Chapter 7.9

The Sufficiency & Relevancy of Scripture

All the Revelation We Need

Table of Topics

A) Illustrating & Defining the Sufficiency of Scripture

A.1) An Excellent Description of the Sufficiency of Scripture

A.2) Charismaticism’s attack on the sufficiency of Scripture

A.3) Scripture on the sufficiency of Scripture

B) The Relevancy of Scripture

C) Scripture’s Tribute to Scripture: Psalm 119

Extras & Endnotes

Primary Points

• The sufficiency of Scripture means Scripture contains everything God desires or needs to communicate in order for us to know and obey His will perfectly.
• “It is in Scripture alone that we are to search for God’s words to us.”
• “The . . . sufficiency of Scripture . . . implies that in fact God has not spoken to mankind any more words which he requires us to believe or obey other than those which we have now in the Bible.”
• “The discovery of this great truth could bring tremendous joy and peace to the lives of . . . Christians who, spending countless hours seeking God’s will outside of Scripture, are often uncertain about whether they have found it.”
• Charismaticism’s doctrines deny them the right to claim the historic, orthodox position of the sufficiency of Scripture.
• The repeated instruction to test “prophecies” with Scripture is useless.
• The Pastoral Epistles emphasize that the spiritual health of the Christian depends on the protection and proclamation of the written Scriptures, not the use of other means of divine revelation thought to be so important today.
• Whatever is not addressed in some way by Scripture, is something God has no opinion on, and we are left to make a wise decision according to our desires.
• God’s will for our life is virtually confined to morality.
• If we simply follow the divine revelation to love, we will “be able to discern what is best,” evidently in virtually any situation, and being able to “be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness,” resulting in “the glory and praise of God” (Phil 1:9-10).
• Because of the biblical command to love, we can interpret any need we see, as something God would want us to meet as best as we can.
• If we apply the moral direction of Scripture to decisions such as what job, house, church, or spouse to choose, then it is impossible to miss God’s will.
• Ps 119 is the authority, divinity, & sufficiency of Scripture stated in Scripture
• Even though Scripture is ancient, it remains relevant because God’s will is the same for all time: for us to love and live holy.

A) Defining & Illustrating the Sufficiency of Scripture

A.1) An Excellent Description of the Sufficiency of Scripture

Under the topic of the authority of Scripture it is common to discuss what has been called the sufficiency of Scripture. This essentially means that Scripture contains everything God desires or needs to communicate in order for us to know and obey His will perfectly. This historical view of the concept is reflected in the Westminster Confession which states:

The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man’s salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture; unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men. (VI:6)

More recently, the influential theologian Wayne Grudem, in spite of becoming a foremost proponent of extra-biblical revelations in charismaticism, ^[1] has ironically penned one of the best descriptions of the sufficiency of Scripture you will find, and is worth the following rather lengthy quote:

We can define the sufficiency of Scripture as follows: The sufficiency of Scripture means that Scripture contained all the words of God he intended his people to have at each stage of redemptive history, and that it now contains all the words of God we need for salvation, for trusting him perfectly, and for obeying him perfectly.

This definition emphasizes that it is in Scripture alone that we are to search for God’s words to us. It also reminds us that God considers what he has told us in the Bible to be enough for us, and that we should rejoice in the great revelation that he has given us and be content with it. . . .

A similar teaching is found in Psalm 119: “Blessed are those whose way is blameless who walk in the law of the Lord!” (v. 1). This verse shows an equivalence between being “blameless” and “walking in the law of the Lord”; those who are blameless are those who walk in the law of the Lord. Here again is an indication that all that God requires of us is recorded in his written Word; simply to do all that the Bible commands us is to be blameless in God’s sight.

To be morally perfect in God’s sight, then, what must we do in addition to what God commands us in Scripture? Nothing! Nothing at all! If we simply keep the words of Scripture we will be “blameless” and we will be doing “every good work” that God expects of us. . . .

The doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture . . . implies that in fact God has not spoken to mankind any more words which he requires us to believe or obey other than those which we have now in the Bible. . . . For Christians today, the words from God that we have in the Old and New Testaments together are sufficient for us during the church age. . . .

The discovery of this great truth could bring tremendous joy and peace to the lives of thousands of Christians who, spending countless hours seeking God’s will outside of Scripture, are often uncertain about whether they have found it. In fact, many Christians today have very little confidence in their ability to discover God’s will with any degree of certainty. Thus, there is little striving to do God’s will (for who can know it?) and little growth in holiness before God. . . .

The sufficiency of Scripture shows us that no modern revelations from God are to be placed on a level equal to Scripture in authority. At various times throughout the history of the church, and particularly in the modern charismatic movement, people have claimed that God has given revelations through them for the benefit of the church. However we may evaluate such claims, we must be careful never to allow (in theory or in practice) the placing of such revelations on a level equal to Scripture. We must insist that God does not require us to believe anything about himself or his work in the world that is contained in these revelations but not in Scripture. And we must insist that God does not require us to obey any moral directives that come to us through such means but that are not confirmed by Scripture. The Bible contains all the words of God we need for trusting and obeying him perfectly [then why should we accept any claims to extra-biblical revelation!?].

[The sufficiency of Scripture] also means that if someone claims to have a message from God telling us what we ought to do, we need never assume that it is sin to disobey such a message unless it can be confirmed by the application of Scripture itself to our situation. ^[2]

Several comments can be made about this description of the sufficiency of Scripture. First, it should be read again as it communicates the full ramifications of what Scripture claims for itself as a sufficient source of divine revelation. Secondly, the above reflects the historical view of the Church throughout the centuries. Thirdly, such a description of the sufficiency of Scripture completely eliminates any need or value for the myriad of other means of divine revelation claimed today (e.g. “prophecies,” “words of knowledge,” “signs,” “inner voice,” etc.). As we have said, the historical understanding of the sufficiency of Scripture is that Scripture contains everything that God desires or needs to communicate in order for us to know and obey Him perfectly.

