Bible
Study
Chapter
1 On Holy Scripture, section 6: The Sufficiency of Scripture
As we progress through the Westminster Confession on Holy Scripture, we must never lose sight of where we have come through already as each of the doctrines taught build upon one another. As a review, we have covered that God has revealed Himself and the nature of that revelation (1.1); that the revelation of God has been recorded in writing in a total of 66 books (1.2); that there are some works that are not to be included in the revelation of God (1.3), that the revelation of God is fully authorative even as God Himself is truth and authorative (1.4); and, finally, that while the testimony of the Church and of Scripture is useful, only the Holy Spirit can identify what is Scripture (1.5).
This week’s lesson brings us further into the authority of the revelation of God. In particular, we ask the question, “Knowing that God has spoken and His revelation is recorded for us in Holy Scripture and that revelation carries the very authority of God Himself, what else do one need for doctrine and morals, particularly to know what one must do to be saved?”
I.
The Final
Revelation of God
“The whole purpose of
God about everything pertaining to his own glory and to man’s salvation, faith,
and life is either explicitly stated in the Bible or may be deduced as
inevitably or logically following from it.”
Many today believe that God is still revealing new things to His people. Charismatics often tell of how God has “spoken” to them revealing to them plans for their lives or how God wants them to do certain things in a given moment. In fact, quite a few religions other than Christianity claim that God still speaks to them today. The Westminster Confession of Faith explicitly teaches that God is done with revelation. All that has needed to be revealed has been revealed. In other words, the revelation of God was completed in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
While Jesus was still alive, He
spoke these words to His disciples, “I am the way, the truth, and the
life…” (John 14:6; cf. 1:17). As God in the flesh, Jesus contained within
Himself the fullness of God which meant, in regards to truth, that He embodied
the fullness of the truth (
Thus, the apostles could say, “I kept nothing back that was helpful…” or they that they have declared “the WHOLE counsel of God…”( Acts 20:20, 27). That is to say, they have not suppressed or withheld any revelation from those to whom they taught.
Thus, with such mounting evidence we say that the revelation of God was complete with the apostles and is preserved for the rest of the Church in their writings which are God-breathed. Other proofs offered include Ephesians 2:20 which says that the work of the apostles and prophets of the past was foundational and not ongoing (this negates the idea of modern apostles). There is also the historical order of the Church in which we first see the apostles exhorting their readers to listen to prophecies ( I Thess. 5:20) but then shifting, toward the end of their lives to study the Scriptures and to use them for determining sound doctrine (cf. II Tim. 2:15; 3:1-4:5; I Tim. 4:13; II Peter 1:19-21).
II.
The Doctrine
of Sola Scriptura (material sufficiency)
Now, if God has fully and finally spoken all that He has intended for us to know concerning what we are to believe and how we are to live, we have to ask the question if that is enough, or is that revelation sufficient? To this, the Bible clearly affirms and this teaching about the sufficiency of Scripture has been defined as the Doctrine of Sola Scriptura, Scripture alone. The doctrine of Sola Scriptura may be defined as such:
The God-breathed Scriptures alone are fully authorative and infallible to the matters in which they speak concerning faith and morals, in particular they contain within themselves all that a person needs to know to be saved.”
The last part of that definition – that the Scriptures contain all that is necessary for salvation – is known theologically as “material sufficiency” which is to say that there is the sufficient “content” or “material” within the Scriptures to understand the Gospel. This is contrasted with views such as that of Roman Catholicism, Mormonism, the Watchtower Society, and others that say that the Bible alone cannot tell one how to be saved or how to live their life. Something “extra” is needed, more revelation.
Before going on to proving that the Bible itself teaches this doctrine, it is important to clarify what this doctrine is not for many who ridicule the doctrine actually ridicule a straw man version of it.
First, Sola Scriptura is not a claim that the Bible contains all knowledge exhaustively. It is obvious that the Bible cannot teach us at what temperature water begins to boils, or how to construct a sky scraper, or even what the moon is made out of. This misunderstanding about Sola Scriptura leads people to ask questions about the Bible that the Bible was not intended to answer.
