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The Bible describes God as a God of means. Throughout history it has pleased Him to accomplish His sovereign will through the things He has created. We experience this every day in divine providence, God's management of the universe through secondary causes such as natural events and the actions of people.

God's message to mankind has arrived to us in similar fashion. From the earliest days He utilized human prophets to testify to His truth, and from the time of Moses He inspired human authors to express and document it accurately for posterity. The time of the prophets and apostles having ended, it is by means of scripture that His true word has come down through subsequent generations and providentially awakened faith in those He has determined to save.

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. — Romans 10:17 NKJV

God's word always achieves the purpose for which it was sent, including the salvation of souls. Applied in a person's life via the Holy Spirit, the word is the mechanism by which He brings them to true conviction of sin, sincere repentance, and redeeming faith. God ordains the ends as well as the means, and this is exemplified in scripture's command for believers to spread the gospel, to the purpose of the elect of God hearing the gospel preached and responding in faith. When God compels us to share His redemptive truth with others we are acting as part of this divine providential chain. The importance of the believer's role in this ordained process cannot be overstated; God's law is already written in a person's heart, but His gospel must be heard to be received. Mankind does not inherently know His redemptive plan, so it must be imparted.

It is also by God's word that we can know His will. Communicated in the pages of the Bible, God's word provides all that is essential regarding spiritual affairs and right living. It provides valuable insight regarding our Creator's attributes and disposition, and plainly conveys His moral standard and expectations of humanity. In contrast to man's flawed presumptions, musings, and religious endeavor, scripture alone captures the true will of God, having been directly inspired by Him. If we really want to know His will and its application in our lives, we need only pick up the Bible.

Many professing Christians in our culture today, and indeed throughout history, have looked past the surety of the Bible and sought after religious experiences in their desire for spiritual validation or a more direct communion with God. Ironically, the problem with experiences—even valid, miraculous ones—is that they do not produce true faith. For those lacking true faith, a perceived religious experience may satiate spiritual deficits for a time, but ultimately it leads them to chase after the next experience, and then the next. Romans 10:17 reminds us that true faith does not come to us through experiences we may have, but through the convicting power of God's word.

The Bible exists as God’s providential, enduring message to humanity. It reflects His determination to record the most essential things for us, and acts as the means by which He triggers saving faith. Reflecting His grace and mercy, it leads us to the ultimate expression of both in the person of Jesus Christ, and the salvation and fulfillment that is found in Him alone. "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

Scripture Alone • Faith Alone • Grace Alone • Christ Alone • To the Glory of God Alone
Most scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB)

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