A.2) Charismaticism’s attack on the sufficiency of Scripture

Accordingly, many in the Church today, particularly those adhering to mega mysticism and the so called “prophets” of prophetism, simply cannot claim to hold to the historic understanding of the sufficiency of Scripture, including Dr. Grudem. Above he writes:

[I]t is in Scripture alone that we are to search for God’s words to us . . . in fact God has not spoken to mankind any more words which he requires us to believe or obey other than those which we have now in the Bible. . . The Bible contains all the words of God we need for trusting and obeying him perfectly.

Such statements completely eliminate not only the need for extra-biblical revelations, but deny that any have occurred or ever would. Unless it is claimed that God may speak something that He does not want us to “believe or obey” which is ludicrous. Nevertheless, Dr. Grudem clearly claims that “modern revelations from God” might occur, but they are not “to be placed on a level equal to Scripture in authority.” Why not, if they are “modern revelations from God”? If God is, in fact, giving revelation to modern “prophets” as Dr. Grudem has famously defended, then how would we know that we are not to disregard such revelation from God as having less authority than Scripture? Our charismatic brethren cannot have it both ways and be believable or respectable, and their insistence on having it both ways reduces their integrity. Either God still speaks today and we must believe and obey to avoid dishonoring and sinning against Him, or God has remained silent since providing Scripture. Accordingly, neither Dr. Grudem nor any committed charismatics have the right to claim an orthodox view of the sufficiency of Scripture.

Dr. Grudem’s commitment to charismatic experience would seem to lead him to contradict himself elsewhere on his orthodox position concerning the sufficiency of Scripture. He writes later in his Systematic Theology concerning modern day “prophecy”:

Some have objected that waiting for such “promptings” from God is “just too subjective” a process. But in response, it may be said that, for the health of the church, it is often the people who make this objection who need this subjective process most in their own Christian lives! [So the Bible is not all we need to trust and obey God perfectly?].

This gift [of prophecy] requires [really?] waiting on the Lord, listening for him, hearing his prompting in our hearts. For Christians who are completely evangelical, doctrinally sound, intellectual, and “objective,” probably what is needed most [really?] is the strong, balancing influence of a more vital “subjective” relationship with the Lord [through “prophecy” and apart from God’s written word]. ^[3]

In perhaps the most popular systematic theology of our day, we are being told that God will speak to us through “promptings in our hearts” if we wait and listen for Him, and that such a practice is what thinking Christians need “most” if they are to have “a more vital . . . relationship with the Lord.” For Grudem, Spirit-liberated reason applied to Scripture by a Spirit-filled believer with the new nature is not enough, and we are to look for the continuing revelations that God is granting, apparently “everyday.” It is difficult to interpret Grudem in any other way than that he advocates “balancing” the “objective” written word of God with our own “subjective” extrabiblical thoughts.

We confess that there seems to be a great contradiction in Dr. Grudem’s understanding of personal divine revelation from God and we are at a loss as to how he and other mega mystical teachers fail to see it. Again, even this fine theologian is unable to avoid the automatic contradictions in promoting the sufficiency of Scripture on one hand, and the importance of subjective “promptings from God” on the other. We would wish for an honest admission by mega mystical teachers that they cannot simultaneously promote the Church’s orthodox and historical position on the sufficiency of Scripture (as wonderfully described by Grudem), and the modern, popular doctrines and practices of mega mysticism (for which Grudem has offered detailed arguments for). It is simply insincere and deceptive to give the impression that they are championing both.

Unfortunately, while charismaticism is rather forced to publicly support the historic view of the sufficiency of Scripture in order to be accepted by orthodox Christians, many of its members do not practice it. In spite of warnings even from within, extra-biblical “revelations” are commonly and rather automatically considered to be divine revelation. What else would leaders of charismaticism expect from their doctrines? If a modern prophecy or “subjective” prompting truly is intended to be a direct communication “from God,” as Dr. Grudem claims, then why wouldn’t people expect it to possess Scripture-like authority? Only then would such revelations have the value that Dr. Grudem suggests.

And the repeated instruction to test such “prophecies” with Scripture is useless. If the “prophecy” states something like “God loves you” than why call it “prophecy”? Why not just quote and expound on Scripture. Accordingly, such biblical “prophecy” is useless. On the other hand, an extra-biblical “prophecy” instructing a congregation to embark on a building campaign cannot be evaluated with Scripture. And as such the “prophecy” is useless, if not dangerous. ^[4] Charismaticism’s own rule to subject their “prophecies” and “words of knowledge” and “promptings of the Spirit” to Scripture make these very things useless.

Thankfully, the practice of such “prophecy” is also unnecessary ^[5] and unbiblical.^[6] While particularly those within charismaticism and mega mysticism are insisting that we greatly need divine revelations apart from Scripture, theologians Bruce Demarest and Gordon Lewis reflect the historical orthodox Christian position when they write: “What people need now is not more revelation but more faithfulness to the Spirit-illumined applications of biblical principles to specific situations.” ^[7] Indeed, this is the very reason that the Apostle Paul said such revelatory gifts would cease when the NT Scriptures were complete. ^[8]

A.3) Scripture on the sufficiency of Scripture

There are several ways to illustrate the sufficiency of Scripture in both biblical and practical ways. For example, it is very important to notice that in the Apostle Paul’s last letters, the Pastoral Epistles, he emphasizes that the spiritual health of the Church and the Christian depends on the protection and proclamation of the written Scriptures, not the use of other means of divine revelation thought to be so important today by particularly those subscribing to mega mysticism and prophetism. In fact, it must be admitted by all that by far the most prescribed method of life transformation in Scripture is the preaching of Scripture.

