Is the Scripture necessary for salvation?
How does God communicate with us? What is the difference between general revelation and special revelation? What does creation teach us about God? Can we obtain a saving knowledge of God through creation, or is special revelation (the Bible) necessary for salvation? What does it mean that the Bible is "the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience." (1689 BCF)? These are the questions that this resource page hopes to answer
Necessity of Sctipture refers to mankind’s utter dependence on God’s special revelation in the Scriptures in order to obtain a true knowledge of the gospel and His plan of salvation, which cannot be learned through the general revelation of nature and conscience.
The Westminster Confession 1.1:
"Although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men unexcusable; yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of God, and of His will, which is necessary unto salvation. Therefore it pleased the Lord, at sundry times, and in divers manners, to reveal Himself, and to declare that His will unto His Church; and afterwards for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the Church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan and of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing; which makes the Holy Scripture to be most necessary; those former ways of God’s revealing His will unto His people being now ceased.." WCF 1.1
Resources
Psalm 19 - Romans 1:18-23 - Romans 2:14 - Hebrews 1:1-2
The Bible's Necessity by Robert Reymond
Unregenerate Knowledge of God by John Frame
The Reformed Doctrine Of Scripture by Cornelius Van Til
The Necessity of Scripture: Commentary on WCF 1.1 by Robert Shaw
Of the Insufficiency of the Law by John Brown of Haddington
The Scope of the Scriptures by Thomas Boston
The Scriptures, the Book of the Lord and the Diligent Study by Thomas Boston
Necessity of Scripture by P G Mathew
Necessity of Scripture by Octavius Winslow
The Necessity of Scripture (.pdf) by William Barrick
Of the Holy Scriptures (Commentary on the WCF) by David Dickson
Of the Necessity of Scripture by A. A. Hodge
What do the Scriptures Principally teach? by John Flavel
The Reformed Doctrine of Special Revelation: What It Is and What It Isn't by Keith Mathison
The Necessity of Revelation by Francis Turretin
Revelation by Louis Berkhof
The Doctrine of the Holy Scripture by Francis R. Beattie
What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him? by Thomas Vincent
A Commentary of the 1689 LBCF - Of the Holy Scriptures by Gary Marble
The Necessity of Scripture by Brian Evans
Westminster Confession Chapter 1.1 by Scott Oliphint
Necessity: Can We Know God Apart from the Bible? (Handout)
Summary of the ECF, Chapter 1, "Of the Holy Scripture" by John A. Battle
What Is The Word Of God? by Louis Berkhof
Nature Through the Lens of Scripture by Cornelius Van Til
Saturn Speaks About God. But It Doesn’t Say Anything… by Mark Altrogge
"What rule hath God given to direct us, how we may glorify and enjoy him?" by John Flavel
"What rule hath God given to direct us, how we may glorify and enjoy him?" by Matthew Henry
"What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him?" by Alexander Whyte
What do the Scriptures Principally teach? by Thomas Vincent
Multimedia
The 1689 on the Necessity of Scripture (1.1) by Joe Thorn
Of the Holy Scripture by Nick Batzig (Video)
WCF on the Necessity of Scripture (MP3)by The Jerusalem Chamber
Of the Holy Scripture (Ch.1, Sec.1) by Greg Bahnsen
The Doctrine of Scripture in the 2LCF: Its Necessity, Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3 (Vimeo) by Bob Gonzolas
The Necessity of Scripture -1 Corinthians 2:6-2:13 (MP3) by Kevin DeYoung
The Necessity of Scripture (MP3) by Wayne Grudem
The Doctrine of Revelation by Douglas Kelly
Scripture as the Foundation for Theology by James Anderson
The Marks of Scripture - 2 Timothy 3:14-17 (MP3)
eBooks
The Westminster Confession of Faith: Edinburgh Edition (eBook) by the Westminster Divines
Westminster Larger Catechism (eBook) by the Westminster Divines
The Three Forms of Unity (eBook) by Zacharius Ursinus
Truth's Victory Over Error: A Commentary on the WCF (eBook) by David Dickson
The Reformed Faith: An Exposition Of The Westminster Confession Of Faith (eBook) by Robert Shaw
The Presbyterian Standards: An Exposition of the WCF and Catechisms (eBook) by Francis R. Beattie
The Westminster Confession: A Commentary (eBook) by A. A. Hodge
The Making of the Westminster Confession (eBook) by B. B. Warfield
The Westminster Assembly and Its Work by B. B. Warfield
The Shorter Catechism Explained (eBook) by James Fisher
A Body of Divinity (eBook) by Thomas Watson
Books
Systematic Theology by Louis Berkhof
Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 1: Prolegomena by Herman Bavinck
Disputations on Holy Scripture by William Whitaker
Taking God At His Word by Kevin DeYoung
Thy Word is Truth by E.J. Young
From the Mouth of God by Sinclair Ferguson
The Final Word by O Palmer Robertson
The Doctrine of the Word of God by John Frame
Thy Word is Still Truth by Peter A. Lillback and Richard B. Gaffin
Related Topics
General & Special Revelation