Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29

It must have been quite an experience for the twelve disciples to have physically walked with Jesus in His earthly ministry. We would tend to think that having been with Him, there would be no doubt or unbelief. But we know that His disciples indeed did doubt that He was the Messiah. Thomas’ doubts were nullified when Jesus came to the disciples after His resurrection. It was in this moment that Thomas was instructed by Jesus to place his finger on His nail pierced hands and to place his hand in His side. Thomas’ response is a resounding, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus’ response is an encouragement to us all as believers in Christ, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Inspired by the Holy Spirit, John goes on to state that those signs recorded in Scripture regarding Jesus are written so that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, we may have life in His name (John 20:30).

I was listening to a podcast recently regarding the subject of maintaining one’s deliverance and lukewarm Christianity. During this discussion between two former ex-New Agers, personal experiences alleging indwelling demons being cast out of them while being professing born-again believers was highlighted, along with no longer calling oneself a sinner but a saint. There was also a heavy emphasis on coming into agreement with God’s Word and speaking it over your situation. They appealed to the fact that this is done in the New Age, and it is important to do this rather than come into agreement with demons. In doing so, one can give a foothold to the devil, leading to the need for deliverance. Upon observation in listening to this discussion, there seemed to be a heavy emphasis on personal experience in the supernatural.

Frankly, when I heard this type of talk, I immediately thought about the Word of Faith teaching I had sat under for years. The teaching of applying your faith and coming into agreement with God’s Word in order to receive something in return has only grown in popularity. The appeal to personal experience is also quite popular, yet not exclusive to the Charismatic movement. Not only was there an appeal to personal experience regarding deliverance ministry post conversion, but one of the ladies shared her testimony of coming out of the New Age. In her testimony, she claimed to have seen Jesus face-to-face while deeply entrenched in witchcraft and goddess exaltation. She described how he told her how unique she was and how much he loved her. She went on to say that he sat in front of her and placed fire in her heart. In her own words, she states that she was not saved at this point, but that God renewed her mind and cleansed her in that moment because that needed to take place before salvation.

However, shortly after this encounter, she tells of going into the belief of Christ consciousness, Sophia worship, demon possession, and Mary Magdelene worship. At the pinnacle of her preparing to build a temple for Sophia, the Holy Spirit burst into her bedroom and pinned her down on her bed. She was shown every sin she had ever committed, and it was in this moment that she gave her life to Christ. She goes on to say that God came to her in her dreams at night and taught her Scripture and the mystery revelations of the Old and New Testament since she did not own a Bible.

Though some may not question this testimony, I had questions. I do believe that God is a supernatural God. Scripture testifies of this. However, I wondered how this lady was led into further deception after claiming to see Jesus Christ. I wondered if this had been tested by Scripture and carefully scrutinized, or if this was immediately accepted as truth. There was mention of this individual being able to summon spirits at a young age, and I wondered if any consideration was given to this being another spirit being summoned that brought more deception. We know that Satan can come as an angel of light, and we know that Scripture tells us to test the spirit coming in the name Christ.

I say that not to belittle others but to present some questions for consideration. I spent many years in the hyper Charismatic movement, and I had many experiences. There were dreams and visions. There were things that happened which I cannot fully explain. Looking back and testing these things according to the Word of God, I have rejected and repented over much that happened because the experience contradicted God’s Word. It did not produce spiritual maturity or fruit testifying of Christ. There were false prophecies and vain imaginations among the deception. There was much attributed to the Holy Spirit, and this is grieving to say because much of this contradicted the nature of the Third Person of the Trinity. The things for which I have no explanation, I do not pay mind any longer because those things did not save me; Christ saved me by His finished work on the cross. God was rich with mercy toward me when I did not deserve it, and He granted me repentance.

Appealing to a personal supernatural encounter or experience is not a benign thing. Such claims are to be tested, and if they are not permitted to be tested, then this is cause for concern. All of us can be tempted to elevate our experiences and to hold them in high regard. They were real. They were personal. They impacted us our lives. But does that qualify them as authentically from God? While listening to this specific testimony and how a vision of Jesus led to further deception, I considered what Scripture had to say. When authentic supernatural experiences occurred either in the Old Testament or the New Testament that were truly from God, God was glorified, and truth was revealed. God is not the author of confusion, and He does not lead people astray or further deception. We can see instances in Acts where dreams or visions occurred, and the result was the gospel going forth, such as in Acts 10 with Peter and Cornelius and Acts 16 with the Macedonian call.

Conversely, we see that false prophets were claiming dreams and visions not given to them by God, such as in Jeremiah 23 and Ezekiel 13. The use of these claims to supernatural experiences, whether real or fabricated, were deceptive and led the people of Israel into further deception. My point in saying these things is that Jesus Christ would not appear to an individual and leave them in a state where deception and false teaching abounds further, let alone further self-exaltation. I believe it is worth questioning if visions of Jesus are even within the realm of possibility today based upon what Scripture has to say about Jesus currently being at the right hand of the Father. Peter even assures those who read his words that we have the more sure word of prophecy, greater than his eyewitness account on the mount of transfiguration. We would do well to listen to God’s Word and to be content with its testimony of Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:19-21)

The appeal to personal supernatural experiences can lead others to question their relationship with God. Since they have not seen Him, do they really know Him? When someone claims to have seen Jesus and that He has audibly spoken to him/her, it can create a hierarchy of Christians. Those who claim such things may inadvertently create a standard for fellowship with the Lord, looking down on those who cannot claim such experiences. Some have even been told that if they are not hearing God for themselves or having these experiences, they are possibly in dead religion or they do not really know the Lord. I hope to offer some encouragement in saying that a supernatural personal account is not what defines us as a believer in Jesus Christ.

We are defined by the finished work of Christ on the cross, and His work is truly supernatural in bringing us from spiritual death to life. As for those who may cling to their personal experiences, the argument is not, was a personal experience real, but does Scripture agree with that personal experience? As someone who once placed heavy emphasis on personal supernatural experiences, I am concerned that Scripture is being made to conform to personal experiences rather than Scripture testing those claims. We must be willing to cling to the truth of Scripture and its sufficiency while letting go of those things that may very well lead us into error and away from our beloved Savior. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe. In this, I am encouraged.

Listen to this latest episode regarding a recent claim to a vision of Jesus Christ: The Lovesick Scribe Podcast: Does Scripture Agree with My Personal Experience on Apple Podcasts