The Secret of Knowing God's Will

R. Scott Clark has a great article in the midst of a series on the will of God. You should read it and can find it here.

Here is my teaser to whet your appetite- he says that listening for the still small voice leads to a two-sided tyranny and comments:

The first aspect of this tyranny is the fear that “I haven’t heard the still, small voice of God.” This leads to paralysis. It also leads to doubt.

The logic is ruthless:
1. God still speaks outside of Scripture and gives direct guidance and revelation to Christians.
2. Christian X hasn’t received such guidance and revelation.
3. Christian X is either a) not really a Christian or b) doesn’t have sufficient faith or lacks the power of the Spirit etc.

Whatever the cause, the outcome of the logic is unhappy but what if the problem is not the second premise but the first? What if the first premise is flawed?

What Clark is getting into is a question that centers on the distinction between a "revelation" from God and the "illumination" of God's Spirit. We would affirm that the Spirit illumins our minds to understand Scripture better and how it applies to our situation, but would affirm that God's "revelation" was concluded with the closing of the Canon of Scripture- the Bible.

Check it out, read the comments below it for common questions and then, discuss it with some friends.