God Is Speaking – Hearing His Voice in Christ, Scripture, and the Cross
God Still Speaks
In the middle of one of our Lord’s most solemn moments, Jesus prays, Father, glorify your name.And a voice answers from heaven, I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again (John 12:28). The people who heard that voice did not all understand it the same way. Some said it thundered. Others said an angel had spoken. But Jesus made it plain that this was the voice of God, and that it pointed toward His coming death (John 12:29–32). That scene still speaks to us today. God is speaking—but the real question is whether we are listening rightly.
Three Ways People Respond to God’s Voice
These three responses in John 12 really do sum up the ways people hear divine revelation. Some hear only thunder. They explain everything away in natural terms. To them, there is no supernatural truth, no divine message, no authoritative Word from heaven. Others hear what they might call an angel. They admit there may be something spiritual, something higher, something beyond what we can touch and measure. They respect religion, admire Jesus, and appreciate the Bible in a general way. But they still stop short of bowing before the living God who has truly spoken. Then there are those who hear as Jesus teaches us to hear: God Himself has spoken. This is not mere religious feeling. This is not vague spirituality. This is divine revelation.
God Speaks Through Creation
The Lord speaks through the world He made. Scripture says, The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands (Psalm 19:1). Some people look at the created order and see nothing more than matter, motion, and chance. They hear only thunder. Others look at the beauty, order, and power of creation and realize there must be wisdom and majesty behind it. But the Christian sees even more. We understand creation in the light of Christ. We know this world is fallen, groaning under the curse of sin, for the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now (Romans 8:22). Yet we also know that creation will not remain broken forever. The God who made all things will one day bring full restoration under the lordship of Jesus Christ. Creation speaks truly, but it does not speak most clearly apart from Christ.
God Speaks Through Scripture
God also speaks through the Bible. Some treat it as nothing more than an old religious book. Others admire it as inspiring literature, but no more. They may speak warmly of its moral teaching while denying its authority, sufficiency, and divine inspiration. But the faithful Christian must say more. The Bible does not merely contain the Word of God in a loose or uncertain sense—it is the written Word of God, breathed out by Him and trustworthy in all that it teaches. The psalmist said, I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you (Psalm 119:11). And Hebrews 1:1–2 reminds us, Long ago God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways. In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe through him. Scripture is not a human guess about God. It is God’s revelation, and it brings us to Christ.
God Speaks Fully and Finally in His Son
The highest revelation of God is not found in nature alone or even in words alone, but in a Person. God has spoken in His Son. Some still hear only thunder when they come to Jesus. They say He was only a man, a moral example, a religious teacher whose story later grew into legend. Others go a little further and say He was a remarkable messenger from God, perhaps the greatest man who ever lived. But that is still not enough. The truth of Scripture is far greater: The Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). He is not merely a good man. He is Immanuel, God is with us (Matthew 1:23). To see Jesus rightly is to see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
And in John 12, the Lord makes something else unmistakably clear: the heart of God’s revelation in Christ is the cross. Jesus explains that the heavenly voice pointed toward His death, and then says, Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. As for me, if I am lifted up from the earth I will draw all people to myself (John 12:31–32). We do not truly understand Jesus until we understand Calvary. His life was sinless. His teaching was perfect. His example was holy. But the center of His mission was this: He came to save sinners through His atoning death. As 1 Peter 2:24 declares, He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree. Any message that admires Jesus but empties the cross of its saving meaning has not heard God rightly.
In the same chapter, certain Greeks came saying, Sir, we want to see Jesus (John 12:21). That is still the cry of the world. People want to see Jesus. But how must He be seen? Not merely as a teacher, not merely as an example, not merely as a historical figure worth discussing. He must be seen as the crucified and risen Savior. Jesus said, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces much fruit (John 12:24). The way to glory was through His death, and the way to life for sinners is through faith in that same crucified and risen Lord.
A Closing Appeal: How Will You Hear Him?
God is speaking. He speaks in creation. He speaks in Scripture. He speaks fully and finally in His Son. The question is not whether He has spoken, but whether you will hear Him as He truly is. Will you hear only thunder? Will you settle for a vague spiritual message, as though an angel had spoken? Or will you bow before the God who has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ? Turn from sin. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Rest in His finished work on the cross and His victorious resurrection. Hear His voice in faith, receive His Word with humility, and come to Christ while the gospel is still being preached. God is speaking. Do not harden your heart.
Copyright © 2006–2026 by Miguel J. Gonzalez Th.D.
Dr. Miguel J. Gonzalez is the Founder and President of Reasons for Faith International Ministries. He served as a pastor for ten years in Charlotte, NC and has taught in churches and conferences throughout the United States. He currently hosts the Time in the Word and Truth To Live By podcasts and writes at KnowingChristianity.blogspot.com.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved
