Does Experience Trump Scripture in Authority?

[Bro. Robbins]

There's a few folks over the years that I've encountered who have testified to experiences that they hold much faith in. And I do believe experience is big in our walk with God. However, when asked for Scriptures to back up the experience, many times they can come back with something to the effect of, "I know what I experienced, and that's all I need.." or "I depend on the Holy Ghost and that's enough."

So some questions here.....

1 - Does Experience have equal or even greater authority in your life than Scripture?

2 - Do you ever think the Holy Ghost would direct/lead in a way that you couldn't provide Scripture to back it up?

3 - If the experience isn't able to backed up by Scripture, shouldn't it be lowered in it's value?

4 - Is there any higher authority in your life than the Word of God? Is that not the ruler by which all other things in our walk with God are to be measured for authenticity, truth, and dependance?

[Praxeas]

Experience never trumps scriptures

[KeptByTheWord]

Galatians 1:8-9 "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."

If it is a new gospel, a new idea, a new doctrine that has come about because of your "experience" or emotional high such as a dream, vision, angel visitation... etc.... you will be accursed if you preach it as part of the gospel.

That would be the ruler I would hold any "experience" up to. The WORD stands as our ruler, our foundation, and no true experience that we have from God will contradict His own Word.

[Bro. Robbins]

Originally Posted by KeptByTheWord

Galatians 1:8-9 "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."

If it is a new gospel, a new idea, a new doctrine that has come about because of your "experience" or emotional high such as a dream, vision, angel visitation... etc.... you will be accursed if you preach it as part of the gospel.

That would be the ruler I would hold any "experience" up to. The WORD stands as our ruler, our foundation, and no true experience that we have from God will contradict His own Word.

Great stuff there....

[RandyWayne]

Does experience trump scripture? No.

Does experience trump a particular interpretation of scripture someone may hold to? Probably happens all the time.

[Bro. Robbins]

Originally Posted by RandyWayne

Does experience trump scripture? No.

Does experience trump a particular interpretation of scripture someone may hold to? Probably happens all the time.

Sorry, my question may not have been clear... we're not talking about in other people's eyes... only in the person of the experience.

So, in that light, could someone's experience trump their own interpretation of Scripture???????

[KeptByTheWord]

Originally Posted by Bro. Robbins

Sorry, my question may not have been clear... we're not talking about in other people's eyes... only in the person of the experience.

So, in that light, could someone's experience trump their own interpretation of Scripture???????

Do you have a hypothetical example or description of such an experience that you are questioning?

[Bro. Robbins]

Originally Posted by KeptByTheWord

Do you have a hypothetical example or description of such an experience that you are questioning?

I do, and could post... but that really wouldn't follow the proper rules of such a discussion here... we then would begin to disucuss the situation on it's own merits, situation, etc... and not the higher concept. I'd much rather stay more general, if possible, so that the higher concept is what is discussed, if that's okay.

[KeptByTheWord]

Originally Posted by Bro. Robbins

1 - Does Experience have equal or even greater authority in your life than Scripture?

No.

2 - Do you ever think the Holy Ghost would direct/lead in a way that you couldn't provide Scripture to back it up?

No.


3 - If the experience isn't able to backed up by Scripture, shouldn't it be lowered in it's value?

Yes.


4 - Is there any higher authority in your life than the Word of God? Is that not the ruler by which all other things in our walk with God are to be measured for authenticity, truth, and dependance?

No.

[RandyWayne]

Originally Posted by Bro. Robbins

There's a few folks over the years that I've encountered who have testified to experiences that they hold much faith in. And I do believe experience is big in our walk with God. However, when asked for Scriptures to back up the experience, many times they can come back with something to the effect of, "I know what I experienced, and that's all I need.." or "I depend on the Holy Ghost and that's enough."

So some questions here.....

1 - Does Experience have equal or even greater authority in your life than Scripture?
No

2 - Do you ever think the Holy Ghost would direct/lead in a way that you couldn't provide Scripture to back it up?
Yes. God may direct me to do something specific in my life that Scripture would be absolutely silent on. For instance, I can't turn to the Book of Paul and find any verse saying ya or nay to the question "Is God leading me to move to this state?"

3 - If the experience isn't able to backed up by Scripture, shouldn't it be lowered in it's value? An experience is an experience. Most don't have specific scriptural backing either way. But in the few cases they DO, then refer to my answer to your first question.

4 - Is there any higher authority in your life than the Word of God? Is that not the ruler by which all other things in our walk with God are to be measured for authenticity, truth, and dependance?
Well, no authority is higher to the Word of God assuming it is rightly divided and interpreted.

My answers, or opinions.