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Jumpstarter 8 of 10

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Romans Commentary Chapters 9-16  /  Romans 12:3-8 a Variety of Gifts in One Body  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 8
The lesson argues early Christians did not call someone a prophet merely for preaching/exhorting, but defined prophecy as direct revelation including foretelling, revealing secrets of the heart, or explaining mysteries—and even says New Testament prophets had “greater gifts” than Old Testament ones; how does that confront modern uses of the word “prophecy,” and what would it change if our churches adopted the early Christian definition?
Another way to ask: If prophecy means direct messages from God (like telling the future or revealing hidden things), not just strong preaching, how does that challenge how churches use the word “prophecy” today? What would change if we used the early Christian meaning?

Direct Answer Bercot’s lesson confronts modern usage by saying “prophecy” is not simply strong preaching or exhortation but direct revelation from God, commonly involving foretelling, heart-revealing knowledge, or mysteries. If churches adopted that definition, they would reserve the title “prophet/prophecy” for claims of revelation that match those categories rather than using it as a synonym for preaching.

Support from Transcript:

  • “What is a prophet? It is someone…given a direct revelation from God.”
  • Tertullian’s three prophetic gifts: “foretell the future, reveal the secrets of the heart, and…explain mysteries.”
  • Bercot notes that since the Reformation it’s popular to call “preaching or exhorting” prophesying, but early Christians “never referred to someone as a prophet simply because he preached…or exhorted.”
  • Old Testament prophets preached, “Nevertheless, God gave them the words to say,” not merely their “own convictions.”
  • “The New Testament prophets were given greater gifts than the Old Testament prophets, not lesser ones.”
Discussion Follow-ups If prophecy is defined as revelation, how should churches distinguish between Scripture-based exhortation and claimed new revelation?

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