Why I don't say, 'God told me'

I try not to say, "God told me" or "God spoke to me."

Why? The short answer is: "Because I want to be careful not to diminish the way I am certain God has spoken."

In what way am I certain God has spoken? In Scripture. I believe most, if not all, readers of this blog would affirm that truth. God has revealed Himself in His Word. The testimony of the Bible is God has spoken in its pages. To read Scripture is to read God's words. When we read the Bible, we can say God spoke to us in its words.

As Wayne Grudem has written in his massive Systematic Theology, "The authority of Scripture means that all the words in Scripture are God's words in such a way that to disbelieve or disobey any word of Scripture is to disbelieve or disobey God."

So, I can say, "God spoke to me" or "God told me," when I am referring to the Bible. And it might be appropriate to use similar terminology when referring to the preaching or teaching of God's Word when it is handled faithfully.

That is not, however, how I normally hear fellow Christians use those words. Usually when someone says, "God told me" or "God spoke to me," he is referring to something subjective, maybe an impression in the mind or spirit. I have not come to the conclusion that God never uses impressions to provide guidance, as long as those so-called impressions are based on something a person has learned from God's Word or certainly don't contradict His Word.

In the case of a subjective sense or an inner impression, it would seem to be better to say something like, "I believe God showed me" or "I sense God is leading me." That is not the same, however, as saying, "God told me." In the latter case, a person is equating a subjective sense with the objective revelation of God in His Word.

Grudem's words are helpful in explaining why people need to be careful about saying God spoke to them:

God's words of personal address are uncommon, even in Scripture. Furthermore, even if we did hear some words of personal address from God to ourselves, we would not have certainty that our understanding of it, our memory of it, and our subsequent report of it was wholly accurate. Nor would we be readily able to convey to others the certainty that the communication was from God, even if it was.

When we read the Bible or listen to it read, we don't have this problem. We can say unequivocally, "God spoke to me." Otherwise, I don't think we can make that statement with certainty.

My request to fellow believers is this: Be careful to attribute to God the words and messages He actually has communicated. Words have meaning. Before you say, "God told me" or "God spoke to me," be certain that He did.