The sufficiency of Scripture is supported throughout Scripture itself. For example, Moses illustrated it in everyday life situations when he explained: “the people come to me to seek God’s will. Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and laws” (Exod 18:15-16). Even the great Prophet believed that “God’s decrees and laws” which are available to us all, were sufficient to find “God’s will” and reconcile “a dispute.”

Additional biblical support for the sufficiency of Scripture is found in God’s commands concerning it. We have already mentioned the statement of Moses regarding the Scripture he had written: “Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day [and had written in Scripture, cf. Deut 31:9-13], so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you–they are your life” (Deut 32:46-7). Scripture was sufficient enough that God said their life depended on it.

The King said something similar when He told the devil, “It is written [in Scripture]: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matt 4:4), and proceeded to quote other Scriptures as the “word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Likewise, there are the famous words to Joshua:

Be careful to obey all the law My servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. (Josh 1:7-8)

God’s advice to Joshua in order to be “prosperous and successful” in all the incredible challenges facing him was to “obey,” recite, and “meditate” on Scripture.

The sufficiency of Scripture is illustrated by God’s repeated command to “not add to it or take away from it” (Deut 12:32; cf. Rev 22:18-19). The reason being that nothing as authoritative as Scripture can be added to Scripture, nor is there anything that needs to be added because it is all God intended to say.

Practically speaking, we can understand why Scripture is so sufficient. Whatever is not addressed in some way by the commands, examples, principles, and Proverbs of Scripture, may very well be one of those issues that God really would not have an opinion on, apart from what He has already said in the Bible. This fact points to another reason that the biblical revelation to love is so sufficient for the direction of the Christian: God’s will for our life is virtually confined to morality. ^[9] Those who insist on how much extra-biblical revelation we need for the purely amoral decisions we make, don’t understand God. And it is this very view of God’s will for our life that leads mega mysticism to claim we need more revelation directly from God than what Scripture tells us.

The commands, examples, and principles of Scripture give us an abundance of objective and dependable guidance from God for life’s decisions. The Psalmist proclaims: “Your [written] word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Ps 119:105, cf. Prov 6:23). Accordingly, we are given an abundance of divine guidance for our life when we read, “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified” (1 Thess 4:3). Because God’s will for our life is essentially moral in nature, such a statement could be said to communicate God’s whole will for the Christian’s life. ^[10]

Likewise, the Apostle writes to the Philippians, “This is my prayer, that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern [reason] what is best” (Phil 1:9-10). The Apostle makes it clear that if one simply follows the divine revelation to love, that they will “be able to discern what is best,” evidently in virtually any situation, apparently being enabled to “be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness,” resulting in “the glory and praise of God.” How many decisions in life become crystal clear when we make love for God and people the priority? The knowledge of this one command to love, is closer to being all of the divine revelation we need than many people think.

Here we are reminded of a widely accepted early Church tradition regarding the Apostle John. The Church historian Herbert Lockyer writes:

It is said that when John was at Ephesus, being aged he would be led into the church there to answer all inquiries concerning the faith, and that he would always answer with the same sentence, “Little children, love one another.” When the people became impatient of this invariable admonition and asked why it was always the same, John would reply that it was the commandment of our Lord, and if this alone was observed, it would be sufficient. ^[11]

The reason that the greatest commandments are to love God and people is not only because they are the most important revelation from God, but also the most comprehensive, because, “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matt 22:40). Do these, and hardly any other divine revelation is needed in order to live for God. And the King’s “Golden Rule” is extremely helpful as well, when we understand that God’s will in a particular situation can be as simple as remembering that, “in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matt 7:12).

Accordingly, any Christian who finds themselves in the place of the Good Samaritan does not need a miraculous revelation from Heaven to know for certain it is God’s will to help someone in need (cf. Luke 10:30-37). Along these lines, the Apostle writes, “as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” (Gal 6:10). Likewise, our Lord said, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me (Matt 25:40).

It is as if God is saying, “Needs that you see are a nudge from Me.” This is not some sort of mystical divine revelation, but rather, God has already communicated His specific will in such circumstances in Scripture, and we therefore have a great deal of direction for our lives in the repeated commands to love others. If we just love we will be doing essentially all of God’s will for our life in essentially every circumstance. It is the sufficiency of love to please God that is one reason Scripture is such a sufficient revelation of His will.

Therefore, we would claim that biblical commands, always resonating with our Spirit-indwelled New Nature, give us all the divine revelation we need. As a result, we are left with asking the question, “How many decisions in our life would we claim the Scriptures are insufficient for, in terms of knowing what would be pleasing to God?” Again, God’s will for our life is virtually confined to moral issues. Those who insist on how much extra-biblical revelation we need for the purely amoral decisions we make, don’t understand God. If we apply the general moral direction of Scripture to decisions such as what job, house, church, or spouse to choose, then it is impossible to miss God’s will in such decisions, and reason and personal preferences become much more important than some additional “signs,” or impulses supposedly from God providing us with extra-biblical amoral revelation. ^[12]

All of this would seem to expose the folly of the many who claim that God “spoke” to them apart from Scripture to do this or that good deed. God does not need to give an additional, immediate revelation of such direction, because Scripture has already told us to love God and others. More importantly, as we demonstrate elsewhere, there is no biblical support at all for claims to such a “conversational” relationship with God apart from hearing God in the written text of Scripture. ^[13]

So it is clear that when God provided the Scriptures, He intended to give us a dependable, complete, and objective body of truth that would communicate everything that He wanted to say to His people. Therefore, all the objective, clear, and dependable means of guidance offered through the Scriptures, diminishes (if not completely abolishes) the need for any of the subjective, obscure, questionable, and might we say, quite inferior means of guidance that are promoted among many in the Church today.

