Colleen Orchanian

Why isn't the Bible enough? That sounds controversial. You might think I'm going to talk about Sola Scriptura and do some apologetics, but that's not the case. This topic came about because I've read a couple of books about near-death experiences recently, and they have helped me imagine heaven and hell in a new way. And that got me wondering why I needed to read about heaven and hell somewhere other than the Bible. Was it a lack of faith or something else?

Where does it say I only need the Bible? 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us, "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." That doesn't actually say I don't need anything else. So maybe I shouldn't feel bad for getting inspired by something outside of the Bible.

I have been inspired by the writings of many great saints—Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Teresa of Avila, Terese of Lisieux. They allow me to see how God's Word comes to life in a real person. I am also inspired by everyday people who carry heavy crosses with much grace because of their faith. They show me how to live the words of Jesus to "Pick up your cross and follow me." I personally need more than me, my Bible, and Jesus.

I concluded that it's good to go beyond Scripture. Not only good, but sometimes necessary. Here are some reasons why.

Why We Need More

We become too familiar with the words we've read or heard over and over. Like the 23rd Psalm. The Lord is my shepherd. I get it. I'm the sheep. He's the shepherd. I can read something and gloss over it because of familiarity and pride. I have read it so many times I already know what it says. I think it isn't possible for me to get anything new from it. What a crock!

I can read something and not see what's clearly on the page. That's why I need a proofreader when I write a book. They look at it with fresh eyes and can see mistakes I don't see because I already know what it should say. I see what I want to see—not what is there.

It doesn't have to be that way with Scripture. After all, there is only one first time that you read it. But every time after that can be like a first time. The Bible is a living document. Often I see things I don't remember from before. But I have to approach it with fresh eyes, with an open heart. A friend shared with me how a passage from Isaiah came alive for her during meditation. She had read it before, but this time it spoke to her in a deeply personal way. I think the mindset we need is openness, asking God to show us something new, something that we need for this moment in our life.

Another reason the Bible may not be enough is that we read what we want and ignore the hard teachings. In John chapter 6, Jesus tells the disciples that they must eat His flesh and drink His blood, and many leave, saying, "This is a hard teaching." He repeats the command three times to emphasize the teaching, and some can't accept it. The Pharisees and scribes were deaf and blind to the truth about Jesus.

There are places in the Gospels that I want to ignore because they require repentance—a change of heart. Those are the hard teachings. Love your enemy. Anger is the same as murder. Divorce is wrong. Turn the other cheek. Pray for those who persecute you. Pick up your cross. Let your yes mean yes—do what you say you will do. I may agree with these teachings in theory, but when it comes to living them, I can find lots of reasons they don't apply to my specific situation. So I read the words of Jesus, know it is true, but don't live it because I have a good excuse. I have some qualifiers with the Ten Commandments. In other words, the Bible isn't enough for me. I know better, and I may need someone to point out my errors and challenge me in those hard teachings.

Another way to know that the Bible isn't enough for me is when I dismiss the teachings about Heaven and Hell. Jesus talked a lot about Hell, but so many people either think it doesn't exist or believe it's probably not that bad. After all, many of their friends will be there, so it should be more fun than boring heaven with all those holy people praying all the time. Those are all lies from the devil. Hell is more horrifying than we can imagine, and Heaven is more glorious than our minds can grasp.

What is hell? It is eternal separation from God, who is all goodness. There is nothing good in hell. Not one point of light. Not one ounce of love. Not one moment of peace. Only evil, hate, pain, despair—endlessly. Those who have seen hell know the terror. The children of Fatima were shown a vision of Hell, but God took the memory from their minds because He didn't want them to live with that trauma. What they remembered was how awful it was, but not the details. We can read God's word about the grinding and gnashing of teeth, but that can't convey the full reality of hell. Maybe we need people to share their experiences in hell so we can believe what Jesus said, because the Bible alone isn't enough. It isn't enough to motivate us to do all we can to keep others from going to hell. Sometimes the Holy Spirit needs to light a fire in us.

