Sometimes I hit a bad case of writer’s block, and lately it has been extreme. Sometimes I find articles on the web from brethren I trust, and they can say what I want to say much more clearly than I can. This is the case with the below article. I hope that you will examine what Phil has to say, but more importantly, consider what your thoughts are about the Bible and its standard for our lives. Either the Bible is all sufficient to guide us to heaven, or it isn’t. If it isn’t, we are in deep trouble because where else can we go to get what we know for sure is the word of the Lord? If it is all sufficient, then we need nothing else, and our challenge is to study and know what God’s will is for us in our lives.
Tommy

"So much of the disputes of our day center around Biblical authority. The questions of inspiration and inerrancy have much to do with what we think the character of Scripture is. The question of all-sufficiency, however, leads to many more issues.

"It has been some time since our pulpits and lectureships have sounded out a cry that the word of God is all-sufficient. So much error stems from a belief that the Word somehow does not measure up to God's desired will for our faith and practice.

"The challenge of "living church tradition" and papal decrees said that the Scriptures were not enough to teach us, that we needed church officials to give us the right and true interpretation to God's Word.

"The challenge of the Apocrypha that intertestamental, Judean beliefs could be inserted into the Old Testament, in spite of the lack of recognition by the Jews, Jesus or the apostles.

"The challenge of creeds and denominational dogmas was that we needed human authorities to direct us in addition to the Scriptures. We must be able to see the Scriptures through their lens.

"The challenge of tongue-speaking in the 70s argued that we needed gifts beyond the teaching of the Scriptures.

"The challenge of the Crossroads/Boston cult was that the word was not sufficient to mentor us in Christian living, we needed a personal leader to control our daily lives with guilt and manipulation.

"The challenge of modern day prophets who speak messages beyond the teaching of the New Testament.

"The challenge of postmodernism is that truth is so diverse that there are no absolutes or final revelations from God which cannot be dismissed or set aside for the current cultural dictates.

"Scripture, however, claims for itself finality and sufficiency. There is no other revealed truth from God beyond the 66 books of the Bible. Jesus promised to reveal to the apostles of the first century "all truth" (John 16:12-13). The "faith" was once for all time "handed down" in the first century. No one was to abide outside the words of Jesus. There was a finality not to be transgressed. It is a salvation issue (Gal. 1:6-9; 2 John 9; Rev. 22:18-19).
We need nothing more than Scripture, and humanly-designed religious beliefs and practices beyond the Scripture are broad ways and sand theology. We need the Lord and His teaching, not the presumptuous traditions of men. We need Bible, not cultural solutions, to save us and to show us what is pleasing to God (Acts 20:32).

"The Word of God is final and sufficient. That is where we go to build our houses on rock. All else is sinking sand.

Phil Sanders, May 5 2008 Philanswers blog