We could wish that the divinely designed process for either physical or spiritual nourishment were more direct. Imagine a world in which all we needed to do was point our face heavenward, open our mouths, and catch a few power-packed raindrops once in awhile to sustain us. Fascinating idea, and God could have certainly designed things that way, but aren’t we glad we get to eat fruit, steak, pasta, and pizza (notice vegetables are not mentioned), regardless of the extra cost and effort involved.

Likewise, we could wish that God’s very own voice could be directly and constantly available to our very own ears, just like “The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend” (Exod 33:11). Another fascinating idea, and one which a few humans have experienced and that all of God’s people are destined to experience when, “we shall see Him just as He is” (1 John 3:2) and, “the dwelling of God [will be] with men, and He will live with them” (Rev 21:3).

And indeed, even in the physical realm, God has at times chosen to sustain His people apart from His normal means through falling manna and quail (cf. Exod 16:13ff), food bearing ravens (cf. 1 Kgs 17:6), reproducing oil and flour (cf. 1 Kgs 17:16), and multiplying fish and bread (cf. Matt 14:17ff). And while admittedly God is free to physically sustain someone through such extraordinary means today, we recognize that such extraordinary events occurred at extraordinary times to a few very extraordinary people. We too might expect the same exceptional sustenance if we were chosen by God to fulfill the same uncommon, once-for-all-time ministries of ones like Moses, Elijah, and Christ.

However, the vast majority of people have not been able to claim such God-ordained purposes, and therefore their expectation, and God’s own design, has been to feed them through what we might unfortunately consider the more mundane means of dirt, water, seed and someone’s sweat.

In the same way, while God is certainly free to speak to us by any method, our expectation, and God’s own design, is to speak to us through the indwelling Spirit of God communicating through the written word of God. While there will always be some people who claim that God speaks consistently to them in a more direct way than the rest of us, the rest of us are more willing to recognize our own great vulnerability to self-deception, let alone the demonic kind, and we are thankful and more than satisfied with the sure written word God has given us.

B) The Relevancy of Scripture

Recognizing that the earliest Scripture was written some 3500 years ago, and that even the newest portions are almost 2000 years old, it is understandable why some might be tempted to suggest that its contents are too old and stagnant to be the best means of divine revelation available today. For example, we have already noted the statement of the popular charismatic author Jack Deere who has said: “In order to fulfill God’s highest purpose for our lives we must be able to hear His voice both in the written word and in the Word freshly spoken from heaven.” ^[14] It is those who claim we need “fresh words from God” that particularly attack the relevancy of Scripture and therefore its authority and sufficiency in our lives.

And yet we notice that even ones such as Christ and Paul who, although uniquely and authentically possessed other means of divine revelation, (even new revelation!), are often (about 75 times!) recorded as referring to what “is written.” Even for them, the Scriptures were still several hundred years old, and yet it held a primary place in their lives and it should all the more for us.

The primary reason that Scripture remains so relevant is the same reason it is so sufficient: it’s commandments to love and live holy. In addition, not even proponents of mega mysticism or prophetism are suggesting that God has more doctrinal revelation than what we have in Scripture. ^[15] Therefore, the words of the King and Apostles recorded in Scripture remain just as relevant today as when they were spoken.

Accordingly, NT scholar James White speaks to this issue when he writes:

Someone conceivably could suggest that changing times have made it necessary for God to give new revelation, but the Scriptures teach that God is eternal and has infallible knowledge of the future; He surely knew every situation the church would face when He inspired the Scriptures long ago. Are we to believe that He is incapable of giving a revelation that would be sufficient throughout the church age? . . . . [W]hile our technology may be far ahead of our ancestors’, our hearts and minds are the same. We remain the fallen sons and daughters of Adam, with the same needs and desires. ^[16]

Likewise, Reformed theologian Robert Reymond has written:

It is often said that a church without continuing revelations is destined to become a “dead” church since it is “locked up” to the “dead letter” of the Scriptures with no possibility of knowing the divine mind on any number of contemporary problems to which the Scriptures do not address themselves. Just imagine, it is said, how blessed that church is, to the contrary, that daily receives direct guidance from God!

Such a view, however, only reveals the woeful ignorance of the objector respecting the nature of Scripture. Scripture is the Word of the living God, the voice of the Holy Spirit. The writer of Hebrews is able to introduce a quotation from the Old Testament (Ps. 95:7-11) with the words, “the Holy Spirit says,” not “said” (Heb. 3:7). When the written Word is read, the Holy Spirit speaks today by and with that Word to men’s hearts.

