Prophecy and Scripture, part 2
More indication they are not the same, from the Scriptures themselves.
This is the second part of a post which deals with the difference between prophecy and Scripture. For the first part, please see “Do prophecy and Scripture fulfill the same function?”
Prophecy should be judged, Scripture acknowledged and accepted
There are indications in the New Testament that prophecy is not to be accepted as authoritative revelation, but to be evaluated. In contrast, we are never told that we can or should judge Scripture, because it is God’s own word. Note what Paul says about his own writings:
If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized. (1 Corinthians 14:37-38)
Note that Paul says this in the context of talking about the spiritual gifts! He actually says that the spiritual person will recognize that what Paul writes about prophecy and the other gifts are the very commands of the Lord, and invalidates himself if he does not recognize it as such!
I wonder what the cessationists would say to that?
So Paul recognizes a difference between his writings as an apostle of the Lord, which were definitively authoritative as commands from Jesus himself, and prophecy, which was to be weighed and tested. See these passages:
Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said….the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. (1 Corinthians 14:29,32)
Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21)
If prophecies are found to be valid, they should be treasured; if not, discarded. By “holding fast” I believe Paul means to take them seriously, remember them, believe them, and use them as guidance in our lives. This is what he counselled his protégé, Timothy:
This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. (1 Timothy 1:18-19)
Note that we are warned not to despise prophecies! Despising prophecy is what cessationists do: discard it out of hand, ignore it, reject it, and disbelieve it.
Another indication prophecy was not authoritative: women prophesied
As discussed in “Are the gifts of prophecy and teaching the same?”, women in the early church are portrayed as prophesying in church gatherings. 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 indicates they were to do so with “a symbol of authority” on their head. While this passage is somewhat difficult to interpret, it seems that women praying and prophesying were to use a head covering to show that they were under authority, not exercising it.
On the other hand, women are forbidden from teaching men in the church, and the reason given is that teaching and authority are closely coupled: “I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man” (1 Timothy 2:12). So we see again an indication that prophecy was not considered authoritative, but “upbuilding and encouragement and consolation” (1 Cor 14:3), which everyone can participate in.
How to judge prophecy
Scripture
By what standard is prophecy to be judged? By the inspired, inerrant, authoritative word of God, which is the preserved teachings of Jesus and the Apostles. If a prophet tells you something that contradicts or doesn’t match up to Scripture, discard it.
For example, if someone prophesies to a married person that they should leave their spouse and marry another, we immediately know that is a false prophecy to be rejected!
A prophecy may not not directly contradict Scripture, but simply not concord with Scriptural principles. In that case, it can be rejected.
But if a prophecy accords with Scriptural teachings and principles, and tends toward the “building up” of the recipient and the church (1 Corinthians 14:5), it should be accepted.
Spiritual judgement
But more than that, there is a spiritual component to evaluating prophecy. Many prophecies can’t be directly judged by Scripture because they are specific and personal. But a person with the Spirit of God can have a sense of whether what someone is saying comes from God, or the prophet’s own flesh.
The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:15-16)
[T]he spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. (1 Corinthians 14:32)
As an example, I was once part of a church where a visiting “prophet” ministered. All of his prophecies were grand and glorious, seeming more to be aimed at puffing up the recipient’s pride than glorifying Jesus. For example, he prophesied to one beautiful young mother and housewife that she would become a great political figure and leader in Canada! This woman spoke almost no English and was a simple, quiet lady from the countryside in Colombia with no interest in politics. I am certainly not saying that God could not make her into a great politician, and being a great politician doesn't necessarily contradict any Scriptural principles, but it did not accord with her personality, desires, or history. All of this prophet’s utterances seemed similarly “off”. I discarded his prophecies as having no value.1
As a positive example, my own husband believes that God told him he would give him the gift of prophecy. He believes that this takes the form of being able to look at a person and understand their inner condition and spiritual state without being told, much as Jesus “needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man” (John 2:25). He feels this enables him to minister to them more effectively, and to encourage others to do so as well.
For example, a new family recently began attending our church. My husband felt that they were in need of much love as they were very damaged by past situations, and that they must be treated with care. In what way does this compete with or contradict Scripture? It is spiritual insight that leads to “upbuilding and encouragement and consolation”, which 1 Corinthians 14:3 says is the result of prophecy. This type of revelation does not in any way add to or take away from Scripture. It is something that, if it is indeed from the Spirit of God, God revealed to my husband because he loves that family and wishes for them to be well-cared for by the church so they can heal and grow.
This is why the concept of a singular anointed prophet who prophesies freely and is never contradicted is so dangerous and unbiblical (just as such a pastoral role is dangerous and unbiblical). 1 Corinthians 14 tells us that there are to be multiple prophets working together and weighing words given by the others.