There is a classic children’s church song you may know (“The B-I-B-L-E”) with the key line, “I stand alone on the Word of God.” I sang this song as a kid (and an adult teaching kids) and now the grammarian in me has a question: Is the word “alone” placed in the right spot in the sentence? I say this because the way it is worded makes it seem like I, and I alone, am standing on the Word of God, the Bible, which is patently not true, as I have numerous brothers and sisters (you!) who also stand on it. Rather, the word “alone” should be modifying “the Word of God” — “I stand on the Word of God alone” — with this statement affirming what we find in the seventh article of the Belgic Confession, which really brings to a climax and crescendo the Confession’s teachings on what Reformed Christians believe about the Bible (side note: I realize the placement of words in “The B-I-B-L-E” might be tied to what works musically…..and I am not saying this is a bad song. If anything, I just showed how nerdy I am!).
I say that the seventh article is the climax of the teachings on the Bible because the previous articles have noted that the Bible is inspired (authored by God through humans) and authoritative (our guide for life) and lists which writings fall into this category. These articles hinted at what is spoken of here in article 7, with article 5 speaking about the list of article four alone being used for the “regulating, founding, and establishing of our faith” and that we believe all that there is in it. Article 7, though, makes clear that we view these writings alone as having what we need to know to be saved and how to live and that we should not look anywhere else for these truths; this article is labeled the sufficiency or the perfection of Scripture, in that in the Bible we have enough and all we need for life and salvation.
It begins by stating this: “We believe that this Holy Scripture contains the will of God completely and that everything one must believe to be saved is sufficiently taught in it.” This comes on top of what was said in article 2 about general and special revelation, with special revelation being necessary for us to know how to be saved. Therefore, the Bible reveals what we need and it alone does it. Now, it is good to be reminded that that Bible does not tell us every detail of our life — if you are looking to figure out who to marry, what job to have, what condiments to put on your hot dog, or what time you should go to bed, the Bible will not give you an exact answer. It gives you principles about the sort of character you should seek in a spouse, what jobs are ethical or unethical, and the need to exhibit wisdom in all areas of life, but the focus of the Bible is on how to be saved and the general direction of life. As one of my professors put it, the Bible gives you the key signature and the general melody line but then you improvise within those constraints based on the moment.
Hopefully, that clarified what sufficiency does and does not mean, but the confession goes further with a significant implication of this doctrine of sufficiency, and that is the idea that no one can teach doctrines that differ from what is found in Scripture: “For since the entire manner of service which God requires of us is described in it at great length, no one—even an apostle or an angel from heaven, as Paul says (Galatians 1:8)—ought to teach other than what the Holy Scriptures have already taught us.” We are called not to add to or take away from the Word of God (Deuteronomy 12:32), nor to add new regulations or rules or requirements (which Christians have been known to do, just like those Pharisees in Jesus’s time) and also not to take away any of the requirements that God has placed on us. We all face this danger — I suspect some of us are more likely to add to it and others are more likely to take away, but both are problematic (and we all likely do both, adding our personal preferences and removing anything we don’t like! – that is actually what the Pharisees did on closer examination). This shows the importance of continual study of the Word of God and examination of it and our interpretations to make sure we are not going above or below what it says.
The other significant implication of the doctrine of sufficiency is that we are not to go to other places to find authority or teaching – whether those are study notes in our Bibles, our favorite authors or podcasters, or even the councils and confessions of the church (even this one!). Here is how the confession puts its: “Therefore we must not consider human writings—no matter how holy their authors may have been—equal to the divine writings; nor may we put custom, nor the majority, nor age, nor the passage of times or persons, nor councils, decrees, or official decisions above the truth of God, for truth is above everything else. For all human beings are liars by nature and more vain than vanity itself.” That is, the councils and confessions seeks to clarify and organize what the Bible says, but they are written by fallible people. We can and should double check what they say against Scripture. We may recite the Apostles’ Creed or the Nicene Creed in a service not because it is inspired but because it helps us understand what is found in the writings. This topic was a big issue at the time of the writing of the Belgic Confession, as the Council of Trent had placed the Bible and tradition on equal level and with equal reverence, but the Reformers rejected that and said, effectively, that we stand on the Word of God alone; this is a Reformed distinctive in light of the doctrine of sufficiency.
An application question for you is what you might put on par with Scripture, where else are you tempted to for teaching and beliefs? Don’t just say these have been done that way before or that guy with a PhD says it is the case. We must continually go back to the Word of God, as it is sufficient to teach us what we need to believe to be saved and to live in light of God’s plans and purposes in this world.
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