I'm asking this question and pondering its implications for a number of reasons.
I know in my own life that my experiences with God have surely shaped what I believe and how I approach God. The Bible speaks of the presence of God, of His healing power, of the Holy Spirit, of speaking in tongues, and I have experienced all of these and many other truths from the Bible. That is why I can stand before you and testify that the Bible is true today as it was yesterday and as it will be forever.
But when can experience become a trap? When can your experiences actually not reveal anything about God... and may instead reveal a dark and evil truth many want to just sweep under the rug? I think I know the answers, but then how do you tell that to someone who lives by their experiences and cannot see that they do NOT line up with the word of God? However, before I jump into that, let me look at the role of experience in our lives.
Like I said above, experiences in my own life and in the lives of others has shown me that what is written in Scripture is true and real and alive. For example, I was in a church that did not believe in the "power" if the Holy Spirit and in the gifts of the Holy Spirit (see Hebrews 2:4, 1 Corinthians 12, 14), like speaking in tongues, prophesying, dreams, visions, physical manifestations of healing power, etc (know as a cessationist belief... in other words, all these things ended with the first church, for we no longer have need for them). However, when I felt something in the deepests part of my being and my spirit, and strange words came out of my mouth that I did not understand, I could no longer say that the Holy Spirit no longer worked in this fashion. I am not trying to get into a cessationist/revivalist/pentecostal (or whatever other words people use) debate here. So let me use another example that, I think, everyone will agree with and understand.
When I was "born-again" or when I finally realized that is was ONLY through faith in Jesus that I would go to heaven, I experienced salvation as is described in Scripture. I had a revelation or an understanding (that came from God and not from my own intelligence and understanding) that it was ONLY through faith in Jesus Christ that I could be saved. And so I confessed it with my mouth as is described in Romans 10:9-13. So I believed by faith that I was saved and I received the freedom and peace God promises.
Or here is another example based on Phillipians 4:6-7. It says:
"Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and
in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving,
continue to make your wants known to God. And God's peace [shall be yours, that
tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing
nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that
is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount
guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
When I have been full of anxiety and worries, I just prayed to God with thanksgiving, and I experienced the peace of God, which transcends all understanding.
So I guess in a nutshell, I say, "Yes, experience is very necessary." It makes God's Word real to us. It makes His Word alive. It makes His Word personal. Nowhere in Scripture does it ask us to believe blindly or to follow God blindly. Even Abraham, though he did not know where he was going or when his son would be born, followed and obeyed God when He asked Abraham to go to Canaan, because God spoke to him... i.e. Abraham had an experience with God!
However, there is a point where we cross the line of God's Word and experience It in our lives, to seeking THE experience or allowing experience to dictate truth in our lives. And I will write about that tomorrow.
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