21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. ~ 1 Cor. 1:21
We know that there are “necessary” components to many physical life circumstances. If we want to bake a cake, we need the right ingredients in precise amounts, such as a baking container and heat at the proper temperature (one would also have to consider pressure if living at higher altitudes). When one talks about the general sustaining of life, the big four are usually listed: energy (food), water, air, and shelter. If we were to go a little larger and consider an ecosystem, we would include energy, mineral nutrients, water, air, and living organisms. If we were to consider fire, you might recall the “fire triangle” with oxygen, heat, and fuel. And my chemistry background suggests the five factors that play a role in a chemical reaction are surface area, catalyst(s), pressure, heat, and light (I inadvertently circled back around to baking – go figure).
An issue of contemporary American Christianity is that no one truly knows what is spiritually necessary for the believer. Some may agree that church is essential (and it is). Some may decide that prayer is needed (and it is, too). However, fewer than some would claim their Bible is a necessity for sustaining a foundational spiritual and moral life. Many Christians go to church more than they read and study the Bible, and that is not saying much.
God tells us that His Word is vital. It is how we are to know God. The Apostle Peter says, And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts (2 Pet. 1:19).[1] It brings us into covenant with God because nature by itself is not enough. The Westminster Confession of Faith states:
“It pleased the Lord at sundry times, and in divers manners, to reveal himself, and to declare that his will unto his church, and afterwards, for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan and of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing: which maketh the Holy Scripture most necessary; those former ways of God’s revealing his will unto his people now ceased.”[2]
And the Westminster Larger Catechism question two asks, “How doth it appear that there is a God?” Then it answers, “The very light of nature in man, and the works of God, declare plainly that there is a God; but his Word and Spirit only do sufficiently and effectually reveal him unto them for their salvation.”[3]
In the Old Testament, God revealed Himself in various ways. He spoke face to face with Adam and Eve. He communicated through visions to people such as Joseph, Jacob, the prophets, and Mary, the mother of Jesus. He was a pillar of fire and cloud for the Israelites. His backside made Moses’s face glow. The Son of God tabernacled among humanity in Jesus Christ. And there were other ways. Yet none of them were only to make us intellectually sufficient. God’s purpose is much more than that. He desires intimacy with His elect. And He chose the written Word as a means of speaking to us.
The great Biblical theologian, Geerhardus Vos, states it this way, “God’s self-revelation to us was not made for a primarily intellectual purpose. It is not to be overlooked, of course, that the truly pious mind may through an intellectual contemplation of the divine perfections glorify God.” He continues, “Because God desires to be known after this fashion, He has caused His revelation to take place in the milieu of the historical life of a people. The circle of revelation is not a school, but a ‘covenant.’”[4]
One other thought on the subject is that God displays His grace to us by giving us Scripture to have a relationship with Him. It does provide us with knowledge and wisdom, but we do not go to it for knowledge and wisdom alone. It is His means of showing us how to walk with Him. Louis Berkhof says,
“It is the inspired Word of God, the Word of Scripture, which they [older Reformed thinkers] regard as a means of grace. And even when speaking of this as a means of grace, they contemplate it from a special point of view. The inspired Scriptures constitute the principium cognoscendi, the fountain head, of all our theological knowledge, but is it not that aspect we have in mind when we speak of the Word of God as a means of grace. The Bible is not only the principium cognoscendi of theology, but is also the means which the Holy Spirit employs for the extension of the Church and the edification and nourishment of the saints.”[5]
Therefore, as God’s Children, we must keep God’s Word before us. It is not an inconsequential book that the preacher uses on Sunday mornings. It is God’s Holy Word given to us because we are His people. His Word is what brings us into a covenant relationship with Him. Scripture is not only for knowledge and wisdom concerning how to live, but we live according to the knowledge and wisdom He graciously gives in Scripture because He desired to make us His own. That is what makes God’s Word a necessity. It is essential for our spiritual life in Him.
[1] Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced employ the English Standard Version. Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] The Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms: As Adopted by the Presbyterian Church in
America, (Lawrenceville, GA: Christian Education and Publications, 2007), 2.
[3]Ibid., 154.
[4]Geerhardus Vos, Biblical Theology: Old and New Testament, (Grand Rapids: WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1948), 17.
[5]Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology, (Louisville, GLH Publishing, 2017), 521.
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