Why I believe in a God who continues to speak

The Lectionary reading for June 12, 2022, comes from John 16:12-15.

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason, I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

I find this passage to be absolutely astonishing. So many different Christian groups will often cite certain passages of Scripture as a way of saying God does not still speak. One such common scripture is at the end of the book of Revelation:

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book; if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

This passage is used as a way of saying somehow God doesn’t still speak to the Church today. It is a rather silly argument, especially considering the passage in Revelation is only talking about the prophecy in Revelation. It is limited. In following this argument they are really advocating for a dead God who only speaks through an ancient book. And yet, that is completely opposite to the message Jesus preached.

Throughout all of Scripture, we find a God who is continually speaking, adapting and responding to what is happening in the world and with God’s people. Oftentimes, this “revelation” changes from when God spoke in the past. I find one of the best examples of this to be Jesus’ preaching in the Sermon on the Mount. Throughout this whole Sermon, Jesus references what is in the Hebrew Bible and “updates” it. The most popular examples is:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also

It was and still is, common for consequences to escalate in a conflict. You stole my lunch, I hit you, you punch me and then I burn down your house. In light of this, the Hebrew Bible restricts escalation by limiting the consequences. Stealing a lunch results in returning a lunch. One hit only gets one hit back. The consequences are limited. And yet, Jesus doesn’t just limit consequences, he goes a step further and preaches complete forgiveness. In doing so, Jesus shows how God’s revelation is still ongoing through himself. This isn’t in any way a revolutionary idea for Christians. What might be is how Jesus claims that it is still happening today.

In the gospel for this Sunday, we see Jesus give this authority of ongoing revelation to the Holy Spirit. Jesus tells his disciples that there is more to come and that God is still working in the world. This idea, that God keeps working is loud and clear throughout the church’s history. In fact, it was a rather limited group of Protestant reformers that began advocating for a God who no longer speaks with the doctrine of “sola scripture.” Prior to that, God’s revelation was seen as continually flowing from the Spirit through the Church which resulted in the scriptures but also in creeds, liturgies and prayers. In essence, God was still breathing, moving, speaking and revealing Truth to the Church.

This idea may seem revolutionary to some, and yet we really do believe in it instinctively. Where the scriptures make room for slavery, today we say it is absolutely out of God’s will. When the Bible has passages admonishing women to wear headdresses and never wear jewelry, we know these things to not be true for us.

What I love about the gospel for this Sunday, is how Jesus advocates for that very thing. So find comfort in the reality that God is still working and speaking to us today. Along with that, keep an open eye and open ears for where the Spirit of God may be taking you this day, this week, and this year. Amen.