Beware of those who say, “God told me this or that!”

Pastor Robert L. Taylor
Nov 1
2 min read

This teaching answers the question, “What is a Biblical prophet?” There’s a difference between prophesying using the Scriptures and being a prophet speaking directly from God. According to Ephesians 2:20, New Testament prophets served as the foundation of the church. They spoke directly from revelation given by God. Once this foundation was laid, and with the New Testament complete, the unique role of apostles and prophets for the purpose of laying the foundation is understood to have ended. There are no more prophets. Biblical prophesying using the Scriptures is considered a gift that can be exercised by any believer. It is described as speaking inspired words to build up, encourage, or comfort others (1 Corinthians 14:1-4). This is what John has in mind when he writes “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10). In other words, all true prophecy bears witness to Jesus Christ. Biblical prophesying is not only rooted in the gospel of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus; its ultimate aim or primary focus is also to bear witness to the person of the incarnate Christ. New Testament prophecy, therefore, is fundamentally Christ-centered. Whenever a person claims to be speaking for God (the essence of prophecy) the key is to compare what is said with what the Bible says. John instructs us, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). So, whenever we hear, “God told me this or that,” our response should be the same. Compare what is said to what the Word of God says. If it contradicts the Bible, throw it out. If it agrees with the Bible, pray for wisdom and discernment as to how to apply the message (2 Timothy 3:16-17; James 1:5). Be encouraged!