Second, Sola Scriptura is not a claim that the Bible is an exhaustive compendium of all knowledge pertaining to religion. The Bible does not have every single answer about every detail. For instance, regarding the doctrine of the Trinity, the Bible does not detail the understanding of how three persons are able to subsist in one being. Even Deuteronomy 29:29 reveals that there are “secret things” that belong to the LORD. So to ask questions like “can God create stone so heavy that He can not lift it” and expect the Bible to answer that question explicitly, would be to require something that it was not intended to give. The question of the origin of evil is also a question that is not explicitly dealt with in the Bible. Nor is it said to contain an exhaustive list of all the words and works of those in it. The Apostle John even wrote:
“And there were also many other things that Jesus did, which if were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.( John 21:25)”
Third, Sola Scriptura does not entail a denial of the Church to teach the truths found in the Bible or to formulate Creeds or Confessions. Quite often it seems that the formation and adherence to a Creed or Confession, such as the Westminster Confession of Faith, appears to jettison the authority of the Bible and replace it with something “man made.” While the temptation is there for some to do such, it must be understood that the existence and formulation of Creeds and Confessions is based on the authority of the Scriptures. Some also interpret Sola Scriptura to mean that there is no need for teaching authorities within the Church. But this is not the case for the Bible itself teaches that God has given “evangelist, pastors and teachers” to the Church for the edification of the Church (Eph. 4:11-13; I Cor. 12:28). Does this mean that everything that these teachers say is necessarily true? Of course not! What they say is true and authorative as it submits to and is in accordance with the truth of God recorded in the inerrant and infallible Scriptures. The same applies to Creeds and Confessions. They were never created to replace the Scriptures or to be above them. They were created to give summative teachings and state Biblical beliefs. These Creeds and Confessions carry a derivative authority that is acknowledged only in accordance with the truth of God.
Fourth, Sola Scriptura is not a denial that God’s Word was never in an oral form at one time or another. Obviously, God’s word was spoken by prophets and apostles before it was written down. The issue is: in what form does the Word of God’s full and final revelation come to us today? Does it come in the scriptures alone or through scripture and Extra-Biblical sources, like a “tradition”. The pattern even contained within Scripture is that there are certain periods of revelation in which God spoke and those words were written to be preserved. When those prophets stopped prophesying, the only way to know the Word of God was to refer to the holy writings that contained the Word of God through the prophets.
Fifth, Sola Scriptura does not mean the rejection of all traditions of every form and kind. Protestants recognize that there are some Godly traditions in the Church. However, these traditions must always be tested by the authority of Scripture and are not considered as dogma or essential in matters regarding faith and salvation unless the Bible teaches otherwise.
Finally, Sola Scriptura is not a restriction or a denial of the Holy Spirit in the process of guiding and illuminating the Church. Instead, it is an acknowledgment of the Scriptural pattern that the Word and the Spirit are inseparably linked together. So it is not the case that Sola Scriptura teaches that a person who has the Scriptures but not the Spirit may come to understand all things contained therein. Likewise, and more applicable, it is not the case that a person can have the Spirit of God and not have the Word of God as well.
So what is Sola Scriptura? It is important that we clearly define what we mean when we say that term for many of those who are proponents of the doctrine have misunderstood it themselves.
First, as implied
from the above definition, the doctrine of Sola
Scriptura is an assertion that the Scriptures alone – without the aid of
external sources or authorities – are able to serve as the infallible rule of
faith for the Church. They are
competent, or sufficient, to reveal what God requires from us. Sufficiency is
defined as “enough to meet the needs of a situation or a proposed end; to be
competent; to be able to meet all requirements without question or being
adequately adapted to an end.” This is
what is being affirmed of scripture in this proposition. The emphasis of this aspect of Sola Scriptura deals with the nature of
the Scriptures. The Scriptures claim to
be God-breathed revelation (2 Tim.
