Sufficiency of Scripture

Recently, I had a conversation with a good friend that has got me to thinking hard about the sufficiency of Scripture.When we say something is “sufficient” we normally mean that it “is good enough.”  When we are thinking of sufficiency in a theological sense, I think we’d agree that it means more than this.  We say Christ’s sacrifice for us is sufficient.  We would label everyone that would add to His work for their salvation as damned.  We would label anyone that teaches that more than His work is needed (that His work is not sufficient) as an heretic.

So how far should we go with this idea of Scripture and sufficiency.  I believe this is directly related to a long theological discussion known as “the regulative principle.”  How much do the Scriptures regulate and how much do they leave to our discretion?  The question plaguing me has been: if the Scriptures do address an issue, how are we to view ourselves if we add to that issue?  With Christ, adding to his sufficient work is damning.  But with the Scriptures….  what happens to my worship if I add to the scriptural model?  What about if I add to the scriptural model of church polity?  How about the scriptural model of evangelism?  How sufficient are the Scriptures?

Of course, I do not doubt the Scriptures.  These questions are one all Christians should ask themselves.  We shouldn’t just think that everything we do is right because “fundamentalists have always done it that way,” or “it brings results into the church.”  The Scriptures alone, because they are sufficient, should be our guide for faith AND practice.