The Indispensable Guide: God's Written Word 

2 Timothy 3:16-17 -- All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Statement of Doctrine:

The Holy Scripture is the only adequate, reliable, and unfailing guide for all knowledge essential to salvation, as well as for faith and obedience. While the natural world and God's work in creation and in governing the world do reveal enough of His goodness, wisdom, and power to leave humanity without excuse, they are not enough to provide the knowledge of God and His will that is necessary for salvation. Therefore, it pleased the Lord at various times and in different ways to reveal Himself and declare His will to His church. Later, to better preserve and spread the truth, and to further strengthen and comfort the church against the corrupting influence of human nature, the malice of Satan, and the world, He committed His complete revelation to writing. This makes the Holy Scriptures absolutely essential, as God's previous methods of revealing His will to His people have now ceased. (Summarium Fidei Christianae Filipinas, Chapter 1 paragraph 1)

 

Commentary:

In a world filled with countless voices vying for our attention, it's easy to feel lost, uncertain, and even overwhelmed. We're constantly bombarded with information, opinions, and "truths" that often contradict each other. So, where do we turn for reliable guidance, especially when it comes to the most important matters of life and eternity?

Our modernized confession powerfully reminds us that the Holy Scripture is our only adequate, reliable, and unfailing guide. Think about that for a moment. Not popular opinion, not personal feelings, not even the wisdom of the brightest minds – but God's written Word.

While creation magnificently displays God's power, wisdom, and goodness, it doesn't offer the complete picture we need for salvation. We can observe the intricate dance of the cosmos or the breathtaking beauty of nature and be left in awe of a Creator, but these alone won't tell us about Jesus Christ, His atoning sacrifice, or the path to eternal life. For that, we need something more explicit, more direct.

And God, in His incredible love and wisdom, provided it! He progressively revealed Himself and His will to His people throughout history. But He didn't stop there. Recognizing the fragility of oral tradition, the corrupting influence of our own human nature, the subtle lies of Satan, and the pressures of the world, He took a decisive step: He committed His complete revelation to writing.

This wasn't an arbitrary decision; it was a divine act of preservation and comfort for His church. It ensures that the truth would be accurately passed down through generations, unadulterated and accessible. It provides a solid rock to stand on when the winds of false teaching blow. It offers solace and strength when doubt or despair threaten to overwhelm us.

Because God has given us His written Word, His previous methods of direct revelation have ceased. We no longer need to wait for a prophet to speak or an angel to appear. We have everything we need, right here, within the pages of the Bible. It is not merely a good book; it is the absolutely essential Word of God, breathed out by Him and perfectly suited to guide us in all knowledge essential to salvation, as well as for our faith and our obedience.

Therefore, let us approach the Scriptures with reverence and humility, eager to learn, ready to obey, and confident that in its pages, we will find the true and living God, His perfect will, and the unfailing path to eternal life.

 

Scripture References:

• 2 Timothy 3:16-17: (Our Key Text) "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

• Psalm 19:1-4: "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world." (Highlights general revelation)

• Romans 1:19-20: "For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." (Reinforces general revelation's limits)

• Hebrews 1:1-2: "In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe." (Illustrates God's progressive revelation culminating in Christ and Scripture)

• John 5:39: "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me." (Emphasizes the Scripture's role in pointing to Christ for salvation)

• Psalm 119:105: "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path." (Illustrates the practical guidance of Scripture)