Originally posted on 4.17.20
As human beings, we are in relation to God as we are in relation to His Word. The Bible is supreme over everyone. We all stand or fall before God according to our relation to His revealed Word. This has been so from the very beginning. When there was only one man, Adam, God esteemed it impossible to have a meaningful and mutual relationship with him apart from the Word of God. To be meaningful, the relationship had to be mutually desired. And to be mutually desired, there had to be a way for Adam to choose the relationship. These necessities were realized in the stipulation given to him in Genesis 2:17 regarding the forbidden fruit. Adam’s relationship with God— indeed, his life itself— would be contingent on keeping that precept. By it, Adam could exercise his free will in choosing God over everything else and, thus, remain in a right and holy standing with Him.
God made man a creature free to interact with Him and free will can only be manifest in a realm of choice. The parameters of relationship with God are revealed in the Word of God. Adam’s fall from the means God gave him to be in a meaningful, mutual relationship with Him confirm the fact that it is impossible to have such a relationship with God apart from His Covenant with us. We all stand before God in relation to His Word, and without the Word there is no true relationship with God because there is nothing else given by God upon which to establish it. That is why, in the New Testament, we have a “word of reconciliation”, Gospel terms by which we can choose to be in covenant relationship with God. The key word here is, covenant. Our relationship with God must be engaged in according to God-prescribed terms. True covenant relationship with God is only possible through His Word, rightly interpreted. There is no circumventing His revealed will to us. No amount of prayer, giving, church-going, etc., will excuse us from our obligation to live by His Word. (We’ll study the concept of covenant more later.)
Because Scripture is the most important thing in the world and because it governs our relationship with God, therefore doctrine is, likewise, the most important thing in the world because it is the teaching that precipitates from Scripture.
Doctrine will be our next topic.