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Those Who Follow Their Own Spirit
Ezekiel 13:13 offers a serious warning that is as powerful today as it was when it was first spoken. It proclaims, “And the word of the Lord came to me saying, ‘Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy out of their own heart, “Hear the word of the Lord!”’ Thus says the Lord God: ‘Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!’” (NKJV). Note two elements of this warning to these false prophets:
- They “prophesy out of their own heart,” and
- They “follow their own spirit.”
Have you ever formed a religious concept in your head, that seems so clear, so true, and so logical—but the source of that concept is not Scripture? The intensity of the thought can be almost overwhelming, as you start to feel as if you understand the mind of God—but once again, the source of that idea is not the word of God. Your aim is not to be presumptuous, or to exalt yourself, but the view seems so convincing to you that you feel as if you just know it must be so—regardless of the fact that it is not established by the revelation of God. The question you must ask if you have ever been faced with such a strong feeling is, ‘How do you know’? How can man know anything about God? The Bible does teach us that there are some things about God that are indicated by the natural world. Romans 1:20 teaches that in some sense God’s, “invisible attributes …even His eternal power and Godhead” can be “understood by the things that are made.” That tells us that nature can teach the soul open to it that there is a God! Only a Being of eternal existence would be capable of starting the complex and intricate systems of time and space that regulate the current universe. Only a Divine Being outside of the limits of time and space could act as the Prime Mover to start all that we can see around us.
What about His thoughts? Simply because we can discern His existence from nature, does that tell us anything about His thoughts? Any conclusions we draw about God’s thoughts from nature are destined to be speculative, highly subjective, and ultimately unverifiable because we have no way to determine when something in nature is a direct reflection of God’s desire, attitude, and disposition and when it is simply an inconsequential consequence of His creation.
In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he offers us some powerful insight into this matter. Through the Holy Spirit, he asks the question, “For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of a man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:11). Paul compares our knowledge of God to our knowledge of others. I can never know the mind of another person as fully as that person’s own spirit knows him. No one can know me as fully as I, that is my spirit, knows me. In the same way, we can never fully know the “things of God,” specifically His thoughts, apart from the revelation of His Spirit. So, how can we know the things of God’s Spirit? Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He promised His apostles that He would send them the Holy Spirit. As a part of this promise He told them two things the Holy Spirit would do:
- He would guide them “into all truth” (John 16:13) and
- He would bring to the memory of the apostles “all things that I,” that is Jesus, “said to you” (John 14:26).
Many in the religious world seek to apply these promises to all believers, but if that was true every believer must possess at all times the perfect knowledge of “all things.” Clearly, believers who are alive today did not walk with Jesus, so the Holy Spirit cannot remind us of what we never heard. Is there another way to understand this? Two passages (1 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Timothy 3:15-16) tell us that Scripture is the product of the Spirit and that Scripture is complete. So, we can know God’s thoughts through His words in Scripture.
Now then, let’s go back to the passage in Ezekiel. It is easy for man to think that his own intuition is correct whether his views are grounded upon the clear teaching of God’s word or not. We must test all things seeking “book, chapter, and verse” for all that we do and say. We must understand that looking at (and harmonizing) God’s words does not deny His power but esteem it! Let’s recall Isaiah 66:2, “…On this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word.” We cannot know God’s will by following our own spirit.