Second, Sola Scriptura is an assertion that the Bible, as a sufficient revelation from God, contains all that one must believe in order to be saved.. This goes with the scriptural principle that God does not require from us more than is written and prescribed by Him only. As was the case with Jesus and His disciples concerning the ceremonial hand washing before partaking of a meal, Jesus did not hold the disciples guilty of transgressing the “tradition of the elders” as mentioned in Matthew 15:1-9. Jesus even rebuked the Scribes and Pharisees for wanting to impose more than God’s word had required. Therefore, anything not found in the Bible, such as specific theories about economics, or political views, or even scientific views or any matter that is not dealt with explicitly or implicitly in the Bible, is not required to be believed, or binding on the Christian. Therefore, any extra-Biblical practices of worship that people require as constituting true worship, such as speaking in tongues, praying in a certain manner, being slain in the spirit, and other such things, are not required to be performed.
Third, Sola Scriptura asserts that the Bible teaches all things that are necessary for salvation. Again, reemphasizing a negative point made earlier, this is not a claim that the Bible is an exhaustive reference of all known truth. Neither does it mean that the scriptures are easily understood in all passages and teachings. Instead, “those things necessary to be known, believed, and observed for salvation, are so clearly propounded, and opened in some place of Scripture or other.(WCF 1.7)” A person may not fully grasp and understand certain doctrines that are taught in the Bible, such as how Christ is really present with us through the Lord’s Supper, or comprehend fully how three persons can subsist in one Being (the doctrine of the Trinity), but the teachings that are required for salvation, such as believing in the Lord Jesus Christ and the sufficiency of His substitutionary work and atonement in our behalf is a concept that is easily grasped by “not only the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of ordinary means(WCF 1.7)”.
Finally, Sola scripture teaches that all other traditions and teachings are subject to the higher authority of the God-breathed scriptures. The Westminster Confession, states it this way:
“The supreme judge by which all controversies of religion are to be determined, and all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men, and private spirits, are to be examined, and in whose sentence we are to rest, can be no other but the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scripture.1.10”
Even the very Westminster Confession which was just quoted from is subject to the authority of the Scriptures and whatever deviates from known teachings of scriptures, must be rejected. God alone, must rule the consciences of His people and this is what God does through the only place in which he has breathed out His word, in the God-breathed scriptures (II Tim. 3:16).
Knowing what Sola Scriptura is and what it is not, we may now as the question: Does the Bible teach that it alone is sufficient for matters of faith and morals? Several passages of Scripture bring this out but none more clearly than II Timothy 3:16-17 and II Peter 1:19-21. That the reader may be firmly established in the truth from Holy Scripture, those passages will be examined thoroughly.
II Timothy 3:16
II Timothy 3:16-17 are some of the clearest passages in the whole Bible regarding the nature of Scripture and the sufficiency of Scripture. Before jumping into the text, however, it is important that we understand the context surrounding the passage in order to really grasp the significance of the text. That is, it is important that we understand that the text was not written in a vacuum, but with intention in mind and even particular situations that Paul prophesied were to arise in the Church. II Timothy 3:1-9 detail the coming false teachers in the Church (v1.) and what activities and lifestyles will define their work. Then in verses 8 and 9 Paul describes their inevitable end even as those who opposed Moses, God’s holy prophet.
Then Paul tells Timothy, “But you have carefully followed my doctrine…” (v10-11) followed by a harsh truth that “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (v12). This is followed by a reiteration of the warning of the coming false teachers and the growing intensity that they will have within the Church (v13). Then Paul tells Timothy of that which will prolong and preserve his the faith once for all delivered (cf. Jude 3). He says,
“But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” (v14-15)
The
conjunction “but” shows that Timothy is not to follow in the path of deception
that the false teachers walk in. Rather,
he is to continue in those things that he has learned from Paul and even from
his mother and grandmother (cf. II Tim. 1:5) who have taught him the law, even
the Scriptures, at a young age. Those
things that were learned were the Gospel.
