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Jesus Christ, God’s Son, is the clearest revelation of the will of God, and his life, ministry
and death most clearly communicates God’s plan for mankind. The Scriptures, God’s
message, are the once-and-for-all final repository of and authority on all of God’s
revelation. They most clearly communicate God’s plan for mankind through the life,
ministry and death of Jesus, who stands as the pinnacle fulfillment of everything written
on every page of Scripture.
Prophecy, a fundamental building block of God’s revelation found throughout both the
Old and New Testaments, was mediated throughout history toward a clear fulfillment in
What is more, just as God continues to reveal Himself today through nature (Psa. 19:1
ff; Rom. 1:19 ff.), until it is destroyed, He continues to do so through prophecy, until it is
done away with (1 Cor. 13:8-10). The Scriptures, however, will never be destroyed or
done away with (Luke 21:33). The unique position of Scripture places it in a final
authoritative position above both nature and prophecy, acting as final arbiter and
interpreter of each. Yet this fact does not negate the continuance of God’s revelation
through nature and prophecy, since the Bible speaks of the continuing existence of both
until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. The summary thread through all of God’s
revelation is perspicuity. Therefore, true prophecy in the NT church today will also be
just as perspicual as nature, Jesus Christ, and Scripture. This elemental doctrine,
fundamental to all of God’s revelation to the world, will serve the body of Christ by
clarifying whether or not a prophetic word is indeed from the Lord or whether it comes
from some other source.
Jesus Christ: I
N
The clearest revelation of the T
E
will of God through His life, R
P
ministry, death, and R Each element of God’s
resurrection preserved in E
T revelation throughout history
Scripture. (1 Pet. 1:10-12) S
was and still is
communicated in such a way
Scripture (Special Revelation): I as to always relay
N
The once-and-for-all final T authoritative information
E
repository of and authority on all R about the person and will of
God’s revelation. P
R God with
(Psa. 19:7-11; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; E
T
utter and complete clarity.
2 Pet. 1:3-4) S
Revelation:
God’s communication to the world
Perspicuity and Prophecy P a g e |2
Part One: The Doctrine of Perspicuity
What is the doctrine of perspicuity?
Also referred to as the “clarity” of Scripture, it means that the basic meaning of most of
the Scriptures can be understood by everybody who reads it with a sincere, humble, and
honest heart.
“The clarity of Scripture means that the Bible is written in such a way that
its teachings are able to be understood by all who will read it seeking
God’s help and being willing to follow it.”1
Here is how the great theologians of the Westminster Assembly defined this doctrine.
“All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear
unto all; yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed, and
observed, for salvation, are so clearly propounded and opened in some
place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned, but the unlearned,
in a due use of the ordinary means, may attain unto a sufficient
understanding of them.”2
The primary purpose of God communicating to mankind was to make Himself known
and understood. It’s really that simple.
If had he had not done this in any intelligible way, no one would understand
Him, and we would all miss His point, and we would all be condemned forever.
If had done this in a way that was only intelligible to those who are gifted with
mental prowess and amazing intellectual abilities, then only those few would
understand Him.
But out of His love for the world (John 3:16), He made His revelation known to
mankind since the beginning of the world so that all would know Him and
understand Him.
1
Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), p. 108. See pp. 105-115 entitled
“The Clarity of Scripture” for a more complete dealing with this subject.
2
Westminster Confession of Faith, I, vii.
God has clearly revealed Himself and communicated His will to mankind through two
primary sources.
1. General Revelation
Defined: Special revelation provides the content or information necessary for the
things pertaining to salvation. It perfectly reveals God’s will to all mankind.
God was perspicual in general revelation, within nature. Notice the wording Paul
chooses in Romans 1:19-20, for example.
“That which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it
evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible
attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen,
through what has been made, so that they are without excuse” (NASB,
emphasis added).
God was also perspicual in special revelation, within the Scriptures. Notice Paul’s
wording in 2 Timothy 3:15-16, for example.
“…and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which
are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith
which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for
teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness…”
(NASB).
"For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for
you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, 'Who will
ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?'
Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who will go over the
sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' But the word
is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do
it” (ESV).
