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Stories about evolution and the age of the earth get labeled “science,” but naturalism is also labeled “science,” and naturalism eliminates God. . . .
When we read Scripture, we’re interacting with the Almighty. As we read the Bible, God tells us that He reveals reality using methods other than the Bible. We’ve just considered the example of this revelation in the first chapter of Romans. True science is revelation, and true science never contradicts Scripture.
Even so, speculations of scientists and theologians often contradict Scripture because speculation is just made-up stuff. The Holy Spirit is our teacher, and God reveals and confirms this fact through Scripture and experience. And this revelation is good news since, given the problem the human mind has in proving that a premise is true, sound reason can never consist of a cold, lifeless, intellectual exercise. Truth always directly involves Jesus. He is Truth, and outside of His presence, there’s no true knowledge as we shall see.
“Hearing from God may be mocked by some like Joy Behar, but it is nothing new and it’s definitely not mental illness as she said. The Bible is full of examples of people hearing from God. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). Those who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ know what this means. I’m thankful that today He still speaks to us through His Word and through His Holy Spirit working in our lives. Aren’t you?” (Franklin Graham)
If we were to try to deny the methods of revelation God mentions through the Bible, our denial would be extra-biblical. The Bible doesn’t deny those methods. Instead, the Bible refutes such a denial since it lays out several ways that God reveals besides speaking to us through the Bible. Therefore, if we were to assert that God reveals only through Scripture, we would be making an extra-biblical assertion in conflict with Scripture. Besides, we would be claiming that no one could know Christ. We would be saying the Holy Spirit doesn’t lead anyone in this daily walk.
Counterfeits of divine revelation exist. So what’s the issue? By being too broadly defined, the term “extra-biblical” confuses us, so we need a term more specific than “extra-biblical.” When God spoke to Paul, it was extra-biblical but not in conflict with Scripture. Still, some extra-biblical doctrines conflict with Scripture, and the conflict with Scripture shows these extra-biblical doctrines are false.
Similarly, some extra-biblical doctrines add speculative interpretations to Scripture from the fallen sarx mind. Even if they don’t conflict with Scripture, they violate God’s command not to add to His words or to diminish His words. And as long as we’re going down this path, it might be good to remember humans aren’t the only ones who make up stuff. Demons also lie, which is another form of made-up stuff. Satan even used Scripture to tempt Christ, but Christ easily detected the deception just as Christ in you can detect deception.
Despite these errors, God can say things not specifically laid out in Scripture. For instance, God can lead a man to choose the right wife, or God the Father can draw an atheist to Christ by speaking directly to his conscience or through a Christian’s example. The Holy Spirit can tell a Christian to apologize to a friend she offended. Such leading is technically extra-biblical. However, God commands us to seek His leading. Therefore, we need this form of extra-biblical knowledge. Since the term “extra-biblical” can mean both good and evil, it’s not a helpful term, so we’ll consider the difference between made-up stuff and divine revelation. The dichotomy between made-up stuff and divine revelation is more meaningful than the term “extra-biblical.”
Something being extra-biblical isn’t necessarily wrong or evil, but making up stuff and calling the made-up stuff true is evil. It’s a lie, and lies are an abomination to God. We can easily see the problem with making theological claims that require adding made-up stuff to Scripture. And some extra-biblical doctrines originate in assumption-based interpretations of the Bible.
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