Scripture, Necessary or Important

The Scriptures, are they necessary or merely important? This past Lord’s Day I preached on the necessity of Scripture from Romans 10:12-17. In that sermon we discovered the Scriptures are necessary to make one wise unto salvation, for the churches growth in that salvation, and a continued understanding of and life in the way of God’s pleasure. Therefore the Scriptures are not just important; they are necessary, so necessary that the church cannot exist without them. God is not bound to the Scriptures but he has bound his church to them (Francis Turretin). I encourage you to connect to the link to listen to this first sermon in our series, “Sola Scriptura: The Necessity of Scripture; Why Do We Need the Bible.”

We must reckon with our own minds and hearts in regard to the necessity of Scripture. Do we treat the Bible each day and week of our lives as though it is just important or absolutely necessary to our lives in Christ? In the last words of Moses to the people of Israel God speaks clearly of their need to treat his Word as necessary. He says to them in Deuteronomy 8:3, “3And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” The life of God that keeps the souls of men alive in him is necessarily found in his Word. He gives life and sustains life through the means of his Word. He says much later in the book, "Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. 47For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess." (Deut.32:46-47). Here God tells us that his Words are not empty. They are full of the grace of life and they are necessary for God’s people to live upon forever. Is your mind and heart fixed by faith on the necessity of sitting at the Lord’s feet to be fed by him through his Word? The church is dying where the necessary Word of God is marginalized into a place of mere importance or unimportance.

Here are 7 reasons from Psalm 119 for you to consider why the Scriptures are necessary:
1. The Word is necessary for our joy or blessedness in God. "Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD!" v.1
2. The Word is necessary for a diligent faith in God’s pleasure. "You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently." v.4
3. The Word is necessary to the end for which you were created, to praise God. "I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules." v.7
4. The Word in the heart is necessary to protect the life from sin. "I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you." v.11
5. The Word is necessary to lift us up out of our flesh to his life. "My soul clings to the dust, give me life according to your word!" v.25
6. The Word is necessary for strength to not be overcome by sorrow, despair and depression. "My soul melts away for sorrow, strengthen me according to your word." v.28
7. The Word is necessary to protect against a self imploding, worldly life. "Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain." v.36

These 7 reasons only scratch the surface of the necessity of God’s Word for the churches salvation, growth in that salvation and continued understanding and life in the pleasure of God. There are many more you could list from this Psalm and the rest of Scripture.

The Word of God is more than important, it is necessary. May the church be reforming her life on this formative principle of the Reformation, Sola Scriptura.