Sunday in my adult confirmation class, one of the members of the class, a Tanzanian Lutheran, pointed out that in Africa many preachers are arising who refuse to be tied down to God's Word. They claim that they have the truth revealed to them in the shrine of their own hearts by the Holy Spirit, without any effort to delve into Scripture as the source of that truth. In fact, many such preachers recommend to their hearers that they should simply reject and throw away their Bible altogether. After all, the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (2Co 3:6). The Bible is but "the letter." Of course, Paul is not distinguishing the Bible from the work of the Spirit, but the letter of the law from the work of the Spirit, who delivers Christ and His work to us in Holy Scripture. 

This approach to "Christianity" bears a striking resemblance to ancient heresy called Montanism. Montanus and his followers claimed to have received a better revelation directly from the Holy Spirit that superseded the divine revelation that came through Jesus Christ. The church rightly rejected this claim as sub-Christian. If Christ is the eternal Son of the Father, then what revelation superior to His could be offered? What is the source of revelation that is superior to that which was delivered by Christ and His chosen apostles?

A revelation that trumps Christ runs immediately afoul of the first commandment and is instantly under the accusation of blasphemy. Who supersedes the beloved Son of the Father and His delivery of the gospel to the holy church? None but those claiming themselves to be god: "Step aside Jesus. Let me fix this for You. You obviously can't handle this. Your divine revelation will not suffice. I have something better." Ultimately we run afoul of the first commandment by all false teaching, in which we claim to know better than the God that gave us the full richness of His grace in the person of His Son, who was incarnate of Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, crucified, dead, and buried. We are offended by the weakness and historical specificity of this full revelation of God's wisdom in His Son.

We think that God is holding something back by hiding Himself this way. And we are partly right. He is holding back the fullness of His wrath by pouring it out on the person of His beloved Son, crucified for us sinners. He is holding back what would simply consume us if He lifted His hand from before our faces and showed us more than His backside (Ex 33:23). He has veiled what cannot and should not be seen that through such a veiling we might be saved; saved even and especially from His divine wrath against our sin and wickedness. Christ joins the poor and afflicted, who are troubled and downtrodden by their sin, to rescue them from it. What better revelation could there be for those who are in such a predicament? We want some high and mighty revelation that takes us backstage with God and gives us a private glimpse of what God is "really like." Woe unto you if you try to remove the mask of God to see something beyond His self-revelation in Christ. You may get exactly what you are looking for. For now content Yourself with the person sent by God, Jesus Christ. There is no other God. 

Martin Luther