A Summary: God's Elect: Recipient of Hearing God's Voice

During that of our afternoon service on the Lord's day we conclude the message, "Elect of God: Hearing God's Voice." The particular passage that we came from was based upon John 18:37 where it says, "Pilate therefore said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." (NARSB)  This particular Bible passage has been greatly misunderstood by many within the Church today! The reason for this is that of God's people seeking to understand John chapter 18 verse 37 in light of its context that many of them ignore that of the plain meaning of scripture so as to compare scripture with scripture (1 Cor. 2:13, 14).  Even to the point that it has been interpret by many contemporary evangelicals at the height of "spiritualizing" the Bible without taking into consideration that of its historical, culture, and theological analysis. The outcome is misunderstanding, confusion, and disbelief (2 Cor. 4:3-4; 11:3).  So within this particular passage of scripture according to John 18:37 we are going to study that of this verse in light of what God's Word (2 Tim. 2:15).

   In John chapter 18 verse 37 Pilate begin to ask Jesus the question by saying, "Are you a king?" In so many words what Pilate was asking Jesus, "Are you a King of the Jews?" Jesus replied by saying, "You say correctly that I am a king.  Jesus is King of kings; Lord of lords. There is no one where on earth that can claim they are the messiah even though there are those who are within the professing church today who seek to control the lives of people so as to elevate themselves as if they are "god," but they are individuals who are just "mere" men whom God has created. People today worship the creature more than the Creator. For people to worship Man above God is indication of the depravity of man's own sinful heart by which apostasy is running rampant within the Church today. 

   Never in the history of the Church today is there a proliferation of so-called "messiahs" who claim to be the personification of "God in the flesh." Such "gods in the flesh" are caught on video having such sexual liaison with "alleged" multiple women, but, reveals their own homosexuality. The apostle says concerning these individuals by saying, "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting..." (Rom. 1:28).  The proliferation of homosexuality and those who engaged in such gross immorality is that they did not like to retain God's knowledge, but, as a result God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which were not convenient.  Such sinfulness and gross immorality of depraved sexuality is indication of God's divine judgment (Rom. 1:29-31, 32).

   By Jesus being born as King of the Jews is that the purpose by Jesus Christ came into the world was to bear witness to the truth (Jn. 18:37b).  Jesus who was with the eternal Father witness to the things which He has seen and hear from God. Even though Jesus is a witness to the truth of what He has seen and heard from that of the eternal Father is that Jesus Christ also bears witness of Himself. Also, the eternal Father bears witness of the eternal Son of God. Jesus Christ is the embodiment of Truth according to John chapter 14:6 where He says, "I am the way, the life, and the truth; no one comes to the Father, but by me." Jesus Christ is the Only way to salvation by which men are to be saved (Acts 14:12).  There is no other name under heaven whereby a person can be saved.  There are many false religions and cults that believe that there are a variations by which man can come to God so as to make such divine restitution. Human works,  and accomplishments does not give people a passport to get into heaven, but, they must come through the Person of Jesus Christ in order to be saved. As Jesus declares according to John 10:1 by saying, "...He is a thief and a robber."

  There are people who are not convinced of the fact that Jesus is who He claimed to be based upon His own testimony, but, what they fail to realized that even though the eternal Father bears witness of Jesus, but, also Jesus witness of Himself is true (Jn. 14:6). The main emphasis of John 18:37 is that Jesus witness the truth as well as the elect bears witness to the truth. When it comes to the very character and nature of divine truth: that is God's Word is true by which everything that the Church needs to know pertaining to life and godliness is within God's written Word (2 Pet. 1:19-21; 2 Tim. 3:15, 16). When it comes to content of biblical truth ("God's Word") is a fixation of truth by which it is antithetical to postmodernism, subjectivity, and relativism. In so many words that there is no absolute truth by which many professing believers are to determine their own "personal" truths: that of such "inner" witness or voice within a person's [human] spirit. The "source" of the mystic's source of authority is their "inner" impressions ("urges of feelings") so as to validate their own "truth" claim by which they explicitly deny the absolute authority of God's Word (2 Pet. 1:20).  When it comes to the absolute truth of God's Word  is that many professing Christians avoid the truth so as to override it with their own "personal" truths something that is revealed within their own [human] spirit. The influence of mysticism has in fact influenced the Church by which it has ruin the faith and life of believers today (Col. 2:18).

