Seminary Viewpoints

Open Bible on a wooden board near the river.

Sufficiency: Everything We Need for Godliness

Sam Horn, Stuart Scott | November 25, 2024
Theologically Speaking Blog

TAKEAWAYS:

  1. Two Scripture passages bring home the concept of the sufficiency of Scripture.
  2. 2 Peter 1 indicates that trust in sufficiency of Scripture is based on personal knowledge of Christ and His Word, backed by its authority in inspiration.
  3. 2 Timothy 3 demonstrates that sufficiency is comprehensive, covering every area of life even in an era disobedience and depravity, but not exhaustive, in that it provides not exact instructions but principles directing each decision in life.
  4. Members’ struggles with sufficiency result from lack of time in the Scripture, “re-labeling” of problems addressed in Scripture that leads them to seek answer elsewhere, and failure to take advantage of all biblical resources, especially the Body of Christ.

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Biblical counseling expert Heath Lambert writes: “The doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture means that God has given us all we need to know how to please him in any area of life.” As applied to soul care, which is really about advancing our sanctification in the Christian life, we don’t need anything more than what God has given us.

Two Scripture passages bring this truth home. The first is 2 Peter 1, which underscores:

3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence….

It’s in the personal knowledge of Christ that we have his words, his mind and will and his promises to us regarding all things that pertain to living a life of godliness that pleases him. Peter confirms the truth of these observations through his own personal experiences with Jesus.

19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed… 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

But at the chapter’s close, Peter takes us to something that’s even more sure than all those experiences: the very word of God, not produced by any man’s will or private interpretation, but from God Himself via the Holy Spirit.  In other words, we see the Sufficiency of Scripture – all we need to know for a godly life – backed up by the Authority of Scripture.

Comprehensive, But Not Exhaustive: Commands versus Principles

2 Timothy 3 underscores these truths but expands on them in an important way:

3:1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. 

14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed …15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

The chapter starts with a picture of disobedience and depravity at the end times that could have sprung out of today’s news. But then a reminder that in the midst of all that evil, God is still saving – and that when we come to sanctification, those “sacred writings” are profitable for teaching, for reproof, correction and for training in righteousness so that the man of God may be complete and equipped for every good work. In other words, comprehensive sufficiency.

But note what the verse doesn’t say: that believers will get step-by-step instructions for every decision in life, only that they will be “equipped.” That’s what we mean when we say that while sufficiency is “comprehensive,” applicable to every area of life, it is not “exhaustive.”

In many areas of behavior, Scripture delivers unmistakable commands: “thou shalt not” lie, steal, murder, covet, commit adultery. But in other areas, it offers principles for decision-making. If you’re looking for specifics on choosing a college or buying a car, you clearly won’t find them. But you will find principles that can act as a kind of compass:

  • “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it.” Make sure your decision fits your budget.
  • “In a multitude of counselors, there is wisdom.” Research pros and cons of makes and models, check reviews, ask trusted friends.
  • “Love thy neighbor.” Your closest neighbor is your wife or husband, so be certain to consider your spouse’s opinion and needs.
  • “(W)hatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” How will this choice reflect my walk and witness for God? Is it for show, or to help me serve Him better?

In fact, sufficiency still lives plenty of freedom for good and principled decision-making.

The Struggle with Sufficiency

If Scripture is truly sufficient, why do so many people in our congregations struggle with trusting in God’s Word and look elsewhere for answers – and how can pastors address that challenge?

  • Members don’t “taste” and experience the Word as we should. In his article The Finality and Sufficiency of Scripture, the late John Murray wrote, “It is because we have not esteemed and prized the perfection of Scripture and its finality, that we have resorted to other techniques, expedients, and methods of dealing with the dilemma that confronts us all….” If you ask the average Christian how much time he or she is spending in the word, it’s very little compared to hours and hours on social media and entertainment. Which means we’re going to come up short on seeing how it speaks to all areas of life.
  • Many life problems today have been “re-labeled.” In this era, everything is a disorder, and you won’t find “anorexia” or “addiction” in a concordance. But the Scripture addresses problems like addiction, where churches may sponsor or direct members to a support group instead of looking at what the Bible stays about being entangled in or “enslaved” by sin.
  • Churches don’t full take advantage of the biblical resources available to us: especially the Body of Christ. Sometimes, despite their best efforts to follow the Scriptures, members run into financial issues, marriages doesn’t turn out the way they expected, or they have a son or daughter following an alternative lifestyle. And they ask, what about sufficiency then? The answer is that there’s always hope and help, because God is a God of hope who has given us help to please Him in every area of life.

This God has given us His Word, and given us a spirit that has taken us to Christ. But He’s also given us the Body of Christ. And Paul writes to that Body in Galatians 6, “if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness.” That “you” is plural – “you all” – come alongside that person. It’s why Scripture gives us more than 35 “one anothers.”

So the next step may be for pastors to say to “anothers:” let’s come around this brother or sister. Let’s pray together. Let’s go to the Scriptures together, looking at biblical principles for encouragement and where it might be necessary, confession. Let’s encourage one another, like the 31-day devotional provided by [church] offering peace and hope in dealing wayward children. The Body of Christ is a neglected resources when people are struggling.

RESOURCES:

  1. Sufficiency: Historical Essays on the Sufficiency of Scripture, by Heath Lambert and Wayne A. Mack
    • There are plenty of secular counselors who believe there is no place for the teaching of Scripture in counseling. There are also plenty of conservative evangelical Christians who love the Bible but believe it is a revelation of limited scope, which is not sufficient for counseling. Only authentically biblical counselors believe that faithful counseling is impossible without the Bible. This book celebrates our 40th anniversary, our rich theological tradition, and our commitment to Scripture by publishing a special edition of some historic articles on sufficiency that have been published throughout the years.
  2. Wayward Children: Finding Peace, Keeping Hope (31-Day Devotionals for Life), by Stuart Wesley Scott
    • “To parent an unbelieving child is one of the most difficult trials a Christian can face. Let this devotional draw you to God, his wisdom, and his guidance every day”–
  3. Collected Writings of John Murray (Vol. 1), by John Murray
  4. Additional scripture passages: Psalm 19:7-11; 119:105; Proverbs 1:20-33; 1 Corinthians 1:1-3:23; 2 Peter 1:3-21.

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[1] https://www.arizonachristian.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/CRC-Release-AWVI-4-Aug-6-2024-Fourth-Draft.pdf