Doctrine of Scripture (Necessity)
Not only is Gods revelation of Himself authoritative and clear, it is also necessary. Without special revelation there would be no knowledge of the Gospel, no understanding of the spiritual life, and no way of knowing God’s will for our lives.
The necessity of Scripture means that the Bible is necessary for knowing the gospel, for maintaining spiritual life, and for knowing God’s will, but is not necessary for knwoing that God exists or for knowing something about God’s character and moral laws. - Wayne Grudem
The Bible is necessary for salvation because it contains the message of truth that must be heard. One must call upon the name of the Lord to be saved, but people can only call upon the name of the Lord if they believe in him. People cannot believe in Christ unless they have heard of him and they cannot hear about Him if there is no one to tell them. Saving faith comes from hearing the gospel message through the preaching of Christ. For there to be salvation one must either read the gospel message in the Bible or hear the gospel message from another person. Without the word there would be no gospel message.
“For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But how can they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe wthout hearing about Him? And how can they hear without a preacher? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How welcome are the feet of those who announce the gospel of good things! But all did not obey the gospel. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our message? So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.” – Romans 10:13-17
Without special revelation there would be nothing to help maintain the spiritual life. We are people who experience spiritual malnutrition, and yet it is the Words of God that sustain us and help us to live. Matthew 4:4 says “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that procceds out of the mouth of God”. To sustain spiritual life the Christian must live on the Word of God.
The Bible is also necessary for some knowledge of Gods will, without it we would not know what God requires of us in order to live in obedience to Him. All the words of Scripture are Gods authoritative Words that are clear, relative, and necessary.
It is in His Word that we find the message of the gospel, and it is in His word that we come to understand Christian growth and discipleship. The Word of God is essential and necessary for the salvation and growth of any believer.