"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." (Heb 1:1-3 ESV)
Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me" (John 10:27-28 ESV). He also said to Born-Again Christians, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me" (Rev 3:20 ESV).
God has never ceased speaking. Contrary to the teaching of cessationists, God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb 13:8). The supernatural gifts He has give to the Church are available to every Born-Again Christian to build up, edify, encourage, strengthen, and restore (1 Cor 12:1-11). To deny their use today is to deny Jesus, the give of the gifts.
The Holy Spirit was given to help lead and guide us each day as we walk through this world (See Matt 10:19-20; Mark 13:11; Acts 16:6-7; 1 Cor 2:13). The Bible tells us that when we hear His voice, we should not "harden" our heart (Heb 4:7).
“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” (John 16:12-15 ESV)
How does He speak to us?
I often hear people say one of two things; that God speaks to them, or they wish God would speak to them. Those who say God directly speaks to them often pull the 'god card' to validate something they have done, or a message they have given, or the way they have interpreted (eisegeted) the Bible.
There is a teaching in the church today that the Greek word 'rhema' is the spoken Word 'from' God to people today, and the Greek word 'logos' is God's written Word as we have in the Bible. This generation is made up of biblically illiterate people who are imposing the "rhema" words of NARcissistic "spiritual" leaders who will not be questioned as they build their religious caste system from the top down.
This lazy illiteracy has caused the belief that a 'spoken' word through prophecy, dreams, visions, or a Word of Knowledge is 'fresh revelation' that is greater than, and supersedes, the written Word, the Bible. This belief is being used to validate and justify teaching that is contrary to traditional orthodox Christianity. A simple word study of the original Greek language used in the New Testament (NT) quickly reveals that there is no major difference between the words' rhema' and 'logos.'
The Septuagint translates both 'logos' and 'rhema' from the Hebrew word 'dabar,' which means 'that which is uttered in speech, or writing; speech, discourse, the subject matter of speech; a minimal unit of discourse, a single word, a focus on the content of the communication.
The words "rhema" and "logos" overlap in their definitions. The actual difference between the words is simply a matter of writing style and expression. The word "logos" occurs 330 times in the NT. The word "rhema" occurs 70 times in the NT. There are 218 times when the word "logos" occurs and it is translated simply as "word."" Rhema" is translated 56 times as "word." The word "logos" occurs 50 times and is translated "saying." Nine times "rhema" is also translated as "saying." The words "logos" and "rhema" are equally associated with "word" and "saying."
The Greek word 'logos' refers to a word, decree, the act of speaking, teaching, reason, account; first sense of collection, counting, conversation; expression of thought, statement; thoughts expressed in words, relates to speaking and thinking, a divine declaration recorded in the Old Testament (OT); systematic and formal treatment of a subject, the content of what is preached'; pertaining to matter.
Jesus spoke the 'logos,' and all that exists came into existence (John 1:1-3). Both 'rhema' and 'logos' are meant to be synonyms and are equated with each other (2 Pet 3:5). The word 'rhema' can be seen referring to what was written. Although the prophets' spoke' words from God, they were written to the people (1 Pet 1:25; 2 Pe 3:2,5; Heb 12:19,11:3; Jude 1:17).
'Logos' also refers to the Gospel as preached by the Apostles, and not to all the Scriptures (Acts 4:4). It is used regarding the supernatural gifts of prophecy, wisdom, knowledge, and tongues (1 Cor 12:8, 14:9). The 'logos is also 'spoken' by angels (Heb 2:2, 12:19) and also refers directly to Jesus (John 1:1,14).
The word 'rhema' is used of the Gospel of Christ being preached, and not the written word that is used to sanctify and cleanse, or the spoken word (Rom 10:8, 17; Eph 5:26; 1 Pet 1:25). The 'logos' word is also equated with the 'rhema' word that was delivered on the day of Pentecost (Acts 10:44). The 'rhema' words of Peter were seen as a 'logos.'
The Bible uses another Greek word, 'graphe,' to refer to the written Word of God and 'logos' to refer to that which Jesus had spoken (Matt 21:42; 22:29; John 2:22, 5:39, 14:23-24, 17:6,14; Acts 17:11; 18:24; Rom 1:2).
During the early years of preaching the Gospel, it was not yet written down, but the Gospel message is just as well contained in the OT as it is in the NT. The word of faith is 'preached' and not 'written.' Whether the Bible uses the word 'rhema' of God, or 'logos' of God, it still points to that which is spoken in the majority of cases. The word 'logos' cannot be interpreted as only the written Word (example: Eph 6:17; Heb 6:5).
God the Father, just as He spoke in the past in the OT through His prophets, continues to speak to His people today through the NT by using His Words spoken to Jesus, who then spoke to His Apostles, who wrote them down, which are the books of the NT (Heb 1:1-3; Luke 10:16; John 13:20, 17:17-20). The writers of the NT constantly appealed to the Scriptures alone as their base of authority in declaring what was, and was not true biblical teaching (Matt 21:42; John 2:22; 1 Cor 15:3-4; 1 Peter 1:10-12, 2:2; 2 Peter 1:17-19; Acts 17:11).
There are approximately 5,700 copies of the Greek manuscripts that were made very close to the time of the originals, and they all agree with each other to 99.5% accuracy. The .5% variation would include textual misspelling or minor word alternations. There are also over 19,000 copies in the Syriac, Latin, Coptic, and Aramaic languages, which bring the total supporting New Testament manuscript purity to over 24,000 copies.
