When we say the Bible is sufficient, we don’t mean that it is the bare minimum we need to get by. Rather, we are to think of sufficiency to mean that Scripture is all that we need to get by. A sufficient Bible means that that what we have is enough for His purposes.
But what are those purposes? What is the Bible sufficient for? We can’t just speak of the sufficiency of Scripture in a vacuum. We need to see God's purposes in Scripture, and also examine how the Scripture is sufficient for the purposes He intends.
(A) God speaks sufficiently in Scripture (Deut 30:11-14)
In Deut 30, Moses addresses the people of Israel whom He has redeemed out of slavery in Egypt. Having been set free, the Israelites were given the very words of God at Mt Sinai, commandments from God that would mark them and set them apart for God Himself, as part of a covenant relationship. With His words, they would know God, know His desires for them, and be able to live as His own people. With His word given to then, they would be able to be God’s people. This story is captured in the book of Exodus.
Years later, Moses addresses the attitudes and questions of a new generation of Israelites about God's words given to their forefathers in this passage. The correlation to many of us with Christian parents and forebears is striking. Moses says that God’s Word is not too difficult to understand and practice (Deut 30:11). It is not too hard and it is not too far off. It is not hard for us to relate to this! Often, we may come with a misconception that God’s word is too hard for us “average Christians”. We may feel like we don’t have a seminary degree or training to read the Bible. Can we understand it? Deut 30:11 says that we can!
In Deut 30:12, we see that from Israel’s history, they might assume that God’s word needs a special, flashy revelation like their forefathers at Sinai. They might also think that God’s commands are too far removed from them and they are unable to understand it! But the word is not too far away, not out of this world, but it has come down. Perhaps we also come to God’s word looking for a mystical experience, a voice that speaks or a writing in the sky. Deut 30 teaches us that His word is understandable, accessible and knowable! How do we come before God?
Israel also might assume that God’s Word is far off and unattainable, and they require a special person to bring it close to them (Deut 30:13). However, God’s revealed word to us is understandable and it is a wonderful mercy! How do we have a similar attitude here? Do we think that we can’t read the Bible because we haven’t been trained?
How do we think of Scripture? Some of us may think that it is too ancient and too far off, and not relevant or applicable for us today. Others may come looking for a supernatural revelation and encounter. Deut 30 here challenges our ideas and misconceptions about His Word as we start reading it. After explaining what the Word is not, Moses goes on to explain to them what the Word is. Moses reminds the Israelites that it is near them, in their mouth, in their heart and they can do it (Deut 30:14). The word is near them, in their mouth when they recite it and heart when they pray about it. God’s word is not far off, as Moses has been trying to get them to see. And God’s word is for them to know and obey. Moses didn’t say it would be easy, but it would be not too difficult (Deut 30:13).
Earlier in Exo 19:3-7, we also know that God’s goal is to have a relationship with His people. All of Scripture is unpacking this theme and showing His desire for us to be His! Thus, this shows that God’s Word is for salvation. He gives us His word that we may obey it and in and through obeying it, we may be His (Exo 19:5). Scripture is clear about what we are to obey, and salvation can be found through obedience to His word. In other words, the purpose of God's word in Ex 19 is to facilitate a relationship between the God who saves from Egypt, and those whom He saves. The word He describes is what will enable these people to be His own treasured possession.
Isa 55:10-11 also provides us the assurance that God’s word will accomplish God’s purposes! Because God speaks truth, and Scripture is His word, His purposes will be accomplished. God speaks sufficiently. He never gives us a word that is insufficient and impossible to obey. He doesn’t give us an ambiguous and vague word. It shows us clearly what it looks like to be His people and He also assures us that His purposes will be accomplished.
The sufficiency of Scripture means that God speaks to achieve the purposes he intends. He never speaks insufficiently.
(B) Scripture is sufficient for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ
The same characteristics of a sufficient Scripture are also observed in the New Testament. Heb 1:1-4 sheds light on how the New Testament writers describe how God reveals Himself. According to Hebrews, God has spoken in many ways through prophets, but these last days, He has spoken by his Son. Like what we’ve seen last week, Scripture doesn’t make us smart with information but leads us to a person, thus facilitating a relationship with God! Hebrews affirms that in the same way that God spoke through Moses as the man of His choosing, He has also spoken through Jesus Christ! Like the final prophet, the writers of the Hebrews wants us to know that instead of looking to the words of Moses to hear what God is speaking, we are now to look to Jesus to hear the the same God speak!
But more than that, Hebrews tells us that Jesus is not just a prophet with the words of God. Hebrews says the following about Jesus:
He is the appointed heir of all things
Through Him, the world was create
He is the radiance of the glory of God
He is exactly God
He upholds the universe by what He says! He sustains all things.
He completed the work that He had to do. He made the purifications for sins
He is superior to angels
In other words, Jesus is much more than a source of divine revelation -- He is God Revealed, God the Redeemer and God the King Himself! Scripture is sufficient to point us to this Jesus.
In Rom 10:5-13, Paul refers to our earlier text in Deut 30:11-14 and explains that this sufficient Bible is enough to help us know Jesus! God’s word is sufficient is help us know Jesus and His salvation! Scripture says that Jesus Christ came down from heaven, and went into the abyss for us. Scripture is sufficient for our salvation because it reliably communicates to us Christ’s death and resurrection for our salvation! God didn’t just give us a law to keep, but a testimony concerning His Son who is our Savior! Thus God's sufficient word for revelation is also His sufficient word for salvation. Through His Word, we learn of the Son in whom we are counted righteous and saved from our sins.
Can we make this logical point clearly from the Bible itself? In other words, does the Bible tell us what its own point is? 2 Tim 3:14-17 tells us that Scripture is "sufficient to make us wise for salvation in Christ". The text also tells us that Scripture is sufficient to reprove, correct and train us in righteousness.
Now, practically this doesn’t mean that only people who read the Bible from cover to cover will be saved. And neither does it mean that anyone who has read it will magically be put on the salvation list. The apostle Paul in writing to his young disciple Timothy, gives us a single summary of the purpose of all the Scriptures. He has spoken in Scripture to help us to know (hence, become "wise") salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (the content to be communicated). Moreover, God knows how to speak in a way that will always achieve His purposes, which are: teaching, correction, rebuke and reproof which include how this content does more than inform us, it will transform us. So the Scripture is sufficient to communicate God's message of salvation about Jesus! Scripture shows our need for a saviour and then brings us to this person of Jesus, who obeyed the commands of God as we should have, and died in our place.
(C) 10 Implications of the Sufficiency of Scripture
So what then? If Scripture is sufficient, we have at least 10 implications:
We have everything we need to know for salvation - no need for “more stuff”. We do not need extra biblical revelation to be saved!
We cannot - we must not - add to or subtract from what God has said (Rev 22:18-19)
We must be diligent in reading His Word.
We can have confidence in Scriptures because His word is a reflection of who He is.
We can be content in what He has revealed. Remember that “sufficient” does not mean the bare minimum but in fact, He gives us more than we asked for and imagined.
We cannot disregard Scripture as not applicable or irrelevant.
We are responsible for our response - our faith and our obedience.
We can know Christ, our Saviour.
We can know God, our Creator.
We can be in relationship with God
This is just the beginning and there are probably many more implications. As we wrap up this study, we’ve seen that Scripture is sufficient for our salvation and obedience. In what ways do we struggle to believe that God speaks sufficiently through Scripture? Is there anything in your life that needs to change in light of any of these implications of sufficiency?