Deuteronomy 6:6-7
Psalm 1:1-3
Proverbs 4:2
Acts 17:11
1 Corinthians 2:14
2 Corinthians 3:14-16
2 Corinthians 4:3-4
1 Thessalonians 5:21
Hebrews 5:14
James 1:5-6
1 Timothy 4:13
2 Peter 3:15-16
In addition, for those who have come to love Him, His love continues to extend itself
through perspicual communication in His intimate guidance of their lives (Psa. 119:105),
assurance of their salvation (Rom. 8:14-16), and most of all through the person and
work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
As stated in the summary, the Lord Jesus Christ is the most perspicual revelation of God
to man in the history of the world and forevermore. The transcendent God became
imminent through taking on a human body and revealing the love of the Father to
mankind. The unseen hand of the loving Father could now be seen in the life and work
and speech of Jesus Christ, the God-man. This act also was motivated out of supreme
love for a lost and dying creation. God was so moved in love for His world that He gave
His only Son so that whoever believed in Him wouldn’t fall under His judgment, but
would be delivered and saved and given eternal life (John 3:16).
So at its very root then, the doctrine of perspicuity is founded and grounded in the love
of God who desires that we know Him, hear Him, understand Him, and enjoy Him. This
summarizes the purpose and end of God’s special revelation in history, Scripture, and
ultimately in Jesus Christ.
The Qualifications for Enjoying God’s Perspicuity in Scripture and Jesus Christ
Nature and creation can only be enjoyed through a divine interpretation, since God is
the one who created them and keeps them functioning. It is impossible to rightly
interpret and understand what is going on in nature without having God’s point of view.
Proverbs says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (Prov. 1:7), and
that’s any knowledge at all. Knowing anything, especially with clarity, begins and ends
with the fear of the Lord and the desire to be submitted to Him. If this applies to
understanding and knowing anything as it relates to nature, how much more then
would it apply to knowing anything as it relates to the special revelation of Scripture and
Christ.
The Bible is very clear that in order to understand and enjoy and benefit from God’s
special revelation of Scripture and Christ, several qualifications must be in place.
5. It can be perceived and understood with clarity when its purpose (save and
sanctify) and Person (Jesus Christ) is preached and taught with clarity (2
Corinthians 4:3-6).
6. Clarity comes for those who have practiced to train themselves to be able to
discern good from evil (Hebrews 5:14).
7. Believers are able to perceive God’s wisdom with perspicuity when they ask in
faith, no doubting (James 1:5-6).
The nature of the Bible is so perspicual and so clear that a child could know the way of
salvation (2 Timothy 3:15). A child is a simple-minded person. Psalm 19 speaks to this
type of person.
“The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple” (Psalm 19:7,
RSV).
And in Psalm 119, the most famous passage in all of Scripture about the perspicuity of
Scripture, we read David’s words.
“Here the ‘simple’ person (Heb. peti) is not merely one who lacks intellectual ability, but
one who lacks sound judgment, who is prone to making mistakes, and who is easily led
astray. ”3
3
Grudem, p. 106. Compare the use of this same word in Proverbs 1:4; 7:7; 8:5; 9:6; 14:15, 18; 22:3;
27:12).
It’s difficult to see how so many people missed the clear teaching of Jesus when it came
to self-righteousness, the gospel, faith, obedience, etc. while Jesus was on this earth
teaching and preaching. And while this disability is due only to their own lack of faith
and unbelief, it is NOT due to any lack of clarity on the part of Jesus, who Himself often
made appeals to clear Scripture which they should have known and understood,
because it was in fact so plain and clear.
“You are wrong because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God”
(Matt. 22:29; cf. Matt. 9:13; 12:7; 15:3; 21:13; John 3:10).
God spoke in nature, in history, in Scripture, and in Jesus Christ because the primary
assumption being made was that people could understand what He was doing and what
He was saying. And the primary reason for this presumption is because He made them
that way! People are made in God’s image, although that image has been now marred
and broken and fractured by sin. That said, people can still see, hear, touch, taste, and
feel, processing every bit of it. Most of what their five senses encounter is interpreted
with the same clarity with which it was revealed to them by God.
But when it comes to matters of faith, salvation, sanctification, etc. their disability
shines through a willful display of rebellion. The truth of the Bible and of Jesus is just as
perspicual as nature. But lost people reject the one and accept the other. This points
again to the necessity of the Holy Spirit as the primary presumption to perspicuity. If
the Holy Spirit is not present, is not welcome, has been grieved, is not filling, or is
striving against someone, how can He make things clear to someone?
