When People Speak for God. Henry E. Neufeld
When People Speak for God
by
Henry E. Neufeld
Energion Publications
P. O. Box 841
Gonzalez, FL 32560
Energion Publications
P. O. Box 841
Gonzalez, FL 32560
Scripture quotations marked CEV are taken from the Contemporary English Version, Copyright © 1995 American Bible Society.
Scripture quotations marked TNIV are taken from the Holy Bible, Today's New International VersionTM TNIV® Copyright © 2001, 2005 by International Bible Society®. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked NRSV are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U. S. A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All Rights Reserved.
Scripture quotations marked NASB95 are from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Quotations marked NASB are from an earlier edition of that version and are used only for illustration.
Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked REB are from the Revised English Bible, Copyright © 1989 by Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press.
Unmarked translations are by the author.
Cover Design and illustrations by Jason Neufeld, jasonneufelddesign.com.
Copyright © 2007, Henry E. Neufeld
Aer.io Edition
978-1-63199-480-7
Other editions:
Paperback: 1-893729-38-9
About This Book
This book began as a compilation of previously written material. I have written several essays that I published on the web, both on my Energion.com Webzine and on my blogs. Biblical inspiration, the gift of prophecy, God speaking to people, and people claiming that God told them certain things very often will become part of the discussions when I’m teaching in person. A number of readers of the internet material have suggested I get it in print, as they find reading 50-60 pages at a time on screen difficult. Those who attend my classes often ask me for something they can read for more information on what I teach about inspiration. Thus far I’ve referred them to URLs, often an unsatisfactory option.
My original plan was to collect the essays, write a couple of connecting or explanatory notes, add topical and scripture indexes, and publish. Ah, that was wishful thinking! I may be the boss but I’m an incredibly cruel and evil boss. Thus when I looked at the collected essays I said to myself, “This won’t do at all. Get thee to work!” (Note that the archaic language is not an indication of divine inspiration.)
The backbone of the book is my essay Inspiration, Biblical Authority, and Inerrancy, which you can check out on the web at http://rpp.energion.com/inspired.shtml. It has been edited and scattered throughout the book where it logically fits in. The illustrations have also been redone by Jason Neufeld (jasonneufelddesign.com). Added to this is material on the modern gift of prophecy, and practical considerations for handling the situation when someone claims divine authority for their words. You’ll find almost all the remaining material in this book by checking out the Biblical Inspiration category on both my Threads from Henry's Web blog (http://www.energionpubs.com/wordpress) and my Participatory Bible Study Blog (http://www.deepbiblestudy.net).
I would like to acknowledge a number of teachers who saw me through my own struggles with Biblical inspiration.
My uncle Pastor Don F. Neufeld who got me started studying Greek
Prof. J. Paul Grove, at Walla Walla College who worked with me through the servant passages of Isaiah
Dr. Alden Thompson at Walla Walla College who saw me through Biblical Hebrew and Old Testament history
Dr. Malcolm Maxwell, Walla Walla College, who challenged my theology and exegesis at all times
Prof. Lucille Knapp, Walla Walla College, who taught me to see the human side while also teaching me Greek grammar
Dr. Leona Glidden Running, Andrews University, my graduate advisor who taught me about the importance of empowering women in the church while also teaching me Middle Egyptian and Akkadian
Dr. Larry Geraty, Andrews University, who encouraged me to think about publishing. It took around 25 years, but I eventually headed that way!
Laney Beard, who read parts of this book and made suggestions that helped me to clarify it.
My wife Jody, who listened to numerous selections, helped me with wording, and who is also patient enough to live with someone who is obsessively editing a manuscript!
All errors, weaknesses, and heresies are, of course, totally my own. I do not in any way intend to suggest that these wonderful people would necessarily endorse my conclusions.
I hope and pray that this collection helps you in your own efforts to hear God speak to you.
Preface
This book is the result of practical experience and personal exposure to the Bible. It is not going to summarize all the theological positions that the church has ever held on the inspiration of scripture. It's not going to be a work of deep theology. I also intended it to be short, about 80-100 pages in 12 point font, but as I write this I'm threatening 200 pages, and it may get a bit larger than that. (It ended up around 275 pages.) Nonetheless I'm going to try to keep it straightforward and practical.
The question people ask me when they come for prayer or advice is this: How can I know what God's will is for my life? Now I could respond by telling them that the Bible is completely inspired in every word, known as verbal plenary inspiration. But what exactly does that mean to you? I could respond by stating that the Bible is historically and scientifically inerrant, but nobody has ever come to me for prayer over a historical or scientific issue.
What people want to know is precisely what God expects of them. The want to know God's will and purpose for their lives. They think they can find that out in the Bible, but they aren't sure how. Often they have tried reading, but they haven't managed to get the answers that they are looking for.
It seems to me that the answers we give in theology classes and in churches tend to miss the point. I also think many of those answers are wrong, but that's actually a less important issue. If one has the means of pursuing the answer, then it is much less important whether one has arrived at an answer yet. With the means, answers will come.
I see a similar problem with Bible study and prayer. Often when we try to make a case for the power of prayer, we emphasize that God answers prayer. There's the acronym PUSH—pray until something happens. We conduct scientific studies on whether or not prayer works. But we miss the simple fact that prayer is not a means to make God do the things that we want him to do. If prayer was the means by which