Furthermore, there is no issue ever facing the church to which the Scriptures do not speak either directly or by implication, either concretely or principally. In response to the Sadducees who attempted to trap him by their casuistic illustration concerning the woman who married seven brothers in turn, Jesus declared: “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God” (Matt. 22:29), and then he proceeds to extract the doctrine of the resurrection from the simple declaration of God in Exodus 3:6 to the effect that God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Matt. 22.31-32). What deep insight, what masterful employment and application of the written Scriptures! It is this insight and this ability to employ and to apply Scripture for which the modern Christian ought to be imploring God, and not for additional revelations which in effect make the Scriptures unnecessary. ^[17]

Finally, the Anglican theologian Peter Jensen writes:

The Scriptures already claim to be contemporary with us. This is indeed how Jesus treated the Scriptures: ‘have you not read what God said to you, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”?’ (Matt. 22:31-32, my emphasis). In this and in many other passages he merely reflects the Old Testament’s own view of its nature as the ‘Book of the Covenant’, and hence as being of ongoing immediate significance: ‘the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so that you may obey it’ (Deut. 30:14). Since we have been brought into a living fellowship with God through these words, we cannot then regard them as out-moded without throwing the whole experience into doubt. ^[18]

1. C) Scripture’s Tribute to Scripture: Psalm 119

There is no better way to complete a discussion on the authority, sufficiency, and supremacy of Scripture as a divine revelation than to simply quote Psalm 119. OT scholars C. F. Keil and Franz Delitzsch note, “here we have set forth in inexhaustible fullness what the word of God is to a man, and how a man is to behave himself in relation to it.” ^[19] Indeed the psalmist’s ^[20] acrostic poem is long and seems redundant, but C. H. Spurgeon (1834–1892) wrote:

Many superficial readers have imagined that it harps upon one string, and abounds in pious repetitions and redundancies; but this arises from the shallowness of the reader’s own mind; those who have studied this divine hymn, and carefully noted each line of it, are amazed at the variety and profundity of the thought. Using only a few words, this writer has produced permutations and combinations of meaning which display his holy familiarity with his subject, and the sanctified ingenuity of his mind. He never repeats himself; for if the same sentiment recurs it is placed in a fresh connection, and so exhibits another interesting shade of meaning. The more one studies it the fresher it becomes. . . .

In order to be able to understand and to enjoy this remarkable Psalm, and that we may not be repelled by its length and by its repetitions, we must have had, in some measure at least, the same experiences as its author, and, like him, have learned to love and practice the sacred word. ^[21]

Spurgeon goes on to remark:

In Matthew Henry’s “Account of the Life and Death of his father, Philip Henry,” he says: “Once, pressing the study of the Scriptures, he advised us to take a verse of this Psalm every morning to meditate upon, and so go over the Psalm twice in the year; and that, saith he, will bring you to be in love with all the rest of the Scriptures.” He often said, “All grace grows as love to the word of God grows.” ^[22]

In this Psalm we have biblical support for many of the points we have made in this section of Knowing Our God. First, this is surely “the authority of Scripture stated in Scripture.” Secondly, one of the most amazing aspects of this Psalm is how the divinity of Scripture is illustrated by its equality with God. It teaches that to love, fear, trust, or hope in God is to love, fear, trust, and hope in what Scripture says. Likewise, to be encouraged, preserved, instructed, directed, or commanded by God is to be encouraged, preserved, instructed, directed, or commanded by Scripture (cf. vs. 20, 28, 42, 43, 65, 74, 93, 114, 120, 147, 156).

The superior authority of Scripture is illustrated in Psalm 119 by the repeated references to its trustworthy, true, and unchanging nature (cf. vs. 128, 137-, 140, 142, 144, 151, 160, 172). The sufficiency of Scripture to inform us of all we need to know to be blameless before God is also reflected in this Psalm (cf. vs. 1, 3, 9, 11, 80, 133, 165). The psalmist also extols Scripture for its great value in providing direction for our life (cf. vs. 24, 30, 66-67, 86, 92-3, 98-100, 104-5, 130, 169). Its ability to bring blessing, peace, joy, and spiritual strength to our life is also especially described (cf. vs. 1-2; 45, 49-52, 78, 81, 165, 175). All of this is why Scripture was so valuable and delightful for this man of God (cf. vs. 14, 16, 20, 24, 35, 40, 47, 72, 97, 111, 127-28, 131, 159, 162-4, 167, 174). So much so that it could be said that his desire for God was no greater than his desire for Scripture.

And in our mega mystical age of all sorts of claims to promptings and signs and voices and visions from God apart from Scripture, it is important to remember that all of the Psalmist’s references to divine revelation here refer to written revelation, the very kind that is habitually being devalued in the Church today. It only remains to quote and read it in its entirety, adding this qualification:

Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the [written] law of the LORD. ² Blessed are they who keep His [written] statutes and seek Him with all their heart. ³ They do nothing wrong; they walk in His ways. ⁴ You have laid down [written] precepts that are to be fully obeyed. ⁵ Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying Your [written] decrees! ⁶ Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all Your [written] commands. ⁷  I will praise You with an upright heart as I learn Your righteous [written] laws. ⁸ I will obey Your [written] decrees; do not utterly forsake me.

⁹ How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to Your [written] word. ¹⁰ I seek You with all my heart; do not let me stray from Your [written] commands. ¹¹ I have hidden Your [written] word in my heart that I might not sin against You. ¹² Praise be to You, O LORD; teach me Your [written] decrees. ¹³ With my lips I recount all the [written] laws that come from Your mouth. ¹⁴ I rejoice in following Your [written] statutes as one rejoices in great riches. ¹⁵ I meditate on Your [written] precepts and consider Your ways. ¹⁶ I delight in Your [written] decrees; I will not neglect Your [written] word.

¹⁷ Do good to Your servant, and I will live; I will obey Your [written] word. ¹⁸ Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in Your [written] law. ¹⁹ I am a stranger on earth; do not hide Your [written] commands from me. ²⁰ My soul is consumed with longing for Your [written] laws at all times. ²¹ You rebuke the arrogant, who are cursed and who stray from Your [written] commands. ²² Remove from me scorn and contempt, for I keep Your [written] statutes. ²³ Though rulers sit together and slander me, Your servant will meditate on Your [written] decrees. ²⁴  Your [written] statutes are my delight; they are my counselors.