4
Ibid.
There are tools that have been developed to help Christians avoid mistakes in
understanding and applying the Bible. And while these tools are absolutely essential to
properly understanding some of the Bible, they are not essential to properly
understanding the things which relate to our salvation and walk with Jesus.
Perspicuity Does NOT Mean EVERYTHING is Simple, Clear, and Easy to Understand
Praise God for the simplicity of the gospel. Do not miss, however, that in other matters
even Peter himself acknowledges the difficulty of what he reads in Paul’s letters (2 Peter
3:15-16). If Peter himself had difficulty understanding Paul’s writings, we ourselves
should expect some measure of difficulty in attempting to do the same. So perspicuity
does not mean that everything in the Bible is immediately clear and easy to understand.
While the Bible and Jesus are simple enough to be understood by simple persons, there
are practicalities that must be taken into consideration. For example, if we don’t
understand what we are hearing, there is the need to figure it out, define words, get the
context, see the big idea, etc. In other words, there is sometimes work to be done in
order to bridge the gap that often exists between what we read in the Bible and how we
understand that today. This is the reason why theologians, pastors, scholars, and
respected leaders in the Christian community throughout church history have
developed hermeneutics and exegesis.
5
Robert Reymond. A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1998),
pp. 87-88).
The point here is this: easy things are clear, and hard things are difficult. And when
difficult things arise we need help in attempting to understand them. God has given us
tools and means by which to understand them.
But for those parts of the Bible which are not so perspicual there are practicalities which
we said must be brought into play in order to help them become more clear. Those are
the tools of hermeneutics and exegesis.
In a similar way, the focus of Part Two here is to show you that if prophecy is God’s
continual non-doctrinal revelation to man, there are some occurrences of that prophecy
that will be as easy to perceive and as clear as the gospel itself. And there will also be
occurrences of prophecy that will be as difficulty to understand as Peter saw some of
Paul’s writings. In other words, some prophecy will be perspicual and some will require
practicalities to bring it into clarity and focus.
What we must bring into view before we go any further is the dismissal of the notion
that because some prophecy is not perspicual that this therefore disqualifies it as being
from God. But remember the doctrine of perspicuity doesn’t teach that ALL Scripture is
perspicual, but that those passages (e.g. Gospels) which tell us what God requires of us
and that lead us to salvation are perspicual. Other passages may be equally as clear, of
course. But the doctrine itself teaches us that Scripture pertaining to salvation has been
made clear.
In the same way, NT prophecy must not always be perspicual. That means the church
may not always understand it immediately when it is given. Sometimes it may take
some study and time to figure it out. Whatever it is, however, NT prophecy is not an
addition to the doctrine and teaching of Scripture but a building upon it for the purpose
of extending God’s love to His church (1 Cor. 13:1-14:3). And just as God’s love for us
has been communicated in the Bible in some things that are easy to understand and
some things that are not easy to understand, NT prophecy is also communication from
God that is sometimes clear and sometimes difficult.
Taking a cue from the character and love of God when it comes from perspicuity,
something that will occupy the content of the message on Sunday morning, I thank God
for continuing to demonstrate His love to us through the continued gift of NT prophecy.
Now because there are prophetic words that are easy to understand as well as some
that are difficult, we face the need to employ similar practical tools in attempting to
gain clarity in the prophetic. This applies to those who believe they are receiving a
prophetic word from the Lord, and to those who are hearing a prophetic word. For this
reason the rest of Part Two will focus on the practicalities of gaining perspicuity in
prophetic activity.
1. If it’s not clear, it’s probably not from God. The doctrine of perspicuity enables
believers to put into practice the teaching of 1 Corinthians 14:29 and
1 Thessalonians 5:21-22.
To “weigh” means to make some distinction between two or more options so that one is
preferred above the others. The Greek word is a legal term, diakrino, literally meaning
“to judge through” conveying the process of learning who is right by trying them. The
end result of the process is determining or deciding by discriminating between facts and
persons.
In very much the same way, all prophetic words are to be weighed in order to
determine whether or not it is from the Lord and consequently whether or not it is
beneficial to the body of Christ. A chief means of weighing prophetic words comes in
the summation of the doctrine of prophecy, tongues, and all spiritual gifts in 1
Corinthians 14: “God is not a God of confusion but of peace” (v. 33). What is not clear
causes confusion. What is clear brings peace. Prophecy should be clear, otherwise it
will, by its very nature of being unclear, bring confusion. Therefore clarity is an essential
evidence to consider when weighing a prophetic word.