  The elect by which those who are truly saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ not only hears the truth of God's Word, but, they are receptive to the truth of God's Word (Jn. 8:47; 10:4; 18:37; 1 Jn. 4:6). Let's take for example John 8:47 where Jesus says, "He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God." (1 Jn. 4:6)  According to this particular passage Jesus gives a difference between those ("elect") who hears the truth of God's words and those ("unsaved') who do not hear God's words because they do not know God.  The biblical concept of what Jesus says, "He who is of God hears the "words" of God" is something that has to be taken into consideration simply because of the fact that there are professing Christian teachers who have interpret the "words" of God as if they can receive some personal word or revelation within their spirit in order to understand the deep mysteries of God's Word. Many "Christian" mystics will say, "In order for you to understand this Word is that God have to give you a revelation." In so many words that just by reading "mere" words of the Bible is not going to cut it, but, that you must expect what comes off the pages of the Bible to expect some "supernatural" revelation to jump out of the Bible. Such interpretation is not warranted in scripture according to John chapter 8 verse 47. When it comes to the elect hearing what God's Word says is to read what God's Word says by which God is speaking. God's voice is His Word. It is also important for believers to know what God's Word says as to what we must believe and how we must live our lives as believers. The "words" of God intelligible, cognitive, and understandable; not the vain babbling or empty words of mystics and theological mysticism. The truly saved seek to read, understand, and apply God's Word to their everyday lives, but, professing believers seeks such inner witness within a person's spirit to give them the information they need to verify their own "truth" claim (2 Pet. 1:20).  Personal prophecies, prophetic utterance, and spiritual revelations is what many professing believers seeks as to their own guiding principle as oppose to the absolute truth of God's Word (Jude 8-10). 

   Also, as we look at John 18:37c where Jesus says, "Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice." This is what the rubber meets the road in how that many of professing believers have misunderstood this portion of scripture. Many professing Christian teachers ignore the "truth" by which it is connected to the elect hearing God's voice. They have arbitrary, but mystically interpret this verse as to say that believers can hear God's still small voice so as to hear from God. They give stories of many of the OT prophets like Elijah for example so as the Church hearing God's still small voice in this present generation (1 Kings 17:11) especially Saul encounter with Jesus on the road of Damascus. Many professing "Christian" teachers fail to take into account of the historical context of what happen during those times. There are false teachers who are aware of what they are doing by such semantics, storytelling, and catchy phrases by which to hold captive the minds and hearts of people (2 Cor. 11:3).

What Jesus is saying here in John 18:37c by saying, "Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice" is for the truly saved to listen by knowing the truth of God's Word (Jn. 8:47; 1 Jn. 4:6). The truly saved are the recipient of hearing the truth of God's Word by which they are given the depository of the written word of God (2 Tim. 3:15, 16). The truth of God's Word is the standard of truth as to what we must believe and how we must live our lives. Those professing believers who hold to the idea of hearing God's still small voice within their own human spirit is what is subjective, emotional urges or feelings by which it is their guiding principle in knowing such "mystic" truths; not the objectivity of the truth of God's Word. Such unsaved professing Christians are blind and ignorance of the truth of God's Word whereby they reject what is the absolute truth of God's Word (2 Cor. 4:3-4).

   The Church must have discernment in such spiritually deceptive times by which they must model that of the Bereans in that, "they searched the scriptures daily to see if those things were so." (Ac. 17:11)




Rev. Darryl L. Miller is the president & Chairman of Darryl Miller International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia and travels extensively throughout the United States and continents. Darryl is the Podcast Host, "ASK DARRYL" @ www. spreaker.com/user/bishopoflyons. Darryl is the bestselling author of his book, "The Prosperity Gospel: Where Did It Come From? Gnostic Source? Or Spiritual Revelation?" As a pastor, apologist, conference speaker, and lecturer he is in great demand both in the United States and around the world. Darryl lives with his wife Vivian outside metro Atlanta with their puppy "Little Baby."