²⁵ I am laid low in the dust; preserve my life according to Your [written] word. ²⁶ I recounted my ways and You answered me; teach me Your [written] decrees. ²⁷ Let me understand the teaching of Your [written] precepts; then I will meditate on Your wonders. ²⁸ My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to Your [written] word. ²⁹ Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me through Your [written] law. ³⁰ I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on Your [written] laws. ³¹ I hold fast to Your [written] statutes, O LORD; do not let me be put to shame. ³² I run in the path of Your [written] commands, for You have set my heart free.

³³ Teach me, O LORD, to follow Your [written] decrees; then I will keep them to the end. ³⁴ Give me understanding, and I will keep Your [written] law and obey it with all my heart. ³⁵ Direct me in the path of Your [written] commands, for there I find delight. ³⁶ Turn my heart toward Your [written] statutes and not toward selfish gain. ³⁷ Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to Your [written] word.³⁸ Fulfill Your [written] promise to Your servant, so that You may be feared. ³⁹ Take away the disgrace I dread, for Your [written] laws are good. ⁴⁰ How I long for Your [written] precepts! Preserve my life in Your righteousness.

⁴¹ May Your unfailing love come to me, O LORD, Your salvation according to Your [written] promise; ⁴² then I will answer the one who taunts me, for I trust in Your [written] word. ⁴³ Do not snatch the [written] word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in Your [written] laws. ⁴⁴ I will always obey Your [written] law, for ever and ever. ⁴⁵ I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out Your [written] precepts. ⁴⁶ I will speak of Your [written] statutes before kings and will not be put to shame, ⁴⁷ for I delight in Your [written] commands because I love them. ⁴⁸ I lift up my hands to Your [written] commands, which I love, and I meditate on Your [written] decrees.

⁴⁹ Remember Your [written] word to Your servant, for You have given me hope. ⁵⁰ My comfort in my suffering is this: Your [written] promise preserves my life. ⁵¹ The arrogant mock me without restraint, but I do not turn from Your [written] law. ⁵² I remember Your ancient [written] laws, O LORD, and I find comfort in them. ⁵³ Indignation grips me because of the wicked, who have forsaken Your [written] law. ⁵⁴ Your [written] decrees are the theme of my song wherever I lodge. ⁵⁵ In the night I remember Your name, O LORD, and I will keep Your [written] law. ⁵⁶ This has been my practice: I obey Your [written] precepts.

⁵⁷ You are my portion, O LORD; I have promised to obey Your [written] words. ⁵⁸ I have sought Your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to Your [written] promise. ⁵⁹ I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to Your [written] statutes. ⁶⁰ I will hasten and not delay to obey Your [written] commands. ⁶¹ Though the wicked bind me with ropes, I will not forget Your [written] law. ⁶² At midnight I rise to give You thanks for Your righteous [written] laws. ⁶³ I am a friend to all who fear You, to all who follow Your [written] precepts. ⁶⁴ The earth is filled with Your love, O LORD; teach me Your [written] decrees.

⁶⁵ Do good to Your servant according to Your [written] word, O LORD. ⁶⁶ Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I believe in Your [written] commands. ⁶⁷ Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey Your [written] word. ⁶⁸ You are good, and what You do is good; teach me Your [written] decrees. ⁶⁹ Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies, I keep Your [written] precepts with all my heart. ⁷⁰ Their hearts are callous and unfeeling, but I delight in Your [written] law. ⁷¹ It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn Your [written] decrees. ⁷² The [written] law from Your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.

⁷³ Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn Your [written] commands. ⁷⁴ May those who fear You rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in Your [written] word. ⁷⁵ I know, O LORD, that Your [written] laws are righteous, and in faithfulness You have afflicted me. ⁷⁶ May Your unfailing love be my comfort, according to Your [written] promise to Your servant. ⁷⁷ Let Your compassion come to me that I may live, for Your [written] law is my delight. ⁷⁸ May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause; but I will meditate on Your [written] precepts. ⁷⁹ May those who fear You turn to me, those who understand Your [written] statutes. ⁸⁰ May my heart be blameless toward Your [written] decrees, that I may not be put to shame.

⁸¹ My soul faints with longing for Your salvation, but I have put my hope in Your [written] word. ⁸² My eyes fail, looking for Your [written] promise; I say, “When will You comfort me?” ⁸³ Though I am like a wineskin in the smoke, I do not forget Your [written] decrees. ⁸⁴ How long must Your servant wait? When will You punish my persecutors? ⁸⁵ The arrogant dig pitfalls for me, contrary to Your [written] law. ⁸⁶ All Your [written] commands are trustworthy; help me, for men persecute me without cause. ⁸⁷ They almost wiped me from the earth, but I have not forsaken Your [written] precepts. ⁸⁸ Preserve my life according to Your love, and I will obey the statutes [written] of Your mouth.

⁸⁹ Your [written] word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. ⁹⁰ Your faithfulness continues through all generations; You established the Earth, and it endures. ⁹¹ Your [written] laws endure to this day, for all things serve You. ⁹² If Your [written] law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. ⁹³  I will never forget Your [written] precepts, for by them You have preserved my life. ⁹⁴ Save me, for I am Yours; I have sought out Your [written] precepts. ⁹⁵ The wicked are waiting to destroy me, but I will ponder Your [written] statutes. ⁹⁶ To all perfection I see a limit; but Your [written] commands are boundless.

⁹⁷ Oh, how I love Your [written] law! I meditate on it all day long. ⁹⁸ Your [written] commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me. ⁹⁹ I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on Your [written] statutes. ¹⁰⁰ I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey Your [written] precepts. ¹⁰¹ I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey Your [written] word. ¹⁰² I have not departed from Your [written] laws, for You Yourself have taught me. ¹⁰³ How sweet are Your [written] words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! ¹⁰⁴ I gain understanding from Your [written] precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.