To “test” means to examine or prove. From the Greek word dokimazo, the meaning is
to scrutinize something closely in order to see whether or not it is genuine. It was used
in the ancient world of that time by a metallurgist who put metals through a rigorous
process of examination to see whether or not something was genuinely gold, silver,
copper, etc. If it passed the test it was recognized as genuine and approved.
In the same way, knowing the voice of God through regular handling, examining and
scrutinizing will enable one to build discernment when it comes time to determine
whether or not a prophetic word is from God or not. And an essential element in that
discernment is clarity. Is God really and clearly saying something to someone? This
must be at the heart of every examination of every prophetic word else the listening of
it is doomed to failure from the start.
Since all that God reveals is intentionally meant by Him for us to hear, understand, and
apply any prophetic words which genuinely come from Him to NT believers today will
ultimately also be clearly heard, understood, and followed.
The word in italics is an imperative element here for one important reason. Scripture
itself shows us that not every prophetic word was always immediately understood with
clarity, though many in fact are.
The prophecies regarding Jesus Christ were not immediately and completely understood
with clarity (1 Pet. 1:10-11), and neither were the prophecies regarding the end of the
age (Acts 1:6; Revelation). Taking a cue from these two examples, some prophecies
while genuinely originating from God, may not be understood with complete clarity until
Providence orchestrates its fulfillment. Nevertheless, one can and should be able to
determine with some measure of ease and peace (cf. 1 Cor. 14:33) whether a prophetic
word is or is not from God based in part on the doctrine of the perspicuity of God’s
revelation. What provides the ease and peace we may use to determine this?
a. The first method to use in revealing the clarity of a prophetic word is to ask
whether or not the prophetic word originates in a correct interpretation of a
passage, text, or phrase of Scripture. There are several points of interest to take
note of here.
1. First, remember that since Scripture will never pass away and since
prophecy will pass away, prophecy is subservient to Scripture. Scripture stands
As odd as that sentence structure may sound, it assumes two important things. One,
many prophetic words do originate in the Word of God, meaning a person believes they
are impressed by God with a particular passage of Scripture to share with someone.
And two, the only real test to determine whether or not this prophetic word is truly
from the Lord seems to be whether or not the passage or verse is understood and
interpreted properly. That’s why we must use the word probably to refer to prophetic
words that claim to originate in Scripture. And this transitions us to the second note of
interest.
If a prophetic word claims to originate in some piece of Scripture and yet misinterprets,
twists, maligns, or misuses that Scripture, then the prophetic word cannot have any
inherent Scriptural authority or application. A prophetic word truly based in some
Scripture will correctly interpret and apply that Scripture correctly. This note speaks to
the necessity of possessing some basic Bible interpretation skills. If a believer possesses
and is increasing in these basic skills he or she will have the distinct advantage of being
able to test for themselves whether or not a prophetic word (given to them or to others)
is in fact from the Lord. While this point is obviously not intended to address
hermeneutics and exegesis, four key points should be mentioned to give this point more
shape.
Authorial Intent.
A Scripture passage may have only one correct meaning. If a passage means more than
one thing, it can many anything. And if it can mean anything it really means nothing.
The correct interpretation of any given passage of Scripture is what the original authors
intended to say to the original audience to whom they were writing at the time they
were writing it. Determining the intent of the biblical author is the most basic goal of
Bible interpretation, and therefore vital to measuring any supposed biblically-based
prophetic word.
Historical Background.
Part of determining the intent of the biblical author is an understanding of the historical
background of the book or letter. Included in this skill are the social, economic, and
religious customs of that time in history; the period of Jewish history in which the
passage was written and its relationship to previous periods; archaeological discoveries
that shed more light on a passage; and other related fields of knowledge. Without
knowing this information, it becomes extremely difficult to understand precisely what
Grammatical Understanding.
Theological Centrality.
Finally, and equally important as the previous two elements, the theological focus of the
passage is of extreme importance. The Bible is a book which communicates to us the
history of God’s redemption of the world in the person and work of Jesus Christ. This is
otherwise known as the gospel. When the gospel does not serve as the theological
centerpiece of reference for one’s understanding of the Bible, a passage or verse will
always be misinterpreted and misapplied in a prophetic word. Even if one understands
the historical background and grammar, a lack of theological grounding in the Bible’s
unified theme of the gospel will cause any prophetic word to be rife with confusion.
