In our last two classic Briefing snippets, we’ve looked at how Christianity is essential a word-centred faith, and also at how that focus relates to the Spirit. In this third and final snippet (from the third and final article in the series), we turn to this question: When we talk about the centrality and importance of the ‘Word of God’ are we simply talking about the Bible, or something different or more than that?
Here’s John Woodhouse’s conclusion:
The word of God once received, and written down, continues to be the living word of the living God—thanks to the work of the Holy Spirit. This is a thoroughly familiar idea in the Bible itself.
The Bible exists precisely because there were those who heeded the apostolic injunction to guard what had been entrusted to them by the Holy Spirit. As we have seen, in the Bible the phrase ‘the Word of God’ does not always mean ‘the Bible’. But the Bible is the Word of God. And it is complete.
To suggest that there is more to the Word of God than the Bible is to suggest that there is more to the Word of God than that which was entrusted to the apostles (an idea contrary to the New Testament) or that they failed to pass on adequately their trust (which is contrary to the evidence).
The question “Is there more to the word of God than the Bible?” can now be seen in a proper light: Is there more to Christ than the apostolic gospel which has been delivered to us in the Bible?
Do we really have all of Christianity where there is only the word of the Bible and the faith in God that it brings about? You might as well ask: Do we really have all of Christianity when we have all of Christ?
(From Briefing #12, Oct 1988.)
