5 – The Sufficiency of Scripture – Conclusion
“Practical
Application:
1. “The sufficiency of Scripture should
encourage us as we try to discover what God would have us to think (about a particular doctrinal
issue) or to do (in a particular
situation). We should be encouraged that
everything God wants to tell about
that question is to be found in Scripture.
This does not mean that the Bible answers all the questions that we
might think up, for “The secret things belong to the Lord our God” (Deuteronomy
29:29). But it does mean that when we
are facing a problem of genuine importance to our Christian life, we can
approach Scripture with confidence that from it God will provide us with guidance
for that problem.
2. “The sufficiency of Scripture reminds
us that we are to add nothing to Scripture, and that we are to consider no other writings of equal value to Scripture.
3. “The sufficiency of Scripture also
tells us that God does not require us to believe anything about himself or his
redemptive work that is not found in Scriptures.
4. “The sufficiency of Scripture shows us
that no modern revelations from God are
to be placed on a level equal to Scripture in authority. . . The Bible
contains all the words of God we need for trusting and obeying him perfectly.
5. “With regard to living the Christian
life, the sufficiency of Scripture reminds us that nothing is sin that is not forbidden by Scripture either explicitly or
by implication.
6. “The sufficiency of Scripture also
tells us that nothing is required of us
by God that is not commanded in Scripture either explicitly or by implication
. . . (this ) means that if someone claims
to have a message from God telling us what we ought to do, we need never assume
that it is sin to disobey such a message unless it can be confirmed by the
application of Scripture itself to our situation.
“The discovery of this great truth
could bring tremendous joy and peace to the lives of thousands of Christians
who, spending countless hours seeking God’s will outside of Scripture, are
often uncertain about whether they have found it.
“. . . Christians who are convinced of
the sufficiency of Scripture should begin eagerly to seek and find God’s will
in Scripture.
7. The sufficiency of Scripture reminds
us that in our doctrinal and ethical teaching we should emphasize what Scripture emphasizes and be content with what God has
told us in Scriptures.” Wayne
Grudem, Systematic Theology, pp. 130-134
SOLA SCRIPTURA!
This
concludes our study of The Sufficiency of Scripture.
Doug
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