Necessity

¶ What does it mean?

Creation tells us there is a God. It does not tell us the way of salvation. We need Scripture to know Christ, to know the gospel, and to know what God has commanded his people.

¶ Where do we see it in Scripture?

• Romans 10:14–15How will they believe in him whom they have not heard? How will they hear without a preacher?
• Psalm 119:105Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light for my path.
• 2 Timothy 3:15The sacred writings are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

¶ Historical context

Reformers insisted that the church must keep putting the Word in reach because people cannot believe a gospel they never hear. Translation and preaching were not extras. They were how the necessary Word arrives.

¶ What this does not mean

Necessity does not mean the Spirit is idle, or that no one can know anything about God apart from a printed page. It means saving knowledge of the gospel is bound to the Word God has given.

¶ Why it matters

A closed Bible is not a small neglect. If we need this Word, then reading, preaching, and translation are acts of love — for ourselves and for those who still wait.