“I really want God to speak to me.”  

Have you ever heard someone say this? Have you ever said this? What about, “If God is there, why doesn’t he just show up? Why doesn’t he come and speak to me?”  

The sufficiency of Scripture is a fancy term that means, God has spoken all that needs to be said. He has spoken in the Bible.  

What Has God Said?

Many people do not practically believe in the sufficiency of Scripture because they do not believe that God has spoken about practical everyday matters, relational nuances, or uniquely personal decisions.  

But God himself says otherwise. 

He has given us everything we need for both life and godliness through the knowledge of him (2 Peter 1:3).

We must learn to see ourselves as part of God’s universe, and the more we know of him, the more we will know how to navigate his world, even in the most minute daily decisions.  

The sufficiency of Scripture means that God has given us all we need in the Bible. In the words of the London Baptist Confession: “The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for [God’s] own glory, man’s salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down or necessarily contained in the Holy Scripture.” 

Here are three things we need that God has supplied through his sufficient Word. He has given us the true story, how to live, and wisdom.

1. The True Story

First, the Bible gives us the true story.  

Behind all our longing is a soul full of wonder—how did I get here, do I matter, what’s wrong with me, what happens to me when I die, what am I living for, how should I think about the world around me, what’s right, and what’s wrong? 

The Bible answers the most foundational questions to human existence more clearly than any other ideology or religion. Christianity best explains our reality. It tells one unified story that parallels human history and human experience in a way no other source does. It tells us the problem with and the solution for humanity.    

2. How to Live

The Bible gives us God’s commands for godly living. The Ten Commandments would be an example of this. We could also think of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), or Paul’s ethical exhortations in his letters. The Bible is filled with instructions on how to live a life that pleases God. God has been sufficiently clear about the kind of people he wants us to be.  

Part of the Bible’s story includes the truth that we simply can’t be the people God wants us to be. But the good news of the Bible is God has made a way to mend the relationship between us. In Jesus Christ, God offers to save us from the punishment due our transgressions and give us a new heart that can keep his law and live the good life he has intended for us.  

3. Wisdom

The Bible is also the source of wisdom. In the Bible, God has given us principles sufficient to help us make decisions in every area of our lives.  

God was not so silly as to give us an obnoxiously large manual for every decision we make in life, including how to change our car tires and feed our cats. That would have been an insult to our humanity. He made us, after all, like him—creative, thoughtful, emotional, etc. God gave us something much better.  

He gives us wisdom.  

“For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding… Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.” (Proverbs 4:6, 9-10 ESV)

The ability to judge what is best in a particular situation is wisdom. God has told us that the more we read his Word, the more we will grow in wisdom (Proverbs 1:7; 8-9). 

Though God’s Word doesn’t give us the answer for every situation, it provides us with a framework to understand every situation, and principles that if applied correctly, can help us live righteously in any situation. 

God’s Sufficient Word

God has told us in his Word all we need to know—about him, about ourselves, and about life. To be frank, God’s revelation is not unclear or insufficient. 

What’s often insufficient is our trust in what he has clearly said, our willingness to act on what he has revealed, and our desire to listen to and learn what he has to say.   

We need the Bible. It’s enough for us. It’s no mistake that God’s Word is often depicted as food or water (Matthew 4:4). Like food and water, God’s Word is basic and fundamental for our healthy existence in God’s world.   

Do you trust that God has provided you with all things for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3)? If so, open God’s Word today—start with the book of Proverbs—and listen to him teach the way you should go.