¹⁰⁵ Your [written] word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. ¹⁰⁶ I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow Your righteous [written] laws. ¹⁰⁷ I have suffered much; preserve my life, O LORD, according to Your [written] word. ¹⁰⁸ Accept, O LORD, the willing praise of my mouth, and teach me Your [written] laws. ¹⁰⁹ Though I constantly take my life in my hands, I will not forget Your [written] law. ¹¹⁰ The wicked have set a snare for me, but I have not strayed from Your [written] precepts. ¹¹¹ Your [written] statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart. ¹¹² My heart is set on keeping Your [written] decrees to the very end.

¹¹³ I hate double-minded men, but I love Your [written] law. ¹¹⁴ You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in Your [written] word. ¹¹⁵ Away from me, You evildoers, that I may keep the [written] commands of my God! ¹¹⁶ Sustain me according to Your [written]promise, and I will live; do not let my hopes be dashed. ¹¹⁷ Uphold me, and I will be delivered; I will always have regard for Your [written] decrees. ¹¹⁸ You reject all who stray from Your [written] decrees, for their deceitfulness is in vain. ¹¹⁹ All the wicked of the earth You discard like dross; therefore I love Your [written] statutes. ¹²⁰ My flesh trembles in fear of You; I stand in awe of Your [written] laws.

¹²¹ I have done what is righteous and just; do not leave me to my oppressors. ¹²² Ensure Your servant’s well-being; let not the arrogant oppress me. ¹²³ My eyes fail, looking for Your salvation, looking for Your righteous [written] promise. ¹²⁴ Deal with Your servant according to Your love and teach me Your [written] decrees. ¹²⁵ I am Your servant; give me discernment that I may understand Your [written] statutes. ¹²⁶  It is time for You to act, O LORD; Your [written] law is being broken. ¹²⁷ Because I love Your [written] commands more than gold, more than pure gold, ¹²⁸ and because I consider all Your [written] precepts right, I hate every wrong path.

¹²⁹ Your [written] statutes are wonderful; therefore I obey them. ¹³⁰ The unfolding of Your [written] words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. ¹³¹ I open my mouth and pant, longing for Your [written] commands. ¹³² Turn to me and have mercy on me, as You always do to those who love Your name. ¹³³ Direct my footsteps according to Your [written] word; let no sin rule over me. ¹³⁴ Redeem me from the oppression of men, that I may obey Your [written] precepts. ¹³⁵ Make Your face shine upon Your servant and teach me Your [written] decrees. ¹³⁶ Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for Your [written] law is not obeyed.

¹³⁷ Righteous are You, O LORD, and Your [written] laws are right. ¹³⁸ The [written] statutes You have laid down are righteous; they are fully trustworthy. ¹³⁹    My zeal wears me out, for my enemies ignore Your [written] words. ¹⁴⁰ Your [written] promises have been thoroughly tested, and Your servant loves them. ¹⁴¹ Though I am lowly and despised, I do not forget Your [written] precepts. ¹⁴² Your righteousness is everlasting and Your [written] law is true. ¹⁴³ Trouble and distress have come upon me, but Your [written] commands are my delight. ¹⁴⁴ Your [written] statutes are forever right; give me understanding that I may live.

¹⁴⁵ I call with all my heart; answer me, O LORD, and I will obey Your [written] decrees. ¹⁴⁶ I call out to You; save me and I will keep Your [written] statutes. ¹⁴⁷ I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in Your [written] word. ¹⁴⁸ My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on Your [written] promises. ¹⁴⁹ Hear my voice in accordance with Your love; preserve my life, O LORD, according to Your [written] laws. ¹⁵⁰ Those who devise wicked schemes are near, but they are far from Your [written] law. ¹⁵¹ Yet You are near, O LORD, and all Your [written] commands are true. ¹⁵²  Long ago I learned from Your [written] statutes that You established them to last forever.

¹⁵³ Look upon my suffering and deliver me, for I have not forgotten Your [written] law. ¹⁵⁴ Defend my cause and redeem me; preserve my life according to Your [written] promise. ¹⁵⁵ Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek out Your [written] decrees. ¹⁵⁶ Your compassion is great, O LORD; preserve my life according to Your [written] laws. ¹⁵⁷ Many are the foes who persecute me, but I have not turned from Your [written] statutes. ¹⁵⁸ I look on the faithless with loathing, for they do not obey Your [written] word. ¹⁵⁹ See how I love Your [written] precepts; preserve my life, O LORD, according to Your love. ¹⁶⁰ All Your [written] words are true; all Your [written] righteous laws are eternal.

¹⁶¹ Rulers persecute me without cause, but my heart trembles at Your [written] word. ¹⁶² I rejoice in Your [written] promise like one who finds great spoil. ¹⁶³ I hate and abhor falsehood but I love Your [written] law. ¹⁶⁴ Seven times a day I praise You for Your [written] righteous laws. ¹⁶⁵ Great peace have they who love Your [written] law, and nothing can make them stumble. ¹⁶⁶ I wait for Your salvation, O LORD, and I follow Your [written] commands. ¹⁶⁷ I obey Your [written] statutes, for I love them greatly. ¹⁶⁸ I obey Your [written] precepts and Your [written] statutes, for all my ways are known to You.

