where in the two above Scripture quotes does it say God is not speaking outside the Scriptures? Well, it just isn't there. These Scriptures do not teach that God no longer speaks outside of Scripture. 

Indeed, God does make the rules. So let's take a quick look at the rule book:

1Co. 14:1, 3-5 Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy...

3 ...everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. 4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. 5 I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may be edified.

So if these verses also articulate "God's rules," then Ms. Lesley would need to explain why we should violate them, or how the verses should be harmonized.  She doesn't bother, she just makes bumper sticker statements.)

2. What makes you so sure it’s God who’s speaking to you?

Just because you have a feeling, an urge, or an intense experience doesn’t mean that was God speaking to you. Maybe it was Satan. Maybe it was your own wicked heart. Maybe it was a temptation to sin. Maybe it was just an old memory resurfacing. (Or maybe it was the Holy Spirit...)

How can you know, objectively (not based on your feelings, the intensity of the experience, etc.), beyond a shadow of a doubt, that it was actually God speaking to you? (How does Ms. Lesley know that her pastor is accurately preaching God's Word? How does she know Dr. MacArthur is telling the truth? How does she objectively know what anyone says about the Bible is true? 

That very same criteria is how a prophecy is to be judged. 

We use the Bible itself [2Pe. 1:20]. Prophecy never violates what God previously said. We also use discernment [1Co. 12:10]. And we also employ the counsel of the brethren [1Co. 14:29]. Their wisdom is crucial to weigh the revelation.

The Bible tells us how. 

Since we see through the glass darkly, prophecy is to be weighed, discerned, and tried. This is a basic biblical principle. And since pastors preach imperfectly, we do the same thing with their sermons.)  

And if you can’t know for sure it was God, (We can know for sure, just as we can know for sure if a pastor's sermon is biblical.)

why would you put your trust in whatever “He said” to you?

As Christians, we can irrefutably know God is speaking to us when we read His word because we know He is the author of Scripture.

3. Extra-biblical revelation is redundant and unnecessary.

Even those (most of them, anyway) who believe God still talks to people will tell you that God will never say something to you that contradicts His written Word. So why not just bypass the whole “God spoke to me” thing and go straight to the Bible? Or as Puritan John Owen put it:



(Ms. Lesley thinks she has a "gotcha." But this statement is just plain dumb. 

First, we are quite fortunate that the OT prophets did not believe this. And also that the NT writers didn't believe this. They had the Scriptures, but they still wrote down revelation. We are glad indeed.

Second, every Christian embraces extra-biblical revelation. Otherwise a pastor could not expound upon his insights into the Bible, he would only be allowed to quote Scripture. Christians read commentaries, listen to podcasts, and discuss all sort of things with one another. This is all extra-biblical information.

And, Ms. Lesley herself is engaging in a substantial irony by writing this extra-biblical article.

Third, every prophecy, including OT prophecies and NT writings, conform to what God already revealed. That does not make them needless.

Fourth, the Bible is repetitive. For example, Paul makes the same points over and over in his various letters. Many things in 1 and 2 Chronicles are repeated elsewhere. Would Ms. Lesley suggest that these repetitions are needless?)

As God Himself has told us in His written Word, the Bible is sufficient instruction for every situation in our lives. (Previously Ms. Lesley substituted "profitable" with "enough." Now she substitutes "profitable" with "sufficient." These words do not mean the same thing.)

We don’t need God to speak to us verbally. He has already spoken. Why aren’t we satisfied with that? (Because the Bible teaches the gift of prophecy, Ms. Lesley. It's not a matter of being satisfied, it's a matter of obeying Scripture.)

4. Insisting on extra-biblical revelation demonstrates a lack of trust in God and His ways.

(None of the following discussion demonstrates this claim. None of the quoted Scriptures speak to this. None of her commentary is relevant to it. Where Ms. Lesley gets this idea mystifies us.)

James 1:5 says:

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

And where do we get wisdom to handle the situations and decisions of life? Not from a voice from Heaven saying “do this” or “do that,” but from Scripture: (The quoted verse says to "ask God." But Ms. Lesley summarily dismisses the idea of God answering.

She now goes on to quote verses that acknowledge the value of the Word. No one who believes in prophecy would disagree with these verses, so their relevance to Ms. Lesley's argument is unknown.)

The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. Psalm 119:130

Let my cry come before you, O Lord; give me understanding according to your word! Psalm 119:169

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; Psalm 19:7

and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 3:15

We don’t need God to tell us what decision to make, we want Him to, because that’s easier than doing the hard work of digging into Scripture, studying the biblical principles that apply to our situation, making the best and most godly decision we can, and trusting God for the outcome. (False binary choice. There are other possibilities in addition to what Ms. Lesley provides.)