The Bible is the absolute perfect revelation of Jesus Christ and the only infallible, inerrant, inspired source of knowledge about Him and the only reliable source to hear His voice. Everything in the Cosmos is sustained by His Word (Heb 1:1-3).
The writers of the NT fully believed that they were recording the very inspired words (Scriptures) of God (John 14:26, 16:12-13). Because the Bible is already inspired, it does not need any fresh revelation to be relevant. Dreams, visitations, or prophetic words are not reliable. Only the written Word of God is. Jesus is God. The Holy Spirit is God. The Father is God. All three are ONE. Their Word can be trusted, and it does not need extra-biblical help to be interpreted. The Bible only needs the Bible to do that.
The Bible says that "no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of any personal or private or special interpretation" (2 Peter 1:20 NIV). It must not be used as only a source of inspiration for anecdotal stories in 'feel good' messages or consulted and used merely to support an idea or pet belief. It is the ultimate authority for the Christian and must point directly to the character and work of the Triune God. The Bible warns that there will be ignorant, uneducated, and unstable people who will try and distort the Scriptures by bringing in meaning that forces it to conform to their opinions, suppositions, thoughts, ideas, and agendas (2 Peter 3:16).
Upon review of the Scriptures, and the usage of the words 'rhema' and 'logos,' and their intertwining meanings, it would seem a logical conclusion to say there is an insufficient distinction in Greek to establish a doctrine that 'rhema' words are spoken words from God in the present, and 'logos' words are the written text of Scripture. God's written Word, the Bible alone, is sufficient for doctrine and daily living. There is no other replacement for it - ever!
The historic church has had the complete written Word since 95 AD, and it is the only infallible, inerrant, inspired source of knowledge about God and the only reliable source to hear His voice. If a person "hears" from God and it does not align with the infallible written Word, which defines His character and nature, along with the authoritative rules of faith and conduct to live by, it is not reliable and cannot be trusted. Anything other than the written Word of God is hearsay.
The Christian walk cannot be established upon sensory spirituality or experiential interpretation that is based upon the belief in the abstract and subjective "I hear - I see - I feel - therefore it must be real" feelings, emotions, and experiences. The five primary senses: taste - feel - hear - see - smell - are all rooted in the flesh of fallen humanity. Jesus asked, "Have you believed because you have seen (i.e., felt or heard) me?" and then said, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29 ESV). In the life of a mature Born-Again Christian, it must be God's written Word alone, which is the cognitive, concrete foundation to base all decisions and beliefs.
The relating of experiences or "divine revelation" outside of the Word of God is what the Bible calls "fables" (1 Tim 1:4,47: 2 Tim 4:4; Tit 1:14; 2 Peter 1:16). The minute a person opens the door and begins to teach by anecdotal experience, they lose authority and introduce confusion. They should consider experience, but also note the limits of the knowledge which God has revealed. Experience does not add to the truth of Scripture. The Born-Again Christian is not to be "tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine" (Eph 4:14 NKJV).
God's Word is the absolute truth. Human beings hypothesize, theorize, formulate, speculate and postulate because they do not have the infinite mental capacity of full knowledge about anything in this life. It is the Bible that must be the most important source of authority in a person's spiritual life.
"Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely" (1 Cor 13:12-13 NLT).
It is virtually impossible for a finite human being to comprehend the infinite God on their own. God can only be perceived as He is manifested in His creation (both the Cosmos and within humankind) and spoken of in His love letter to humanity – the Bible.
The only 100% reliable way to confirm that a word heard is accurate and true, is to compare it to the written Word. When a person hears God's word, it must align with His character and nature, and not contradict, His written Word which 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 competent, equipped for every good work" (2 Tim 3:16-17 ESV).
If a person "hears" something that does not align with the written Word and conforms to the character and nature of God as revealed in Scripture, then it is a "different gospel" and that 'source' should be accursed" (Gal 1:6-9 ESV). How does one determine if the 'special revelation' voices in their head are telling them the correct contextual meaning of a word or verse in its original language?
A verse can only mean what the original writer meant in its grammatical and historical context. Jesus is the original Author of the Bible. God never changes (Mal 3:6). If a person comes up with a personal interpretation that disagrees with what was originally written down, then the problem is with them. Every educated Scholar of the original Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic have used the rules of biblical hermeneutics to translate texts since day one. If they did not, there would never be any accurate translations of the Bible.
Christians are commanded to believe what is written in the Bible because it is the only pure word from God. It is unquestionably sufficient in itself and the only special revelation that has the absolute authority to provide ALL sufficient knowledge needed to know Jesus and receive the gift of salvation, as well as what God's commands are for every Christian (Psalm 119:160).
Without reliance upon the Bible as the infallible and supreme source for knowing God's voice - and as the authoritative rule of faith and conduct - a huge door is opened for the possibility of error and heresy to creep into a person's beliefs because the "heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked" (Jer 17:9 KJV. The Bible must be studied from God's perspective because it alone is truly God's Word and declares that Jesus Christ is the "Word of God" and its author (Rev 19:13 NIV).
Yes, God does still speak today! He did not become silent at the close of the first century. He will lead and guide us daily. However, asking Him to show a sign through a prophetic word, supernatural manifestation, or a personal experience is an act of spiritual immaturity, rejection, and unbelief. God's eternal will for every Christian is found in His Word alone. If a person wants to confidently hear an audible word from God they should read His written Word, the Bible, out loud.
