True statements can often be twisted by those who aim to use them for their gain.

“God is bigger than the Bible,” is one such.

That statement, while true, is frequently used by those who seek to undermine the sufficiency of Scripture over our daily lives and seek to supplant it with a version of “god” fashioned from their own imagination.

Yes, God is bigger than the Bible. John himself said in his Gospel account in John 21:25 that, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”

The Scriptures: Worthy Of Our Reflection and Study

The Scriptures are a collection of 66 books. Scripture is the way in which God chose to reveal Himself to mankind. We know there is so much more to God that has not been revealed in His Word because His Word says so (John 21:25). But we are also told God’s revealed Word is enough for us to live by, and His final word was in Christ (Deuteronomy 29:29; Hebrews 1:2).

Through Scripture, we know our sins, we see His salvation, and we know He rules and reigns and Christ will one day return to judge the living and the dead. In that light, we know who Christ is, why God saved us, who we were before a Holy God without Christ and who we are before God now in Christ, and how we are to live in light of such a great salvation.

But we are not given all. Like Moses, our unglorified bodies could not handle the fullness of His splendor (Exodus 33:12-23), so we see through a glass dimly, knowing, and trusting, God told us the secret things belong to Him (Deuteronomy 29:29). There is a humbleness that knowledge should bring. Humanity has the capability for great achievements. We have propelled ourselves to the moon, yet in our sin, we cannot gaze upon the holy God and live. There is a limit to the glory our flesh can see.

The Bible and Knowledge

God constrained our knowledge of Him to the Bible as a means for us to rightly think about Him. Paul (Galatians 1:8) and John (1 John 4:1) warn of the dangers when looking for God outside of His revelation in Scripture to us. Those who go in search of God elsewhere run the risk of not only being taught by demons but also of adding to Scripture.

This warning, however, is not to say we cannot gaze upon the beauty of God’s created order with reverence and awe. Psalm 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”

One look at the night sky, especially when outside the confines of the city and stars beyond number fill the canopy of night, each sparkle of light adding to the beauty and wonder of the heavens above reminds us of our humble frame before a mighty God.

But when we do not keep to God’s Word, we take the created and worship it as the Creator (Romans 1). We take the stars and worship them, seeking meaning in horoscopes. Or we take our spouses, our children, and our loved ones and make idols of them, we put a weight on them they were never meant to hold; we take our hands and use them to fashion gods of our own. Further, we take our minds and create new religions and spirituality, creating idols of loved ones, health, wealth, prosperity, and of nature itself.

Without the Canon of Scripture, we would be like the Athenians, creating idols to everything in creation, and finding new things to worship. We, like Paul, are ambassadors of the “Unknown God,” who is now known through His revealed Word. This God chose to reveal Himself clearly to His creation. Most importantly, He chosen to reveal Himself through His Word.

Scripture is sufficient to know and to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Let that be enough for us. God’s Word is enough.