In the final analysis of a prophetic word, knowing how to interpret the Bible correctly is
indispensable to being able to correctly identify whether or not a prophetic word which
supposedly originates from Scripture does in fact do so. And those who are less skilled
in this area ought to willingly and joyfully submit their words to those who are more
trained for two obvious reasons.
Now this line of reasoning will undoubtedly cause some to struggle. They may reason
that the sovereign Holy Spirit may bring a passage of Scripture to mind as the soil for a
prophetic word, even if the person doesn’t properly understand the authorial intent of
that passage. Or put another way, just because a person doesn’t know the correct
interpretation of a verse doesn’t mean the Holy Spirit won’t bring it to mind and apply
it.
In response, I have humbly bowed to such sovereign usages of Scripture in the past
when this has occurred. I do not deny that in His sovereignty the Spirit is free to impress
His inspired Word on a mind and heart that has not correctly interpreted and applied
that text. And I have seen the impact of such a prophetic word among God’s people.
But based on the theology of Scripture on Scripture, I have to conclude that this has
happened despite the bad interpretation and not because of it. In other words, a faulty
interpretation and application of a biblical text used in a prophetic word is never to be
served by the pragmatic conclusion of whether or not it affected people. This is often
the kind of terrible Scripture-handling Charismatics have employed in the past as
justification for their supposed impressions or the phenomenal results.
God meant to communicate one thing when He spoke through His anointed writers. If
we quote a text, then tell someone a meaning that is not correct, then say that this
meaning and application has come from the Holy Spirit, we are also saying that the Holy
Spirit meant one thing by it when it was written, but means another thing by it when He
is using it today. That’s doublespeak and it is an attack on the doctrine of perspicuity.
God clearly revealed Himself when He inspired the Scriptures. To say that a passage has
another meaning today than it did when written is to say that God is not really revealing
Himself with clarity, for what He says today may change meaning tomorrow. Without a
fixed and absolute meaning the Scriptures are nothing more than a poetic history book
whose meaning is anybody’s guess or desire. How can such an approach possibly serve
the body of Christ?
However, Christians may not avoid the intellectual, and neither may they avoid the
mysterious. They cannot avoid Bible study and they cannot avoid the many
unexplainable sovereign acts of God among His people. Both lines of thought are the
It is based on a biblical approach to the Charismatic that such Christians will seek to
commit themselves to the doctrine of perspicuity by humbly submitting to the clearest
revelation of God to man in the past, present, and future – God’s Word. It is God’s
clearest revelation because He graciously and mercifully condescended to communicate
to us in a way that was not confusing in any way whatsoever, but rather clear and
unmistakable. He did not play word games because eternal matters were at stake. His
glory was at stake. The holiness and purity of the bride of His Son is at stake. And with
the stakes so high, He made sure that He communicated to the world with utter clarity.
Such stakes which form the bedrock of such a doctrine of perspicuity surely demand of
us that we seek to glorify God by essentially getting it right and depending on it when
discerning other words which claim to come from Him.
The ability to rightly handle the Word (2 Tim. 2:15) is again a vital factor here, as well as
an overall capable knowledge of the Scriptures. Even if someone is not as skilled in
interpretation as another person might be, a decent familiarity with the content of the
Bible goes a long way in testing a prophetic word. Remembering that the Scriptures are
the final arbiter of any prophetic word, the following questions and considerations will
prove extremely helpful:
Since the Bible is more authoritative than my prophetic word, anything I say as coming
from the Lord must not contradict what He has already said in the Bible, but rather must
support it, explain it, elucidate it, elaborate on it, and/or educate with it. According to 2
Timothy 3:16, the Bible is God’s inspired message for everything relating to my life (cf. 2
Pet. 1:3-4). Any prophetic word I believe I am receiving from the Holy Spirit will simply
be a fresh explanation or application of what God has already said in Scripture.
What text or texts come to mind that will give me a fuller understanding
of the prophetic word?
