Words From God

From Dan Phillips at Pyromaniacs:

It is a central tenet of Christian faith that there is such a thing as a word from God (Gen. 1:1; 15:1; Jn. 1:1, 14, 18; 3:34, etc.). Without that assertion, made and affirmed, there simply and literally is no Christian faith (Rom. 10:17).

So, HSAT, let's think through some questions about words from God:

1. Does it change anything, if there is a word from God?
2. Does it change everything, if there is a word from God?
3. Does the Bible ever depict the arrival of a fresh word from God as intended to be welcomed as a casual, business-as-usual affair?
4. Is there such a thing as a word from God that is not inherently fully true, and thus inerrant?
5. Is there such a thing as a word from God that is not instantly, inherently and absolutely morally-binding?
6. Even in the cases of words from God that do not directme to do something (i.e. Jer. 18:1; Jn. 1:14), are they not still inherently and instantly and universally morally-binding in that believers must affirm that they are God's words, and must believe them?
7. Does not the very existence of tests of prophecy (i.e. Deut. 13:1ff.; 18:15ff.) underscore the fact that, if it is a word from God, all people are obliged to embrace it appropriately?
8. If the elder(s) of a local church knew of anyone in the congregation that was in rebellion against a word from God, either by refusing to do what the word said to do, or refusing to believe that the word was God's word, would they not be obliged to confront and discipline that person, and ultimately to expel him or her as an unbeliever, absent repentance?
9. Can a body of believers be in the regular practice of disobeying, ignoring, or being ambivalent about words from God, without disastrous spiritual consequences?

There. Now I'll ask and answer one more question:

Say... isn't that an awfully basic list of awfully easy questions?

(Answer: in "evangelicalism" today? It should be, yes. Would to God that it were. But no, evidently it is not.)