As Protestants we are convinced that the Bible is the inerrant, infallible, sufficient Word of God. We rightly proclaim the doctrine of Scripture alone (sola scriptura) which assures us that the Bible is our sole authoritative rule for faith and practice. When we introduce prophecy, we must grapple with how to practice it in such a way that it harmonizes with all we believe about the Bible, including sola scriptura. In that vein, this is a question I’ve been eager to find an answer to: What does prophecy offer that Scripture does not?

It is proving to be an interesting year when it comes to sorting out a possible confluence between Reformed theology and charismatic practice. Over the past few years, as more and more people have embraced the principles of Reformed theology, many have also accepted that the ongoing miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit remain operative today. However, few have attempted to actually put such doctrine into practice. As the year began I predicted this would soon change, and it seems this is proving true. Most recently, Matt Chandler led his church through an examination of the spiritual gifts as a means of encouraging the congregation to fully practice the full range of gifts.

As we consider that possible confluence between two streams of theology that to this point have remained largely separate, a key issue that must be clarified is the relationship of Scripture and prophecy. As Protestants we are convinced that the Bible is the inerrant, infallible, sufficient Word of God. We rightly proclaim the doctrine of Scripture alone (sola scriptura) which assures us that the Bible is our sole authoritative rule for faith and practice. When we introduce prophecy, we must grapple with how to practice it in such a way that it harmonizes with all we believe about the Bible, including sola scriptura. In that vein, this is a question I’ve been eager to find an answer to: What does prophecy offer that Scripture does not?

Matt Chandler focused one of his sermons on prophecy and defined the gift as “Spirit-prompted, spontaneous, intelligible messages orally delivered to a person or community intended for edification and encouragement.” Then, in a number of ways and through a number of anecdotes he indicated what prophecy offers that Scripture does not: prophecy personalizes Scripture. Here’s what he says: “We receive from the Lord a word that doesn’t contradict the Scriptures, doesn’t stand in contrast to the sufficiency of the Scriptures, but it personalizes the Scriptures.” Thus, the prophet speaks on behalf of God to make one or more general biblical truths specific to an individual or community.

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