Speaking From the Source or Speaking for Yourself

We live in an age where imitation is rewarded and originality is often only an illusion. People copy what works. They borrow language, ideas, convictions, and even personalities because those things already have traction. In many spaces today, especially spiritual, leadership, and online spaces, being right matters less than fitting in and sounding familiar.

A lot of what passes for influence now is really just repetition. Someone hears a phrase that resonates, a theological angle that gets attention, or a leadership idea that draws applause, and they adopt it. They may not even realize they are doing it. It feels normal. It feels safe. But what is being replicated is not always truth that was received. Often it is simply what already worked for someone else.

This is exactly what Jesus exposes with His words. When people copy what is popular without being sent, they are still speaking from themselves, even if they are using someone else’s words. Mimicking truth does not give you authority. Repeating something accurate does not automatically make it authentic. Jesus pushes us past how something sounds and forces us to ask a more uncomfortable question. Where did this really come from, and who benefits from it being said.

That question matters even more now, in a world shaped by platforms, algorithms, and constant visibility. There is a quiet pressure to conform just to stay relevant. People learn what language performs well and then shape themselves around it. Over time, they stop asking whether something was given to them by God and start asking whether it will be accepted by others.

Jesus makes it clear that when the self is the source, self glory will always be the destination, even when God’s name is attached to it. You can talk about God and still be driven by image. You can sound spiritual and still be protecting your own position. The outside can look right while the inside motive is off.

This cuts straight to the heart for Christian leaders, teachers, influencers, and everyday believers alike. You can teach sound doctrine and still speak from yourself. You can quote Scripture and still be seeking approval. You can build a following and still not be sent. Jesus does not measure authenticity by popularity, agreement, or recognition. He measures it by origin and motive.

The one who is sent by God does not need to imitate others to feel legitimate. Their authority does not come from sounding impressive or keeping up with trends. It comes from obedience. Their message may sound familiar because truth is consistent, but it carries weight because it has been lived, not borrowed. It flows out of time with God, not comparison with people.

For believers today, John 7:18 functions both as a warning and an invitation.

The warning is simple but sobering. Do not build your identity by borrowing someone else’s calling. Do not shape your convictions based on what earns approval. Do not confuse agreement with anointing. If your words exist to elevate your image, protect your influence, or keep you accepted, then no matter how biblical they sound, they are still coming from self.

The invitation goes deeper. Seek the glory of the One who sent you. Let God be both the source and the aim of what you say and how you live. When that alignment is real, credibility does not have to be manufactured. Truth carries its own authority. You no longer need to conform to be effective because faithfulness produces fruit that imitation never can.

Jesus is showing us that righteousness does not begin with behavior. It begins with motive. In a world obsessed with copying, branding, and visibility, the truest voice is not the loudest or the most polished. It is the one that has been sent, not the one that has been shaped to fit.

At the end of it all, this verse forces an honest examination. Who are you really speaking for. Who is being glorified through what you say. And if you are willing to be honest, where did it truly come from.