Yes, by their fruits we must know them. This was given in the context of prophets especially.

"Fruits" are all aspects of one's character. Galatians lists some of the fruits out as love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, etc. These are all character traits for the true Christian, or should be. If a prophet is sorely lacking in these basic attributes, his or her inspired status might be questioned by the people.

Do prophets ever fail? Certainly. Prophets are human. Jonah had issues. Balaam had issues. Even David had issues. Yet each of them was a prophet. Moses, one of the best of them all, failed in striking the rock the second time. In a sense it may be true that God can speak through most anyone. Consider King Saul. But God generally chooses career prophets from among His most faithful followers.

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

I agree prophets are human, have issues, and the best fails at times. I also agree that a prophet that the Lord chooses for carrying an office in prophecizing for Him will learn to hear His voice and follow the lead of His Spirit; will show fruits, but is not always the rule as we see with Jonah, or what a prophet is call to do can lead us to question and misjudge the prophet and the Lord's character as in Isiaiah, Ezekiel, and Hosea.

By their Character is not how we Test a Prophet
However just because someone have the fruits of the Spirit doesn't mean all their words they speak are prophecies or resonate all the truth in their words. Everyone's knowledge is partial. No one has all the knowledge. Also, the Lord has not reveal everything He is going to do yet. More is to come. We have the general lines of His plans depicted in the Laws(Torah), the Prophets, and NT; however as events unfolds there's current work being perform, specific work done in different countries, and much more is to come that the Lord call's messengers(prophets) to let the body know about the current status and what is expected of us to do next in establishing His plan in our country or community.

Our Christian Duty to Test all things by the Law
So how do we know if these new people called or past messages given are the Lord's word??? It is our Christian duty to test the integrity of every messages spoken to us according to the Law. Their's no way around it. Nor do I see in scriptures any other way specified by the Lord.

Some individuals in the body may be young not knowing the Law and therefore is not equip to test thoroughly a message. However, the ones that have more experience in testing all things, can detect better the suttle inconsistencies and have a responsibility to share it with the body so the body can learn together the law(G-d's working out His plan)and grow to recognize better His voice, His hand and His ways.

But if a church has nailed the laws(Torah) to the cross, therefore sees no need to study and meditate on them deligently and do not have as a practice to test all messages against the law ... then they neglect their fundamental duty that the Lord has instructed them in the Bible.

The Bereans were praised for testing all things with the Law and the Prophets. In this vital basic practice, we come to learn the law(the mind of the Lord) deeper and deeper. And that's how the Lord matures an individual and a Church.

A church that does not have this fundamental practice cannot discern if a brother is speaking the truth or not. They will be like the house of Judah in a verge of destruction that couldn't discern that Jeremiah was speaking the words of the Lord and almost killed him for speaking "blasphemy" and praised Hananiah's words.

I was looking for that text to post in another thread, but posted a similar one instead.

Anyway, the text tells me that a prophet will also be known by their fruits, rather than simply by the words they speak or write.

I would say that EGW passed the fruits test.

In response to Elle's post, where does it say in the Scriptures that a prophet is to be tested by "the Law and the Prophets"???

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

Absolutely.

Elle,

In 1 Samuel 3:19, the Bible says the Lord doesn't let his words fall to the ground. In this case, it was talking about Samuel. This is an important test of a prophet.

Consider Abraham; Abraham had this promise from God that He would make Abraham a great nation with descendants beyond number. When Sarah couldn't have children anymore, Abraham gets with Hagar and Ishmael is born.

For 12 years Abraham believed that Ishmael was the child of promise, until the Lord spoke to Abraham in Genesis 17. Here God put Abraham and Sarah back on track with the promise He had made. About a year later Sarah bore Isaac.

God's word will not return unto Him void because it is His word and only God can see it to fruition. If God has to depend on ME to fulfill his prophecies, He isn't much of a God.

I know the evangelicals don't understand this point, but, this is what the Bible teaches. God steps in and makes His promise come true just as God intended it. That is why in Genesis chapter 21, we see God calling Abraham a prophet.

Just like with Jonah! God saw it through to the end even when Jonah was on the run. Jonah's message was from God and God used His prophet to deliver it.

I hope I was clear.

The discussion is about how we can recognize if the words that comes from someone is inspired or not.

In Jonah or 1Sm 3:19 it is not about that. In v.18 Eli first recognized that the word Samuel received was from the Lord. This is what this discussion is about but V.18 does not reveal how Eli knew. Once the word is recognized to be coming from the Lord, then yes I agree with your post that no portion of it will hit the ground and will not come empty.

Tx for the story of Abram as it is a prime example of a prophet that heard the word of the Lord but did not understand all of it. For many years, Abram was a "false prophet" in interpretating the word of the Lord he had received wrongly. We see the Lord letting Abram go with the wrong interpretation of His word without correcting him. The son Abram had with Hagar was the work of a "false prophet" or "false interpretation" of an authentic promise he received.

Additional revelation of the promise only came when it was time to fulfill the promise. Abram was 99 years old then. Only then Abram realized that Ishmael was not the promised son. This new revelation or "inspiration" is what led to much understanding about the Lord ways for Abram which made him an overcomer. All these years, Abram was just a believer. As an overcomer, the Lord changed Abram name to Abraham.

What made Abraham an overcomer is that revelation brought the understanding that the Lord was Sovereign over everything and He does not need the help of man to fulfill any of His Words. So as a result, Abram & Sarai pass through the vital door of Christian growth and maturity, and the Lord added the letter "Hey" which means breath(inspiration) to both the name of Abraham and of Sarah.

This lesson points the same thing usually happens to any other prophets that hear the Lord's words -- including Ellen White. She did receive visions and these did come from the Lord, however her interpretation needs to be tested. It is our duty as Christians to test all the words that come from anyone. That is what the Lord requires of us as He has commanded in Deut 13 and Is 8:20 and elsewhere. Each one of us have the responsibility to safeguard(Deut 11:1) the already laid foundation establish by the Lord himself via Moses. "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid"1Cr 3:11.

Deut 13 tells us even if the visions comes to pass -- it is not a reason to take or assume that whatever is said from that prophet as inspired from the Lord. We are to test all their words for their interpretation of the vision may be wrong and they may not have received the interpretation of it even if they claimed or sincerely think they did.

Even Deut 13 states that prophets are sent to us for the purpose to test us whether or not we truly love Him in obeying His commands and keeping His charge(Deut 11:1).

Well, I agree that Abraham was wrong for awhile, but, I wouldn't call him a false prophet. He believed the child of promise would come through him and Sarah, and in the end it did! Of course, God made it so.

If you would have listened to Abraham throughout his entire experience, you would have witnessed many miracles to support Abraham's prophetic gift.

So, how does Abraham know to take Isaac up the mountain to sacrifice Isaac? How indeed.

ANYONE who is motivated by love is inspired by God WHEN they act purely in the interest of others in helping them be better persons. Using such a definition means that only Ellen White knows whether she was inspired or not, to write the things "she wrote." It is left up to her readers to test, NOT the authenticity of her claim to prophethoot (or however else she may have described her mission), but the TRUTH OR FALCITY of her word.

It is imperative therefore that her readers FIRST become familiar with the Bible, listen and carefully weigh her word against what is written therein and against the ideas of others, and then make duly informed decisions. Even Jesus accommodated this laborious process of learning and acceptance in his disciples to the extent that he allowed Thomas room when he (Thomas) finally conceded, "My Lord and my God", AFTER all was said and done. God is patient. Thereafter, one would think, Thomas was COMPLETELY converted and all the patience of Jesus paid off.

If Ellen White has been found wrong, then SDA ought to be brave enough to say so. The Biblical cannon has been closed almost two thousand years ago. All that is needed for salvation has been established already long ago. Now is not the time to be quibbling over obscure and voluminous texts, but to go into the highways and byways announcing the gospel of salvation according to the Bible and the Bible only. But SDA are sleeping with their heads bowed heavily in nine volumes of EGW testimonies. Just take a cursory read through the posts on this forum and you'd see the abundance of misguided ignorance. They have become Roman Catholic monks in character, given over to endless speculations in supposedly holy intellectual conversations.

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