The Sufficiency of Scripture

What do we mean by sufficiency of scripture?

We live in a world that is full of resources books, videos and teaching and classes and lessons all at our fingertips

I’ve got hundreds of books, commentaries, articles,

We say the Bible is enough - but do we act like it

Today, we’re not asking if the bible is true - we’re asking, ‘Is the Bible enough’

October 31 1517, Martin Luther famously nailed his 95 theses to the door of the castle church in Wittenberg Germany. This is famously known as reformation day.

The reformation essentially challenged the authority and teaching of the roman catholic church and its primary doctrines were sola fide and sola scriptura

Definition

“The sufficiency of Scripture means that Scripture contains all the words of God we need for salvation, for trusting Him perfectly, and for obeying Him perfectly.”

Wayne Grudem

All we need - not all we want

Examples

For salvation, trust, obedience

Not trivia, science, politics etc

Turn to 2 Timothy 3:15–17 “and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

Explain text

Origins

Purpose

Every good work

Psalm 119:1 “Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord!”

Jude 3 “Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.”

2. We can find all that God has said on particular topics and we can find answers to our questions

Significant that we can go to one place to get definitive answers to our questions

Think of all the millions of books written to answer questions that the bible answers

Isn’t to say extra biblical resources arent important or valuable

3. The amount of scripture given was sufficient at each stage of redemptive history

Sufficiency does not mean that God cannot add to scripture throughout redemptive history

Hebrews 1:1 “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,”

Practical Applications of Sufficiency

We can teach theology & ethics

The sufficiency of scripture encourages us that we can discover what God would have us think or do

When we have questions we can be confident that everything that God wants to tell us about that is in the scriptures

This does not mean God has answered all questions

Ex. Order of worship on Sunday

So when we do have questions, let us go to the scriptures to see what it says

We should add no other writings

Scriptures sufficiency means we add no other words to scripture nor do we consider other writings of equal value to scripture

Mormons

Rom (councils)

Preaching today

Challenges to the sufficiency result in 2 things

Deemphasize the teachings of the Bible

Teach things that are contrary to scripture

We should consider no modern revelations from God to be equal in authority

People have claimed revelation from God (often private, personal revelation) and have used them for teaching

IF private personal revelation were to occur, it is not something that is equal in authority to scripture

IF private personal revelation were to occur, it would never violate scripture

“What if God told you to sacrifice your son like Isaac?

Not from God

We can be “guided” by the spirit

however we must not consider it equal to scripturez

Individual guidance from the spirit does not bind other believers

Acts 16:6–7 “And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.”

Galatians 5:16–18 “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

We should consider nothing to be sin that is not forbidden by scripture (explicitly or implied)

Those who walk in the law of the Lord are “blameless” Ps 119 1. Therefore we don’t need to add prohibitions to scripture

Former generations

Drinking

Playing cards

Movie theatre

Dancing

Rock n roll

Dress code

Makeup

Today the temptations

Food preferences (vegan, organic etc)

Babies (when to have them and how many, adoption etc)

Schooling

Health (how much exercise, bf %)

Holidays (halloween, Christmas, Easter etc)

Time allocation (work, family, hobbies, sports)

Tattoos, Jewelry, hair color

We need to show charity in these areas and leave room for Christians to make decisions on these issues

This can lead to false guilt, false victory, etc. Can also have us lose confidence in scriptures clarity bc we don’t know where it came from

Rome - No artificial birth control

We should consider nothing to be required of us that is not commanded by scripture ( explicitly or implied)

First, our primary search for answers should be in scripture, not other places

We can spend countless hours outside of scripture seeking answers for Gods will in other places

Examples

Programs

Missions

Coursed

Specific time allotments in prayer and the word

How much of the word to read at a time

Emphasize what scripture emphasize and be content with the scripture we have

The Bible doesn’t answer everything and doesn’t exhaustively talk about all it touches on.

Remember Deuteronomy 29:29 ““The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”

We ought not think the Bible is less than it should be or wish it was more

Emphasize

Some take obscure portions of scripture and make a huge emphasis on it

Mormons - Baptism for the dead

1 Corinthians 15:29 “Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf?”

Evangelicals

Lords supper

Church Government

Christs return

Baptism

Although these are important and the Bible speaks on them, some have created major divisions and fractions over these more obscure passages