Since the Bible is more authoritative than my prophetic word, the Holy Spirit will give
me a greater understanding of what He has impressed on my mind using what He has
This seems simple enough, but it is astounding how often those with prophetic words
seem to feel that their explanation is better or more authoritative than the Bible’s. We
need not fail to take into account that sometimes the Holy Spirit may simply impress
upon us a thought, image, vision, word, etc. to connect our mind to some particular
passage which He wishes to communicate to His people. When we choose the latter
instead of the former, we are submitting to the authority of His final revelation and
placing ourselves in a position to see God bless the fresh prophetic revelation of His
Word. The bottom line is this: when this situation faces us, we are genuinely more
concerned about God’s glory rather than ours when we choose to defer to His Word in
the explanation or communication of our prophetic word.
All of this is, of course, a clarion call to the people of God to become more adept at
handling God’s Word. The better we know it, the better we detect the clarity of our
supposed prophetic word. The Scriptures become, then, a bottle of glass cleaner which
we use to see a prophetic word more clearly. Or to use another illustration, the Bible is
a magnifying glass we must use to examine a prophetic word for the clarity which will of
necessity be inherent in any revelation from God.
A prophetic word is often like the radiance and brilliance of a diamond under the light.
One of the four ways a diamond is graded is according to its clarity. A diamond's clarity
is determined by the number, nature, position, size and color of internal characteristics
called "inclusions" and surface features called "blemishes". Clarity is measured on a
scale ranging from pure (or flawless) to heavily included or blemished. A diamond’s
clarity is graded by magnifying it ten times under good lighting by an experienced
grader. The final clarity grade is usually determined by how easy the inclusions and
blemishes are for the grader to see.
In the same way, a prophetic word, to be genuinely from the Holy Spirit, should be able
to withstand heavy magnification under the lighting of Scripture by a skilled Bible
student. When this happens, the light of God’s clearest revelation in Scripture shines
through the prophetic word with a brilliance and radiance that will catch the mind’s eye
c. Recalling John 14:26 again, we learn that a primary role of the Holy Spirit is
that of illumination.
This is the Spirit shining His divine and supernatural light of understanding on what was
previously not understood. In a earlier reference made to John 14:26, Jesus said the
Spirit’s job was to “teach you.” This is the Greek word didasko which means to discuss,
explain or expound something with someone else in order to instruct them.
A classic text on this activity of the Holy Spirit is Luke 24:13 and following. Two disciples,
seven miles on their journey out of Jerusalem, were walking toward Emmaus on the
very day Christ rose from the dead. He walked and talked with them along their journey
while mysteriously remaining unrecognizable to them. The recounted what had
happened to their beloved Master, and He chided them for their lack of understanding
which led to unbelief. Toward correcting this, here is what Jesus did, according to verse
27: “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the
Scriptures the things concerning himself.” In essence, Jesus was illuminating the
Scriptures for these two men. The finale of this illumination came, of course, at the
table when they broke bread with Jesus “and their eyes were opened, and they
recognized him” (v. 31). The experience of that illumination was powerful: “ They said
to each other, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while
he opened to us the Scriptures?’” (v. 32).
In the same way, the Spirit’s work of illuminating may come in a prophetic word which
explains something in the Bible – essentially the gospel – so that the hearer understands
it more clearly than they did before. A prophetic word then will reflect its clarity by
whether or not it sheds more light on a passage which God is intending to communicate
to some person or persons. But again, any clarity it sheds on a passage must be able to
prove itself as a correct interpretation of Scripture.
Then again, the Spirit may actually aid in this interpretation and understanding process
by prophetically impressing one passage or text of Scripture in order to better
understand another passage or text. This often happens in personal Bible study and is
referred to as the analogy of faith, whereby Scripture interprets Scripture. But it also
occurs in situations outside personal Bible study as well. Thus, it is not beyond the scope
of a prophetic word to itself be an explanatory voice in some way on a particular text of
Scripture.
This application presumes a condition. The Bible speaks with clarity on the fact that a
person must have the spiritual ability to understand God’s Word. “The natural person
does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not
able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2:14). Notice
what comes first: He “does not accept them…he is not able to understand them.” The
two are inseparably connected.
A welcoming of the things of the Spirit are necessary for an understanding of them.
Jesus stated it this way: “If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the
teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority” (John 7:17). And
to the Pharisees He asked and answered His own question for them: “Why do you not
understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word” (John 8:43).
