D. MARTYN LLOYD-JONES ON CHARISMATICS:
But let us turn to the accompaniments of the experience, and consider first the false, the spurious experiences. We almost invariably find that those who have a false experience say that it came to them quite independently of the Word of God. That is already a most valuable point for it indicates that you are probably dealing with the false. The matter became very clear in the 17th century. The Quakers, and certain others on the extreme wing of the Puritan party, tended to depreciate the value of the Bible. They claimed that they did not need it, that they had the ‘inner light’, that the Spirit was speaking directly to them. There are many such people today. I remember a man who had had a striking conversation, saying once in a discussion meeting that it mattered not at all to him what Paul or anyone else said; he knew! That is what tends to happen when people claim an experience that is independent of, and apart from the Word of God.
“Another characteristic of such people is that they have so much to say about visions or ecstasies or signs. They are always interested in phenomena. They have seen a ball of light, or they have seen a vision of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is great emphasis on the phenomena aspect, on some striking dramatic incident that has happened in their experience; and the physical, or semi-physical element always comes in. The devil is never as clever as he thinks he is; he always makes the mistake of overdoing the counterfeit experience which he can produce. There is always the tendency to exaggeration. They may talk a lot about physical prostrations or curious physical sensations. They often talk graphically about sensations as if a hot iron or electric current were passing through them. The result is that they are always very excited about the experience itself, and always ready to boast about it, and to emphasize the physical aspect, the phenomenal side.
“When we turn to the true we find the exact opposite. Here, the experience comes almost invariably with or through the Word. It may come apart from it, but generally the Word is very prominent. If the experience does not come when a person is actually reading the Word, or listening to a sermon, it is probably the case that the Holy Spirit reminds him of a portion of Scripture and brings it back to memory. In any case, it always confirms the teaching of the Scripture; it is always directly in accord with it. It is the Spirit who gives the Word, and it is the Spirit who gives this testimony; obviously, therefore, they are in agreement and work together, and each points to the other. That is a very good test.” D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
