The notion of private revelation inevitably introduces an authoritative source that competes with and diverts attention from God’s public revelation…exactly contrary to what Paul teaches about Scripture in 2 Timothy 3:15-17: Scripture is enough to make one wise for salvation and equipped for every good work.

In a recent Bible study, I stated, with Heb 1:1-2 in mind, that the history of God’s special revelation reached its predetermined end with the arrival of Christ. Objecting to my statement, I was asked how I respond to the biblical accounts of God speaking, for example, to Abraham, Moses, Samuel, John the Baptist (and audience), and Paul. To provide context for this inquiry, the questioner acknowledged that he was not one to rule out that God might have more to say. But, he went on, the Spirit does not need to speak now as He did in the past since it is clear that He gives us His assistance through a rightly formed conscience. He concluded by affirming that the apostle John closed the book on more Scripture with the book of Revelation, but he also affirmed that he always allows that God has the last word—audibly or otherwise.

Of course, as will shortly become clear, my response to this man’s remarks is not complete by any means, but perhaps it will set the framework for a fuller statement. Based on what the Reformed and Presbyterian churches have confessed and taught since the Reformation, my response to the question and comments above was as follows.

The biblical accounts we have of God speaking to various individuals are part of the history of His work in special revelation. As part of that history, there are at least two points to highlight.

One point is that those accounts show that, in Scripture, the content of God’s revelation was never information or directives that God gave just for one person or for that person’s circle. To be sure, God intends His revelation to have an intimate, personal impact on each individual believer. There is, however, no instance in Scripture where the nature and content of revelation is merely individual or private. Nowhere in Scripture does God reveal Himself or His will along two tracks, one public and one private. In fact, the notion of such private revelation inevitably introduces an authoritative source that competes with and diverts attention from God’s public revelation, particularly in the practical and pressing concerns of life. The scenario of a private track of revelation is exactly contrary to what Paul teaches about Scripture in 2 Tim 3:15-17: Scripture is enough to make one wise for salvation and equipped for every good work. Thankfully, then, God is not the author of both public and private tracks of revelation.

Read More