The Privilege of God's Complete Revelation: Why We Should Treasure Scripture

Have you ever stopped to consider just how privileged we are to hold God's complete Word in our hands? Most of us have multiple Bibles in our homes, freely accessible whenever we want. Yet there was a time when Bibles were chained to pulpits, and ordinary believers couldn't access Scripture for themselves. "You know what they call that? The Dark Ages," as I recently reminded our congregation.

The Progressive Revelation of God

Our God is a revealing God. From the beginning, He has been making Himself known to humanity, but He has done so progressively throughout history. "God didn't reveal everything all at once. He revealed His truth progressively throughout history," moving from partial to more complete Revelation. In the earliest days, God's Word came orally and experientially. "Adam and Eve and Noah and Abraham and Jacob, they actually heard a word from God. They heard God audibly speak to them." Think about Moses encountering God at the burning bush, where God said, "Take off your shoes, your sandals, you're on holy ground" (Exodus 3:5). Or when Moses received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, where God's finger "literally wrote the Ten Commandments." Throughout the Old Testament, "the word of the Lord came to the prophet saying..." God brought His word directly to people orally and experientially. This Revelation was always "perfect" - without error (inerrant) and "infallible" (categorically could never have error) because it came from God Himself.

From Partial to Complete

While God's Revelation has always been without error, it has been "moving from partial to complete." As I explained to our church, "We have more Revelation from God now than Moses did." Moses was certainly "an incredible man that God used," but we today possess a more complete Revelation than he ever had. After 400 years of silence between the Old and New Testaments, Jesus arrived "like a root out of dry ground" (Isaiah 53:2). As Hebrews 1:1-2 tells us, "God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake unto us in times past, unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son." Jesus performed miracles that validated His identity and message. As Nicodemus acknowledged in John 3, "We know that you're a teacher come from God... because no man can do these miracles that thou doest except God be with him." The visible miracles substantiated the invisible truth - that Jesus had authority to forgive sins and was indeed the Son of God.

The Treasure We Have Today

Today, we possess the complete written Word of God. "Do you understand the treasure we have here? You can understand your Bible. You have everything God wants you to have. And He wrote it out. And it's in your language. And it's valuable for life. It's sufficient for life and godliness." In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul instructs the Corinthian church to prioritize prophecy (the proclamation of God's Word) over tongues (especially unintelligible speech). Why? For three key reasons:

1. Prophecy Edifies the Whole Congregation

"He that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification and exhortation and comfort" (1 Corinthians 14:3). When God's Word is proclaimed clearly, it builds up the entire church. "Here's our church growth plan: We read the word, we understand the word, we do what it says, we proclaim it so that people understand, so that they obey it, so that they do what it says."

2. Prophecy Is Intelligible

Paul uses the illustrations of musical instruments and language to emphasize that communication must be understood to be valuable. Just as a trumpet must give a distinct sound to call soldiers to battle, our proclamation of God's Word must be clear and understandable. "When we send people to the mission field... part of what they do is learn the language" because the message must be understood to be effective.

3. Prophecy Is Rational

Paul states that he would "rather speak five words with my understanding that by my voice I might teach others also than 10,000 words" in an unknown tongue (1 Corinthians 14:19). Clear, understandable truth that can be evaluated and verified is more valuable than mystical experiences that cannot.

Applying This Truth Today

While the specific issue of tongues that Paul addressed may not be prevalent in many churches today, the principles remain vitally important. Here's how we should apply this teaching:

Treasure God's Complete Word

"We have God's written word... He wrote it down. And He tells you how you parent... He tells you how to do marriage... He tells you how to do church." Everything we need for life and godliness is contained in Scripture. "What's God's will for my life? He wrote it down."

Prioritize Biblical Preaching

"In our entertainment-driven culture, churches face pressure to emphasize style over substance, experience over truth." But nothing builds up the church like the faithful proclamation of God's Word. "When you choose a church, look for the one that makes Biblical preaching central."

Value Understanding Over Experience

"We live in a feeling-centered age where subjective experience often trumps objective truth." But Paul emphasizes that what matters in corporate worship is not how spiritual we appear, but how much the congregation is built up through understandable truth.

Pursue Rational Faith

"The Gospel appeals to both heart and mind." In an increasingly anti-intellectual culture, Christians must demonstrate that faith in Christ is reasonable, intelligible, and makes sense. "When we share our faith with others, let's be prepared to give clear, understandable reasons for our hope."

Life Application: Your Daily Need for God's Word

"You need it every day. You need it every day. You need it every day. Which days? Every day." When we try to live without God's Word, we're essentially saying, "God, I'm good. I can do it without you." But the truth is, "No, you can't. No, you can't." The entire Bible tells one cohesive story: we are sinners, but God has provided salvation through Jesus Christ, and we should live in light of what He has done while looking forward to His return. This truth should shape our worship, our relationships, and every aspect of our lives. How privileged we are to have access to God's complete Revelation! "Let's know it, let's understand it, let's obey it, let's proclaim it." And if you don't yet know Christ as your Savior, "that's the whole point of it. You don't have to go to hell. You can go to heaven. Put your faith in Jesus Christ, the revealed Son of God." Are you treasuring the privilege of God's Word in your life today?