Referring to the spiritual state of heart which one must have to understand His
teachings, Jesus prayed, “"I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have
hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little
children…” (Matt. 11:25). In summary, although God’s revelation in Scripture is in and
of itself communicated with clarity, those who are unwilling to welcome it and follow it
will not be able to comprehend it with any real clarity.
The most active force in enabling a person to both receive and understand is the Holy
Spirit. It is He who works opposite the forces of indwelling sin to overcome its effects in
the depraved human heart that is “deceitful above all else and desperately wicked” (Jer.
17:9). It is this heart that makes the things of God seem foolish. But the regenerating
work of the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 5:17) makes the heart new and hence able to understand
what He says.
While this work is monergistic for the unbeliever, that is, solely the work of God, for the
believer is synergistic, being a cooperative effort between the believer and the Spirit.
To be sure, the cooperation is largely submission as believers seek to follow hard after
God through obedience to His word. Such a lifestyle places one in a position to hear
God with greater clarity, because sin is not clouding his vision. It is toward such an aim
that Jesus opened His first sermon with a description of those who are truly happy:
“blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matt. 5:8).
Clarity then, would be a logical yet spiritual result for any such believer who perceives
he is receiving a prophetic word from the Lord, as well when he is weighing and testing
a prophetic word. The greater his purity and holiness is before the Lord, the greater his
ability to perceive the Lord’s prophetic communication clearly.
Now the most seemingly obvious contradiction to this line of reasoning is the existence
of the Corinthian church. Here we have a church riddled with sin of almost every shape,
I’d like to offer the explanation that makes the most common sense in light of the
Bible’s consistent and persistent imperatives regarding holiness. I’ve stated it already in
these very words: God blessed them in spite of their sin and not because of it. The
thought here is really so simple yet we stumble over it so often. Plainly put, God is
merciful and gracious. He has not given us what we deserve – eternal hell – and this is
called mercy. Instead He has also given us what we don’t deserve – salvation – and this
is called grace. And what He began at the cross in the work of Jesus Christ continues to
us throughout the rest of our lives in the work of the Holy Spirit. In short, God doesn’t
stop blessing us because we sin.
But we must hear this too. God hates sin and it put Christ on the cross to satisfy God’s
wrath against it for us. Therefore, it is not something to be taken lightly as if now that
God’s anger is satisfied it’s no longer any “big deal.” Sin still angers Him. It is simply
that the propitiatory work of Jesus has lifetime effects on those for whom He died.
Jesus satisfied God’s eternal wrath and anger against my sin once and for all. But He still
hates my sin. It is perpetual grace and mercy to me that God doesn’t destroy me but
chooses instead to continue loving me…in spite of my daily sinfulness.
Any thought then concerning the presence of such immense sin alongside the presence
of such wonderful miracles in the Corinthian church should not lead us to any
conclusion that what was happening there was okay. Surely if it were Paul would not
haven written anything at all to them and used such strong corrective language. No, the
language and tone of the letter to the Corinthians clearly exhibits a call to the
Corinthians to pursue holiness like never before in light of the marvelous work the Holy
Spirit was doing there. In summary, the display of the gifts at Corinth, and in particular
the prophetic, was despite their sinfulness. And the encouragement to pursue spiritual
gifts even more, and in particular the prophetic, was in light of God’s mercy and grace
toward them.
Now, be that as it may, can a Christian legitimately experience the prophetic at work in
his heart and mind if he is involved in some sort of unrepentant sin. In light of the letter
to the Corinthians I am bound to affirm this. The Corinthian example shows us that our
sin can no more stop the advancement and maturity of God’s kingdom than anything
else. He is sovereign and He will prevail. However, our holiness is a means to that end.
And in His sovereignty God will do whatever He must in order to make us holy people.
Therefore, returning to the point at hand, yes Christians can sin and still experience the
Spirit’s activity in their lives. But when it comes to the prophetic, Christians simply will
not be able to perceive with clarity any prophetic words they do receive while living in
sin. When the mind is marred with unrepentant sin it is thinking naturally, and we know
that natural persons cannot understand the things of the Spirit of God. When Christians
think and live like non-Christians, the things of God become unclear and even foolish
sometimes. We need only look to chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians to see an example of this.
For there we read of Paul correcting some in the church who were teaching false
doctrine concerning the final resurrection. Could it be that this came about because a
Christian in the church, living sinfully, had a prophetic word which was unable to be
clearly perceived and understood (vv. 33-34)? It seems to be a strong possibility.