Another hard teaching we might miss is when Jesus tells John in the book of Revelation that he will spit out the lukewarm. He is warning the church in Laodicea that they are not living a Christian life. They are rich and need nothing, at least in their minds. So God isn't important. Following the teaching of Jesus isn't important. This is a Christian church, not unbelievers. He's telling them to live as believers or face eternal damnation. This is a hard teaching, and one that applies to many Christians today. We live comfortable lives and go to church on Sunday, but live as pagans the rest of the week. Our faith means nothing because it's not a living faith. This message is throughout the New Testament, but either we don't read it or we can't hear it. We hear but don't understand. So the Bible is not enough. Sometimes we need a shock to our system, like the paddles for CPR, that moves us from lukewarm pew sitters to Spirit-filled evangelists.

There are many bad reasons that the Bible isn't enough: pride (I know what it says), laziness (I don't want to spend time with it), resistance (I don't want to see my sins called out). Those reflect my own faults that keep me from reading and understanding the Bible. I need to work on those faults.

Good Reasons to Go Beyond the Bible

But there are also very good reasons that the Bible isn't enough, reasons that move me to other sources that help me learn and live my faith.

I don't understand it. Peter writes that some things in Paul's letters are hard to understand. I can't relate to some parables of Jesus because I don't have the experiences of those who heard them live. I'm not a farmer. I have never cared for sheep. I never made wine using wineskins or patched a coat with another piece of fabric. I don't know the stories of the different tribes in the Old Testament and the false gods they served. I don't understand the prophetic language used in Daniel and Revelation and other places. So I need help. I get that help with Bible commentaries because the Bible alone doesn't give the backstory. I get it in Bible study classes or study guides. I get it by going on retreat, like I did to the Augustine Institute. When we don't understand something, we have an abundance of resources to help make it clear. We have to make that effort.

Maybe I believe it, but need a little encouragement—a reminder that God is still working all these years later. I get that in the books I read about miracles—extraordinary miracles like near-death experiences, and smaller glimpses of God that we have every day. My mom had one of those miracles. She was suffering from painful headaches, and the brain doctor couldn't find a cause. In prayer, God told her to get two teeth pulled, and she did. The headaches went away. When I hear stories about God's presence in people's lives, it is an encouragement to me. A reminder that God is near to us at all times. I know the Bible is true, and I love hearing how God is alive and touching people today.

The miraculous reinforces the message of the Bible. Consider the apparitions of Mary throughout the centuries. Our Lady of Guadalupe, who converted the Aztecs. Our Lady of Lourdes, who brought miraculous healing to the world. Our Lady of Fatima, who warned of the coming World War and to pray. Our Lady of Kibeho, who warned of the coming genocide in Rwanda. God continues to speak today, warning us, calling us to prayer, calling us to repent, calling us to love. The messages in these apparitions reinforce what we already read in the Bible.

Caution!

Sometimes the messages we hear, the voices that we listen to, are not of God. How can we know that? Because they contradict God's Holy Word. For example, A Course in Miracles teaches people how to manipulate God to give them what they want. That's not how miracles work. Chances are, if you get your miracle, it's not coming from God but from the enemy, and there is a price to pay. Another common deception is the study of angels. They teach us to use our angels to get what we want, to treat angels as pets or servants, not as the glorious, powerful spiritual beings who always look upon the face of God.

We must be discerning in the non-Biblical sources we use in our journey of faith. If it contradicts Scripture, throw it out. Don't give it away and let someone else be led astray.

The Bible is not enough for us to understand everything—because we can't. We might find other resources that help us better understand. And we have to overcome our own faults—pride, laziness, impatience — so that when we read it, our mind is open to hearing God's voice. Use the Bible to know God—and other resources to build on it. The Bible is enough; everything else is like the sprinkles on the ice cream. It makes it better!

Questions for prayer:

1. What resources do you use to supplement your understanding of the Bible? How do those resources help you better understand God's Word?

2. What personal faults, sins, or habits are obstacles to reading and understanding the Bible?

3. What is one action you can take to have a more profound encounter with God's Holy Word?