¹⁶⁹ May my cry come before You, O LORD; give me understanding according to Your [written] word. ¹⁷⁰ May my supplication come before You; deliver me according to Your [written] promise. ¹⁷¹ May my lips overflow with praise, for You teach me Your [written] decrees. ¹⁷² May my tongue sing of Your [written] word, for all Your [written] commands are righteous. ¹⁷³ May Your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen Your [written] precepts. ¹⁷⁴ I long for Your salvation, O LORD, and Your [written] law is my delight. ¹⁷⁵ Let me live that I may praise You, and may Your [written] laws sustain me. ¹⁷⁶ I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek Your servant, for I have not forgotten Your [written] commands. (Ps 119:1-176)

Extras & Endnotes

A Devotion to Dad

Father, we bless you for giving us such a great gift in Scripture. Thank You that we need not search our feelings, or “signs,” or “prophecies” to know Your will. It brings us great peace to know that everything you want us to do is communicated in Scripture. Help us to interpret it correctly and obey it completely. And help those who are in bondage to an expectation of extra-biblical revelation.

Gauging Your Grasp

1. What is our definition of the sufficiency of Scripture?
2. What are the many ramifications of the historical view of the sufficiency of Scripture in the following areas: 1) charismaticism, 2) mega mysticism, 3) our personal relationship with God, 4) the definition of sin, 5) divine guidance, and 6) God’s end-time evaluation of our lives.
3. What are several statements that can be made to further illustrate the sufficiency of Scripture?
4. We claim that charismaticism’s doctrines deny them the right to claim the historic, orthodox position of the sufficiency of Scripture. On what practices and teachings do we base this on? Do you agree or disagree and why?
5. Why do we claim the repeated instruction to test “prophecies” with Scripture is useless? Do you agree or disagree?
6. What are some Scriptures that support the sufficiency of Scripture?
7. If a decision or situation is not addressed in Scripture, what do we claim is God’s perspective on it and what should we do?
8. Do you agree with our claim that God’s will for our life is virtually confined to moral issues? If so, how does this relate to knowing God’s will?
9. Why is the command to love so completely sufficient for knowing God’s will in every situation?
10. Why is Scripture relevant today even though it is ancient?
11. What are some of your favorite statements in Psalm 119 regarding the authority, value, and/or purpose of Scripture?

Publications & Particulars

1. For a description of charismaticism see endnotes in chapter 7.1. ↑

2. Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology (Zondervan, 1994), 127-33. ↑

3. Ibid., 1059. ↑

4. For further discussion regarding the evaluation of modern prophetic utterances see chapter9.9-12. ↑

5. For further discussion on how unnecessary extra biblical revelation is see below regarding the sufficiency of Scripture section E. Also see chapter 7.15 regarding divine guidance in decision making. ↑

6. For the biblical view of the gift of prophecy see Book 9: God’s Prophets. ↑

7. Bruce Demarest and Gordon R. Lewis, Integrative Theology, 3 Vols. (Zondervan, 1987, 1990, 1994), I:118. ↑

8. For further discussion on the biblical teaching of the cessation of Scripture gifts upon the completion and distribution of NT Scripture see chapter 8.6. For historical support for this position see chapters 8.5 and 9.13. ↑

9. For further discussion of the fact that God’s will for our life is essentially moral in nature, and does not include the amoral aspects that so many claim, see sections 7.12.B and 7.15.B. ↑

10. For a discussion on the important distinction between moral and amoral issues see section 2.3.B.4. ↑

11. Herbert Lockyer, All the Apostles of the Bible (Zondervan, 1972), 91. ↑

12. For further discussion on how a better understanding of God’s will significantly impacts our perspective on divine guidance see chapter 7.15.B. ↑

13. Regarding the theory of a “conversational” relationship with God apart from Scripture see Book 14. ↑

14. Jack Deere, Surprised by the Voice of God (Zondervan, 1996), 291-2. ↑

15. For further discussion of the important distinction between the doctrinal and directional revelation in Scripture see section 7.6.B. ↑

16. James White, Scripture Alone: Exploring The Bible’s Accuracy, Authority, And Authenticity (Bethany House, 2004), 111. ↑

17. Robert L. Reymond, What About Continuing Revelations And Miracles In The Presbyterian Church Today?: A Study Of The Doctrine Of The Sufficiency Of Scripture (Presbyterian & Reformed, 1977), 50-51. ↑

18. Peter Jensen, The Revelation of God (InterVarsity, 2002), 276. ↑

19. C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, Electronic Edition STEP Files CD-ROM (Findex.com, 2000), loc. cit. ↑

20. It is very possible that David wrote Psalm 119, especially when we compare it to Psalm 19 which is clearly ascribed to him. However, we refer to the author of Psalm 119 as the “psalmist” because there is no record of David authorship. Accordingly, Barnes writes:

    Whether the psalm was the work of David or of some later writer cannot be ascertained. Many have ascribed it to David; and it has been supposed that he wrote it either when he was an exile among the Philistines 1 Sam. 27, or when he was young, and had not yet obtained the authority of the government. This last opinion is derived—Rosenmüller thinks correctly, from Ps. 119:9, 23, 46, 141, 161. . . .

    [I]t is now impossible to ascertain the occasion on which the psalm was composed, or to determine who was its author. Nor is it necessary. The psalm is so applicable to the people of God at all times, so suited to strengthen the mind in trial, so adapted to guide, comfort, and support the soul, and so true in regard to the influence and value of the law of God, that it is not needful to know when it was composed, or who its author was. It is sufficient to know that it was composed under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and is a repository of truths which will be of inestimable value in all ages of the world. (Albert Barnes, Barnes’ Notes on the Old Testament, Electronic Edition STEP Files CD-ROM [Omaha, NE: Findex.Com, 1999], loc. cit. ↑

21. C. H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David (Kregel, 2004), loc. cit. ↑

22. Ibid. ↑