A L M A C I A S

ALL THAT PERTAINS TO LIFE AND GODLINESS

As we go through life, we find in the religious world that there are so many new ideas and books floating around that some have come to wonder if the Bible is not enough. Is it possible that the Bible is not sufficient for man's salvation? Is it possible that we need more? When we read the first chapter of the second epistle of Peter, we find that the Bible is all sufficient. Peter wrote by inspiration that all that pertains to life and godliness had been given. We read in II Peter 1:3, "According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us to glory and virtue." This passage of Scripture that we do not need anything else today. There is no need for the Book of Mormon, for the Koran, or for any other religious book that some in the religious world may be using.

The apostle Peter wrote that "all" that pertains to life and godliness had been given. He did not say that it would be given at a later time. When the Lord was still here on earth, He did, on occasion, tell His apostles that more information would be given to them later through the guidance of the Holy Spirit and we know that that did happen (Jn. 16:13). The Lord told the apostles that when they stood before the councils and the synagogues, they did not need to be concerned as to what they would say, but that they would be given at that time what to say (Matt. 10:19). It is no longer the case that people continue to receive additional information that is needful for their salvation. We can know this as long as we accept the Scriptures as being inspired of God and that those men who wrote by inspiration wrote only what was true. In a recent study with some members of the church, as well as some who were not yet converted, they asked me what we could say to someone who asked if we were still receiving revelation from God today. I replied that to say that we are still receiving revelation would be to imply that what had already been written by inspired men was false. We need to be very careful in what we think when we consider the subject of the all-sufficiency of the Scriptures for man's salvation.