They were not secrets withheld.
Recall that Timothy is a young pastor for the Church in
But the real reason why Timothy must continue in the Faith is because He has become convinced through Holy Scripture that it is true. It is true that Timothy learned faith early from his grandmother and mother. But their words were nothing to Timothy if they were not grounded in Scripture. That is, there is no conflict between two types of revelations going on here – one oral and one written. Rather, those things which were taught to him by his mother and grandmother, even by Paul himself, were based on the authority of the Word of God. Thus, the conjunction “and” is not only meant to unite the two sources of Timothy’s knowledge of the Gospel, but to give foundation to the former. Thus, Paul can say of the Scripture here - which is not mentioned of his teaching alone or that of Timothy’s mother or grandmother – that these alone are “able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
The Greek word translated as “able” here is dunamena which is means “power” or “ability” and is also where we get such English words as “dynamite” and “dynamic”. The force of the word “able” here is that Scripture possesses the inherent enabling power, as it were, to “make one wise for salvation.”
Without even getting into verses 16 or 17 yet, we can see already that the assertion from the doctrine of Sola Scriptura that the Scriptures alone contain all that is necessary to know for one to be saved is true from this text. Also, we can see that any other “traditions” or “words of men” taught in the faith must be submitted to and in accordance with Scripture. Paul’s words and the teachings of Timothy’s mother and grandmother were no different than those already recorded in Scripture. The only thing that gave their words validity was that they were in accordance with Scripture, the very word of God. What is interesting at this point in the text, is that Paul probably only has the Old Testament in mind as the New Testament canon had not yet been completed. Thus, one could say that the Old Testament, rightly understood, is sufficient to reveal that salvation is only through faith in the completed work of the suffering servant of God, the anointed Christ.
Verse 16, however, shifts from only the Old Testament Scriptures to “all Scripture”. The text says,
“All Scripture is given by
inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be
complete and thoroughly equipped for
every good work.”
Getting technical for a moment, most translations use the word “inspiration.” When we think of inspiration, we think of having a motivation or emotional willingness to do something. Thus, we tend to call the writers of Scripture “inspired” and even great works of literature as “inspirational”. But is this the correct view of the text of Scripture? In order to answer this question, we must delve into the languages of Scripture for a moment.
The word “inspiration” comes from the Latin word “inspirare” used in the Latin Vulgate version of the Bible which means “to breathe into”. This Latin word, however, is insufficient to convey the meaning of the original Greek word used here, which is Theopneustos. Theopneustos is more properly translated by the NIV as “God-breathed”. The differences between the words are significant. For instance, the Latin word “inspirare” is a verb which would function as saying what has been done to Scripture. The word Theopneustos, however, is a noun and serves as a predicate thus speaking of what Scripture is. The Latin actually gives the sense that the words of Scripture could have been written and not have been “breathed into”, giving the sense that they become “inspired” or after and act of inspiration. The Greek word, however, gives the idea that the words of Scripture are the very breath proceeding forth from the mouth of God as He speaks in the very writings of Scripture. Theopneustos speaks of the very substance, or nature, of Scripture whereas the Latin conveys how the text has been acted upon. A huge significance, indeed, for our understanding!
It is important that we see that Paul most certainly shifted to “all Scripture” and not merely “some Scripture” such as the Old Testament only. Rather, there is clearly a categorical statement about the true nature of Scripture. This becomes important when considering the nature of the canon of Scripture. Since only Scripture is God-breathed, it is logical to say that only those writings that are God-breathed are Scripture and those that are not God-breathed are not Scripture, thus not part of the canon (cf. WCF 1.4-5).
The implication from the nature of Scripture is that it alone is “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.” Now, at this point some will argue, “But the Scriptures do not use the word ‘sufficient’ but rather the word ‘profitable’. Granted that the word “sufficient” is not in the text, the concept certainly is, however. For whatever else one wishes to offer as “profitable” for doctrine, etc… must necessarily be “God-breathed” as well. This is not claimed for any other by Scripture. Not even the apostles themselves, as vehicles of revelation at one time, referred to themselves as “God-breathed.” This word is only attributed to Scripture alone. That which is not the God-breathed Word of God cannot tell us what to believe or how to live.