But that’s exactly what God wants us to do:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

(There is no mention of Scripture, prophecy, or extra-biblical revelation in this verse.)

When we honor and trust God by looking to His written word for the Holy Spirit’s guidance, He has promised to give us wisdom to make godly decisions and make our paths straight. (So let's try to follow the logic. Wait, we were about to outline the steps by which Ms. Lesley arrived at her conclusion. But we were unable to, since there is no logical progression of ideas. Ms. Lesley never explained why believing in the gift of prophecy means you don't trust God.)

5. What about being led by the Holy Spirit?

For some reason people often draw a distinction between being “led” by the Holy Spirit and studying the Scriptures He breathed out, as though they’re two different things. Studying, believing, and obeying the words the Holy Spirit inspired is being led by the Spirit. (Ms. Lesley's sparse biblical documentation now completely disappears. There is nothing in the Bible that tells us that being led by the Spirit is studying the Bible. Nowhere does God tell us that He will lead us by the Bible and the Bible alone. 

If we are led only by studying the Bible, then Ms. Lesley would need to explain this:

Ga. 5:25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 

And what about Ac. 20:22, Ac. 16:6, Ro. 8:6, Ro. 8:14, and Ga. 5:18? It takes a great deal of mental gymnastics to make verses like these fit into the author's premise.)

6. Extra-biblical revelation sets up a class system within Christianity. (This is an appeal to contemporary experiences, it's not a biblical argument. 

And, it's not even relevant. In fact, most charismatics acknowledge very clearly that giftedness does not speak to maturity.)

Why do some people “hear” from God and others don’t? The reason implied by the Christian leaders (or even your fellow church members) – who make sure you know they’ve personally heard from God – is that people God speaks to are, spiritually, a cut above. Special. More faithful. More favored by God than you are. (Yet again Ms. Lesley's documentation suddenly ceases. Her assertions are false.)

It’s like a carrot dangling in front of a horse. It keeps you buying their books, attending their conferences, following them on social media, hoping against hope that one day you’ll become one of the spiritual elite. (If Ms. Lesley is concerned about a "class system," we would wonder if she excessively esteems her pastor, or someone like John MacArthur. Is he spiritually "a cut above?" How many books has he sold? What is his net worth?)

But how does the idea that others are “hearing God speak” affect a Christian who isn’t hearing from God? (Continuing with a-biblical arguments...)

She starts thinking maybe God isn’t pleased with her. Maybe she’s sinning against God in some way. Maybe she’s not being faithful enough, praying enough, giving enough. Maybe God doesn’t love her. Maybe she’s not even saved. It turns her into a second class citizen of God’s Kingdom and causes her to covet something she doesn’t have and God never promised her. (None of these feelings are relevant to the biblical case. A person's inferiority complex is not a Bible argument.)

None of this is biblical. (Hm. Irony alert. The author is inventing a class of insecure, weak-faithed people, all apart from anything addressing the Bible.)

There are no first tier and second tier Christians. (The author continues to demonstrate her ignorance.

Ro. 14:1 Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters.

1Co. 12:24 But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it...

1Ti. 5:17 The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.

He. 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account.

Clearly there are those in the church who are more gifted, visible, and honored. This the way God has built his church.)

A lot of the people God actually spoke to in Scripture were hardly paragons of spiritual awesomeness: Balaam, Saul, and Moses, just to name a few. And God measures “spiritual awesomeness” not in strutting your closeness to Him before others, but in humility, servanthood, and crucifying self. (What? So God DOES measure "spiritual awesomeness?" We thought Ms. Lesley was attempting to establish the opposite!)

Ladies, God’s written Word is sufficient for our every need. We can trust that the words of Scripture are directly from the lips of God Himself. No one can say that with any certainty about extra-biblical revelation. Trust God to direct your paths and give you biblical wisdom to make godly decisions as you grow in the knowledge and understanding of His word. (Well, Ms. Lesley completely failed to connect the dots. It seems to us there must be missing steps in her reasoning, as if she presumes we know all this and she's just hitting the highlights to remind us. But as a biblical argument and "basic training," it's worthless and explains nothing.

Truly disappointing.)

Additional Resources

Where is it written that God doesn’t speak audibly any more? at Naomi’s Table

Listening to God Without Getting All Weird About It by David Appelt

How God Speaks To Us Today by Tim Challies