If clarity is a necessary bedrock of something truly prophetic, and if sin clouds the heart
and mind, then the heart and mind clouded with sin cannot see, think, perceive, test, or
weigh any prophetic word with any degree of reliability, accuracy, and therefore will
ultimately have no real benefit to the local church body. A fresh reading of Psalm 119
will renew the application of this doctrine. David’s had his “eyes fixed on all your
commandments” (v. 6). He meditated on God’s precepts and fixed his eyes on God’s
ways (v. 15). He prayed that God would open his eyes in order that he could see the
wonderful things in God’s law (v. 18).
4. When Jesus Christ is maintained as the light of our life, we will be able to
discern prophetic words with greater clarity.
John the disciple wrote that Jesus was, “the true life, which enlightens everyone” (John
1:9). This is because Jesus is life, and this life is the light of mankind (v. 4). Jesus Himself
preached, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness,
but will have the light of life” (8:12; cf. 9:5; 11:9, 10; 12:35, 36, 46).
To be sure, this doesn’t necessarily mean that every prophetic word has to have Jesus as
its content or substance. Agabus received two prophetic words, recorded in the Bible,
which evidence nothing to do with Jesus or the gospel. So it is at least possible that
prophetic words will come to God’s people that may be primarily directive in some
form. This has been the experience of many of God’s people, including myself.
At such prophetic moments, the point is this: when Jesus Christ is the central figure in
our lives then we will be able to discern prophetic words with greater clarity. When the
gospel is understood correctly, embraced fervently, and pursued diligently Jesus is
shining brightly which in turn sheds illumination. It is the difference between standing
in front of a window with the sun shining directly through, and standing a few inches off
to the side of the window just slightly behind the curtain. It is also the difference
between the night before a full moon and the night of the full moon. There’s just a few
degrees difference in the angle at which the sun shines on the moon.
And in the same way, the mind or heart that is slightly off kilter, even just a few degrees
in understanding or obedience, will suffer a slight lack of clarity in perceiving, weighing
and testing a prophetic word. Is there anyone who feels tempted to slough off this
seemingly insignificant difference? If so consider that one degree off course for a ship
sailing out of port always means hundreds of miles off course after a few hours sailing.
Even a slight misunderstanding of the gospel or even the slightest unwillingness to
follow its demands necessarily presents the possibility, if not probability, of error in
perception due to that slightest bit of light which is not shining in the heart and mind.
When the gospel of Jesus Christ is not as clear as it can be and should be, a prophetic
word cannot be heard, perceived, weighed, and tested as it can be and should be. But
when Jesus Christ and His person and work, as proclaimed in the good news of the
That said, the majority of prophetic activity in the Scriptures does in fact involve a very
gospel-substantive message. Peter’s word regarding the demon-possessed girl was a
gospel-confrontation with the enemy which saw her released from his power. Paul’s
revelation in 2 Corinthians 12 was centered completely on the grace of God which
comes from the gospel. And Paul himself told the Corinthians that the substance of
prophetic words is upbuilding, encouragement, and consolation – all concepts rooted in
the gospel.
In a very real sense then a prophetic word will be not only guided by the gospel but also
rooted in it. Jesus’ person and work is the fulfillment of all OT prophecy, and the root of
all NT prophecy. As such, He is the center of the wheel to which all the spokes lead.
That is, His work on the cross and the empty tomb are to be the centerpiece of any
prophetic word which does not have some immediate directive or instruction content.
And even then, such content must lead one to pursue the gospel and/or understand it
better and love it more passionately. It is when this one truth is neglected that
prophetic words become a “free-for-all” where anybody can have a “word” about
anything. The gospel is and always will be the accountability factor for the
prophetic…until He returns and we see Him face to face.
To summarize this point, when the substantive message of a prophetic word is gospel-
centered, pointing to or arising out of the person and work of Jesus Christ, the light
which shines from Him will shine on us so that we will be able to perceive, weigh, and
test prophetic words with greater clarity.
Larry Pettegrew. “The Perspicuity of Scripture” (The Master’s Seminary Journal, 15/2 (Fall 2004), pp. 209-
255). Accessible online at: http://www.tms.edu/tmsj/tmsj15i.pdf. Dr. Pettegrew is Professor of Theology
at the Master’s Seminary, Sun Valley, CA.