When Martin Luther was asked to recant concerning the “new doctrines” he was accused of teaching, Luther boldly stated, “I cannot and will not recant. My conscience is held captive to the Word of God – so help me – here I stand.” This is the implication of the Scriptures alone as the only God-breathed revelation preserved in the Church. These alone, Paul says is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction and training in righteousness.
Paul also states that the purpose of Scripture in regards to the Christian. The particle “that” which begins verse 17 is referred to as a particle of design, or purpose. That is to say that the purpose, according to Scripture, for Scripture is, first, to “complete” the Christian and, second, to “thoroughly equip” the Christian for every good work. The Greek word for “complete” means “entirely suited; complete in accomplishment, ready,” and even “fully qualified”. Likewise, the Greek word for “thoroughly equip”, a verb, means “to equip or furnish completely.” Now, lets understand what the text is saying. If the God-breathed Scriptures are able to “make one wise for salvation” (v15), “complete” the Christian and “thoroughly equip” the Christian for every good work(v17) – which we can take to include doctrine, reproof, correction and training in righteousness – then does it not follow that the Scripture alone, as the sole God-breathed authority in the Church, are sufficient to live out the Christian faith both doctrinally and morally? After all, we must ask if the text really means what it says it means here: Do the Scriptures really make one wise for salvation? Do the Scriptures really complete the man of God? Do the Scriptures really thoroughly equip for every good work? If the Bible is taken as true, then one can only answer affirmatively to those questions. If that is the case, then the Scriptures lack nothing to render them “not enough” or “insufficient” concerning the Gospel or anything that God would have us believe or know how to live as Christians. God has spoken, the matter is settled!
Now it would suffice to stop at this point as the text has clearly spoken and demonstrated what we know as the doctrine of Sola Scriptura, and most theologians and apologist do. But I think Paul continues to go on and show further proof that this is what he truly intended to say about the use of Scripture in light of their sufficiency. He goes on to say to Timothy with a summative conclusion,
“I charge you, therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the Word.”
After all that has been said about the coming of false teachers into the Church to Timothy (recall the context), Paul only prescribes one thing for Timothy, indeed, for those who would continue in the holy faith, “preach the Word!” That’s it! There is no call to remember any extra-Scriptural traditions or any other revelations. Preach the Word. This is so important that Paul “charges” this to Timothy before God and Christ, his judge. Paul is emphasizing there that this task is issued with the approval of God Himself. The very God who will judge all through Christ. How simple, yet, serious is this charge, not only to Timothy, but to all teachers of the Christian faith, even to all members of the faith. Just preach the word; proclaim the word. We do not need modern psychology to learn how to evangelize or to tell us how to fill up Churches. We don’t need pragmatic business techniques to determine Gospel success or even the Gospel itself. We don’t need entertainment in the Church to “enhance our worship experience”. All we need to do is stick to the Word of God. For this alone is sufficient for doctrine, for reproof when we are in error, for correction to get us back on the right path and for instruction in righteousness that we may live as Christians are supposed to. In the Scripture alone is contained the faith “once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).
“Preach the Word,” says Paul, “in season and out of season.” This is to say to proclaim the Word consistently whether it is welcomed or unwelcome. “Convince, rebuke and exhort with patience and doctrine.” These can be, and have been, at times, hard for the Church to do against the world. For instance, I truly believe that many atheistic philosophies that exist today could have been suppressed if the Church would have been willing to counter the image of God that is presupposed in them. But the silence of the Church, that is the unwillingness to preach the word, to rebuke, or even attempt to correct their errors has led many down the path of atheism. And if not to atheism, then to Liberalism within the Church. Preach the Word. Paul continues,
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But YOU be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist.”
