A SUMMARY
"Holy Scriptures is Needed as Guide and Teacher for Anyone
who would come to God the Creator" (Calvin’s Institutes Book 1, chapter 6)
God bestows the actual knowledge of Himself upon us only in the Scriptures
Despite what the universe has revealed about God, we require another and better help to direct us to its Creator. And this help we have in God’s Word, which kept the Jews from sinking into oblivion. This same Word now gives Christians the knowledge of God, which disperses our dullness and clearly shows us the true God, just as a pair of spectacles help us to read distinctly.
There are two stages in the knowledge, which Scripture gives us. First, it is the knowledge of God as Creator: not only that we should worship some God, but that He is the God whom we should worship. And secondly, the knowledge of God as Redeemer (which will be dealt in Book 2). At present, we will deal with how Scriptures teaches us that God, the Creator of the Universe, can by sure marks be distinguished from the throng of false god.
The Word of God as Holy Scripture
There has been a most remarkable unbroken transmission of truth throughout all ages. God spoke to the patriarchs through oracles and visions and these oracles were subsequently recorded when they should handed down to posterity. Still later, prophets were added as interpreters of the law. True religion, which consists of both faith and true knowledge, has its origin from a reverent study of Scripture and obedient acceptance of what God has there been pleased to witness of Himself.
Without Scripture we fall into error
Men have powerful tendencies to wander away from God, which makes the written proof of the heavenly doctrine very necessary. It is only the Word of God that vividly describes God from His works and if we leave this Scriptural path, we will always wander in error and never reach our goal.
Scripture can communicate to us what revelation in works cannot
David in Psalms 19, 29 and 93 teaches us that, since God in vain calls all men to himself by the contemplation of heaven and earth, the law constitutes the unique school of God’s children. This
is also the purpose of Jesus’ teaching to the Samaritan woman.
Pastor Paul Goh
