The Difference Between Necessity and Sufficiency

Section 2: The Bible

Week 4: The Bible Is Sufficient

Day 1: The Difference Between Necessity and Sufficiency

2 Tim. 3:14-17

We’ve seen why the Bible is necessary. The question we launch into this week is whether it is also sufficient. What’s the difference?

Think about what you need to keep yourself alive. Water is necessary, but it’s not sufficient. I don’t know about you, but I also need a steady diet of coffee, chocolate, and potato chips (or some other salt-based product) to keep me going. Okay, technically that’s not quite true. I don’t need those things. In a pinch, other food sources will do as well (not Brussels sprouts though…never Brussels sprouts!). The point is: water is necessary for life, but by itself it isn’t sufficient for life. We need other things like food and oxygen to keep us alive.

Is the Bible Sufficient?

Obviously there are areas in life where the Bible doesn’t tell us everything we need to know. If you need to replace the water pump on your car, for example, the Bible isn’t going to be of much help. You will search in vain for a useful diagram or set of instructions.

But what about spiritual matters that pertain to our relationship with God? Does the Bible tell us everything we need to know on that subject? In the early years of the Church, a group called the Gnostics said it didn’t. They claimed we needed secret knowledge you couldn’t find in the Bible.  

God Has Told Us Everything We Need to Know to Have a Relationship with Him

Thankfully, the Gnostics were wrong. The Bible tells us everything we need to know about God and his plans. We’ll flesh this out in more detail over the next few readings, but in the pages of Scripture God has revealed everything we need to know to have a relationship with him right now and throughout eternity.

Challenge:

Read 2 Tim. 3:14-16.

Reflection Question:

Is there anything that is required to enter into a relationship with God that he hasn’t revealed to you?