This charge to Timothy is Paul’s most solemn charge to Timothy on the eve of his death. One can see that the reason for this charge at this time to stick to Scripture is because Paul recognizes that the close of the apostolic age will soon be amongst the Church as he sees his own death approaching and has probably seen or heard of the death of other apostles (cf. II Timothy 4:6-8).
In summation, it is clear that the Bible itself teaches that it alone – apart from any other supplemental revelation or source from men – is sufficient to teach one how to be saved as well as to not only save, but to complete and thoroughly equip for every good work the one whom it saves. This is a consistent view of Scripture as Paul has even told the Corinthians that they needed to “learn not to think beyond what is written” (I Cor. 4:6). Previously, he even told Timothy, in his first letter, to “give attention to reading…” until he could visit him. Reading from what? From none other than the Scriptures, of course. The doctrine of Sola Scriptura is taught in Scripture and must be upheld for we too are charged, before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom to preach the Word alone. Only to proclaim it. Only to trust it as the sole infallible authority for life and doctrine. Amen.
III.
No new
revelations
Since the Bible is sufficient in
and of itself and the completed revelation from God is complete in the advent
of Jesus Christ, it follows that no new revelations are necessary for salvation. Hence, the
Hence, the Christian Church has rejected any “latter day” revelations that are asked to be considered the very Word of God in the same sense as Scripture is like the revelations of Joseph Smith in the Book of Mormon, the Pearl of Great Price, and the Doctrine and Covenants. The Scriptures reject any idea of a “living voice” of the Church through “tradition” as in the Roman Catholic Church. Scripture is also against so called “Pentecostal prophecies” or other modern forms of revelation from God.
The people of
“If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’ – which you have not known – ‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer or dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk, so you shall put away the evil from your midst.”
Notice
several things that the signs of a false prophet that gave them the appearance
of legitimacy: They could promise signs
and wonders and they could even come to pass.
But it was their beliefs about God that would distinguish them. What their prophecies say reflect the god
they prophecy about.
“The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them; they prophesy to you a false vision, divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of their heart.” (Jer. 14:14-15)
Ezekiel
said of these that
While it is
tempting to say that God speaks today outside of the Bible, the Bible clearly
teaches that the revelation of God is fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus
Christ (Hebrews 1:1-3) and that we indeed do possess the “whole counsel of God”
(Acts 20:27) concerning what we are to believe in order to be saved and how to
live as Christians. WE are also warned
through the example of the false prophets in
IV.
The
Illumination of the Spirit of God
At this point, we ask, then what
activity does God still have in maintaining communication with us? To this, we say that we are “illuminated” by
the Spirit of God. The
This ministry of the Holy Spirit is essential when considering the plight in which sinful man is in. Romans 8:7,8 says that the mind of the unregenerate sinner is “enmity toward God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” This is to say that sinful man, in himself, has a moral inability to listen to, or obey, God. It is only those with the Spirit of God who receive the things of the Spirit (cf. I Cor. 2:14).
It should be noted that this portion of the doctrine of Sola Scriptura has already been stated in what Sola Scriptura is not, namely a denial of the role of the Holy Spirit in the Church or in the individual who studies Scripture.
V.
The
boundaries of Scripture
This part of the
“ We
also recognize that some provisions for the worship of God and the government
of the Church are similar to secular activities and organizations; these are to
be directed according to our natural understanding and our Christian discretion
and should conform to the general rules of the Word, which are always to be
observed.”
This is merely saying what has also been previously denied about the doctrine of Sola Scriptura, namely that the Bible is not an exhaustive source of knowledge or religious knowledge. That is, not every detail is covered about how to worship God , for instance whether a congregation should partake of the Lord’s Supper each time they gather, or once a month or once a year. The Bible does not explicitly state what time worship should take place, or how a building should look. However, that does not mean that God is altogether silent on these matters. Rather, he has given us providence and the Scriptures to be able to come to sound conclusions using our natural understanding governed by the Word. We use these tools that God has given us, though some are common with all – whether Christian or not – to be able to make Christian decisions to best glorify God.