The Bible is Sufficient

Simply put, the Bible is all we need for a life of faith and worship to God. The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks and answers; what rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy Him?, the word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy Him. The Bible is sufficient for the Christian life. 

Let’s get a definition of the sufficiency of the Bible and what I mean when I say the Bible is sufficient for everything we need. The sufficiency of the Scripture means: The Bible contains all the words of God he intended his people to have at each stage of redemptive history, and it now contains all the words of God we need for salvation, for trusting Him perfectly, and for obeying Him and we do not need any new revelation from heaven for this life. 

First, the Bible being sufficient means that it has all we need for salvation. The Bible tells us everything we need to know about salvation; including election, repentance, justification, faith, and bearing fruit. The faith that is a conduit for God to save us, only comes from the hearing and knowing of God's Word. Without the Bible, no person would be saved. In a clear concise thought, the Bible is the only tool that brings salvation to men. 

Second, the sufficiency of the Bible means that it has all we need in order to obey God. When we disobey God, it is our failure to follow the Bible. What does it mean to worship God? The Bible gives the only clear answer. What does it mean to walk humbly before God's face? The Bible is all we need to be humble. What does it mean to obey God? The Bible gives both the command to obey and the delight to fulfill the command. All we need for a life (lived perfectly, if sin was not involved) comes from the Bible. As the definition states, we need no other revelation from heaven to live in this world. 

Third, I want to point out from this definition; the Bible does not make every decision for us. For example, the Bible will not tell us who to marry, it simply tells us how to be a good spouse and who would make a good spouse. The Bible will not tell us what job to take but will tell us how to be a worshipful employee. God’s Word will not make every decision, that is not sufficiency. God has given us a brain and the sufficient Word that will form and equip our brain to make wise, worshipful, and God glorifying decisions. The Bible is not a magic eight-ball that will give us a yes or no answer to all of life's decisions. The Bible, as it is obeyed and faithfully followed, forms and equips us to make the right choice. And when there are cases where there are no "right" or "wrong" choices, the Bible and a life of worship will form us to make the best decision. 

The Bible is sufficient. It is a gift to be cherished. It is a treasure to be delighted in. It is a gold mine to be dug into. The Bible is all we need for this life. The question is, do we act like it?