6. Necessary

The necessity of Scripture means that apart from God's written Word, we cannot know what we need to know for salvation and godly living.

God reveals himself in two ways. He reveals himself in creation. In the works of his hands. In the order of the natural world. In the conscience of every human being. Theologians call this general revelation. Psalm 19 begins with it: "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork" (Psalm 19:1). Paul says in Romans 1 that what can be known about God is plain from the things that have been made, so that all people are without excuse.

But general revelation, though real, is not enough to save.

It tells you that God exists. It tells you that he is powerful. It tells you that you are accountable to him. It does not tell you his name. It does not tell you the gospel. It does not tell you that God sent his Son to die for sinners. It does not tell you how to be reconciled to the God you have offended.

For that, you need special revelation. You need the Word of God.

Paul lays it out in Romans 10:

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:14, 17)

The logic is airtight. Saving faith requires hearing the gospel. The gospel is found in Scripture. Without the Word, there is no faith. Without faith, there is no salvation. Scripture is necessary because the saving knowledge of God is nowhere else.

Peter says the same thing in his first letter:

You have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God. (1 Peter 1:23)

The new birth comes through the Word. Spiritual life begins when the Spirit applies the message of Scripture to a dead heart.

The Bible is not optional equipment for the Christian. It is the means by which you came alive. And it is the means by which that life is sustained.

Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). We need Scripture the way we need food. Not as a luxury. Not as a supplement. As sustenance. The Christian who neglects the Bible is starving his soul. He may not feel it immediately. But over time, the weakness shows. The joy fades. The convictions soften. The resistance to sin erodes.

You cannot maintain spiritual health without regular nourishment from the Word of God.

John Owen said it this way: "The Scriptures are the great ordinance of God for the saving of sinners and the sanctifying of believers. If we lose the Scriptures, we lose everything."

A question to sit with. Honestly assess your current diet of Scripture. Are you nourishing your soul, or are you slowly starving it?