Why do some people insist that we read only the Bible and not other books, articles, etc. about the Word of God? The Bible, of course, must be the ultimate authority, as the inspired Word of God. But to disregard other people's thoughts (which also, by the way, may be inspired by God) is to assume that no one today receives any deeper revelation or another way of looking at any given issue.
To ignore other people's insights is unwise, because, as some sage once said, "Every man is my superior, in that I may learn from him."
As believers, we have the unique privilege of being able to establish, develop, and nurture a personal relationship, a familial relationship, a father/child relationship, with our Creator.
In addition, the Bible teaches that Christianity rests in belief, faith, and trust in our heavenly Father, and without these three, we have no proper relationship.
Everything, and most assuredly, those things we do not and cannot understand intellectually, hinges on just these three: belief, faith, and trust.
To read writings other than the Bible opens us up to being inspired beyond our own personal revelations and may give us a different slant on a particular issue.
That does not mean that doing so implies that we are questioning the Lord or His Holy Word in any way. No!
Who would we purport to be to have the audacity to question the sovereignty of Almighty God? There is no comparison between God and us. Think of the analogy between an elephant and an ant ... or an elephant and a 747 ... or a 747 and the moon.
It is a matter of degree and relevance. Always on our radar screens we find such comparisons. But there is absolutely nothing to compare to God Almighty. Very simply and rudimentarily, there is nothing bigger than God.
Therefore, He is and always will be the final authority. He is absolutely sovereign and has no obligation to give us any explanation or justification for anything He does or says in His Word or elsewhere.
Do you try to explain to your two-year-old why you and his other parent are getting a divorce? (And you can add here any of a multitude of other such examples.) There is neither any reason nor necessity to make such an attempt. The child is simply incapable of understanding such adult issues.
While I do not impose any limits on my reading such as many do to confine their study to the Bible, which is the ultimate authority, and while I may seek and search for clues to answers and deeper revelation, in the end I resort to belief, faith, and trust in God. Beyond that, I can do nothing.
Case in point: This morning I was reading a booklet on the "Ministry of Angels" by Gordon Lindsay, and I finished it with more questions than answers, the same as oftentimes happens during Bible study.
So then I typed this question into my search function: "Where are satan and his third of the angels?" One of the results led me to this: http://www.biblebb.com/files/MAC/90-237.htm. It is John MacArthur's treatise on this subject, and I reached the same conclusion that he did on the necessity of belief, faith, and trust ... and the recognition that God is sovereign, and we are not.
Ironically, one of the basics is just this premise: One cannot know what light is if darkness does not exist; what hot is if cold is absent; up/down; back/front; north/south; happy/sad, etc. So, in order for us to exhibit goodness or righteousness, we first have to learn about its antithesis.
Evil is the absence of good. Evil resulted from the wrong choice made by our forebears. God gifted man with free will. Man used that gift to choose to disobey and distrust God. So, in essence, the logical conclusion is that man "created" evil, and God did not, so we have no grounds for making such a blasphemous accusation, as many are wont to do.
So whether or not you get full revelation on any given issue, just rest in belief, faith, and trust in our heavenly Father, and all will be well with you and yours.
The writer spent her early years in the legal arena and the last 23 years in property management. She has been an avid Bible student since 1987 and became an online publisher in 2001. She still publishes her bi-weekly ezine, 'elf Expressions Ezine, a collection of positive tips, hints, and advice offered with humor, inspiration, and other goodies for anyone who is inclined to read. The emphasis these days is on the finer points of Christianity. Guidance, mentoring, inspiration, English lessons, editing, and proofreading services for entrepreneurs and online marketers are also offered. Subscribe if you like at http://www.elfexpressionsezine.com.