Sticky: The Sufficiency of Scripture

by Pastoral Intern Miguel D’Azevedo

The sufficiency of Scripture is one of the most important doctrines of the Christian faith. It is not subjective as some may claim it to be, but it is objective and practical to our everyday lives. The doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture is revealed in the Bible (2 Tim 3:16-17) and acknowledged throughout history by many notable reformed theologians as a foundational doctrine.

The Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter I, defines this doctrine well: “The whole counsel of God, concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man’s salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men.”

It is important to first realize what this doctrine does not claim: that Scripture is sufficient for all human knowledge. For example, the Bible is not sufficient to give one knowledge about mathematics, English grammar, or how to build an airplane.

What this doctrine does teach us is that every single thing that we need to know for salvation, faith and practice is found in Scripture. Everything we need to know to be saved in Jesus Christ is in Scripture. Everything that we need to know about how to glorify God in our lives is in Scripture. Everything that we need to know related to the worship of God and the life of His church is in Scripture.

How do we apply this doctrine practically in our lives? We can begin by conscientiously looking to Scripture as a source of assurance of salvation. Scripture not only gives the necessary knowledge for salvation, but it also gives the promises related to this salvation (Phil 1:6, Col. 1:13, Rev 14:12). Second, in the setting of our priorities, in seeking guidance, and in our meditations, we can come to Scriptures and find answers that are according to God’s will. The truth is that we should not do anything in our lives apart from God’s will! For example, one may be struggling to decide where he or she should go to college. Does the Bible have the name of the college that you should attend? Obviously not, but it gives you principles to help you to choose one. For example, one which is not hostile to the Gospel, or that has a good, solid church close by.

Finally, we should make use of the Bible in our prayers and learn how to pray according to the Bible. If we look to our prayers compared to the ones found in the Bible, we see how immature we are at times in our prayer life. There is no better way to learn how to communicate with our God than by using his own words. As the psalmist expresses “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple” (Psalm 19:7).

Would you like a recommendation for further study? The recently released Reformed Systematic Theology by Beeke & Smalley would be a great place to start!