Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. John 17:17

When Jesus prayed what is known as the High Priestly prayer in John 17, He prayed for three distinct things. The first was to be glorified so that He would glorify the Father. The second was for His disciples whom He had chosen as apostles to proclaim His Word, and finally, Jesus prayed for those of us who come to saving faith in Christ through the writings of the apostles.

Many of us know this verse in the gospel of John. Matthew Henry noted the conferring of grace surrounding the truth of the Word in this verse stating, “Divine revelation-as it now stands in the written word, is not only pure truth without mixture, but entire truth without deficiency. This word of truth should be the outward and ordinary means of our sanctification. It is the seed of the new birth, and the food of the new life.” It is important for us to understand the fellowship and justification we have with Christ Jesus is established through the gospel testifying of Him. This Word is sufficient for instructing us, correcting us, and training us in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). His Word is authoritative because when God speaks, it is authoritative, and His speaking is never without authority. As those who belong to God, who have placed their faith in Christ alone for salvation, who have the Holy Spirit indwelling us, and who love God, we are to follow His instruction and commands, and we cannot know or understand what He instructs or commands without abiding in His Word.

Sola Scriptura is an important facet of the believer’s life and walk because it identifies the Word of God as the supreme authority for our salvation and our spiritual walk. These authors make some noteworthy observations, “We cannot understand the Gospel without the Word of God. We cannot know Jesus without the Word of God. We cannot become like Jesus without the Word of God. We cannot be sanctified and purified without the Word of God. We cannot be saved without the Word of God. We cannot grow in holiness without the Word of God. We cannot love our fellow believers without the Word of God. We cannot be equipped for every good work without the Word of God. We have no hope without the Word of God.”¹

When we read Scripture, we can be confident we are reading the very words of God breathed out, written by men who were carried along by the Holy Spirit, just as the prophets of the Old Testament (2 Peter 1:19-21). However, I would make the case there is an assault on sola Scriptura with the modern prophetic movement. The reason I say this is because of the high view of what is currently considered prophecy while claiming to fallibly hear God’s voice or to transmit the prophecy accurately. There are those who profess to be prophets while giving vague and generalized words potentially applying to anyone, anything, and anytime. Individuals will say, “God told me”, “The Lord said”, “Jesus walked into my room and told me this”, “The Holy Spirit is saying”, without batting an eyelash or standing in reverential fear and awe of signing God’s name to the mail they are about to deliver that may be the desires of their own hearts being prophesied rather than God’s very words.

The definition of a false prophet has been evolving depending on who you ask. Rather than pointing back to the Scripture for the definition of a false prophet, fallible people have created their own thoughts about this serious matter. Many are looking for all forms of signs in daily life for God to speak to them. False prophecy is even given a pass in the modern movement because we are under grace, and we are human. People are told they will do greater works than Jesus but prophesying with error is not only accepted but expected when you are learning to hear God’s voice. Following a prophetic word, professing prophets will even tell others they can accept or reject the word released depending on what they choose to do, or they are told to take it to the Lord and to see if they want to follow it. Search the Scriptures, and you will be hard pressed to ever find a prophet who spoke on behalf of God and left the people with such instruction nor had trouble proclaiming what God had to say with accuracy.

Some may think it critical or judgmental to make such statements, and perhaps the claim may be launched that I have no understanding of such a subject because of zero experience. But this could not be further from the truth. I once identified as a prophet in this movement. I was told by others I was a prophet. I would proclaim things over people and proclaim things I presumed to be hidden revelations God had revealed to me in my private time with Him. I proclaimed things that did not come to pass. That is the Biblical definition of a false prophet (Deuteronomy 13:1-5, Deuteronomy 18:22).

I proclaimed things from my own imagination and the desires of my heart. I taught others to prophesy according to Bethel’s teachings on the prophetic, as well as what I had been taught. Even if I did not have this testimony of error, sin, and experiences, that would not matter because any born-again believer should be able to express concern over a low view of speaking on God’s behalf and a low view of Scripture while experience is elevated.

When someone speaks for God, stating God has said something, that is not a small matter. It is not a small matter to do this and then for what is stated to be unfounded and false. This brings reproach on the name of Christ because God is not a liar. Though the penalty has changed regarding prophets, the standard has not changed. It is a high standard. God speaking is authoritative, and when a professing prophet states a word is for the church, this carries authority, the same authority as Scripture because of Who is said to be the originator of the message. We are obligated to obey His Word.

The current prophetic movement is an assault on the supreme authority of Scripture for the life of a believer. The greatest prophetic word all believers are to proclaim is the gospel of Jesus Christ. There is no personal experience superseding the more sure word of prophecy. His Word is a lamp for us. Psalm 19:7-9 says, “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.”

Believers in Christ are set apart by the truth of the Word of God, and we are to have a high view of Scripture. It is a logical fallacy to tell someone who testifies of no radical encounters with God and who does not hear His voice personally they do not know God simply because that individual has been enriched and transformed by the power of God through His Word and the work of the Holy Spirit. Laying claim to prophesying does not equate to truly speaking for God (Matthew 7:15-23).

If I could be so bold as to say this to those who place such stock in modern self-professing prophets and their practices regarding prophecy: please stop listening to them. Open your Bible and fellowship with God by meditating on His Word, studying His Word, loving His Word, and following His Word. It will not lead you astray or deceive you. Jesus is our Priest, Prophet, and King. God has spoken through to us by His Son in these last days (Hebrews 1:1). For those who are mocked even from within the church for standing on the Word of God alone as being sufficient and authoritative, to you I say, keep standing and proclaim the gospel. It is the power of God for salvation. Sola Scriptura.

1. Kuligin, Victor & Yarbrough, Robert. In Christ Alone. p.29

Listen to this episode discussing sola Scriptura and the modern prophetic movement, examining a specific word from Bethel’s prophet, Kris Vallotton: Modern Prophecy and Sola Scriptura – The Lovesick Scribe Podcast | Podcast on Spotify