Roots of our Faith- The Catechism
Question #3: Why are the Scriptures all we need for knowing God, knowing ourselves, and understanding the world in which we live?
Answer: The Scriptures are “sufficient”
Scripture: Galatians 1:8, But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!
The Bible doesn’t answer every question that we might have, but it does answer every question that matters. We could survive without all of the other books on our shelves. We could survive without the internet. We could survive without the phones in our pockets. We could not, however, survive without the Bible. In God’s world, the only means of survival is the sufficient word of God.
When we say that the Bible is sufficient we mean that nothing can be subtracted from it and nothing need be added to it. It is just what we need, just the way it is. It tells us everything we need to know—and nothing else that we might want to know is essential.
So what?
When we go to the Bible as a last resort, we mock it’s sufficiency. When we refuse to be happy until God answers our specific questions while neglecting to read His word, we mock it’s sufficiency. When we spend more time listening to other sources and reading other documents, we mock it’s sufficiency. That is why even a resource like this is merely attempting to extract the sweet truth of the Bible rather than seeking to compete with it.
We honor the sufficiency of Scripture when we believe what God has revealed and trust Him for what He hasn’t. We honor the sufficiency of Scripture when we place it as the cornerstone of our lives. We honor the sufficiency of Scripture when we remain committed to it’s truth even when it offends us, contradicts our desires, and challenges our perspectives. If the Scriptures are what God has given us to know Him by, then according to His goodness they are enough.
