“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tm. 3.16-17).
The word which in the King James Translation is rendered “throughly furnished” is exartizo. Other meanings are “complete, finished, perfectly furnished.” That which is perfectly furnished has all that is necessary. Thus we see the divine claim that with regard to all matters moral and religious, we have all that we need in the Scriptures.
Some men have gone beyond the Bible’s teaching in matters of doctrine. It has been a constant temptation throughout history for men to go beyond the revelation of the Bible and speculate about things which have not been revealed. If the Scriptures are silent on a matter, then we must conclude that it was something it is not necessary for us to know or that it was so self-evident that we were without excuse not to have concluded the obvious. When we go beyond revelation, then we go blindly and thus are on very dangerous ground. All sorts of dangerous doctrinal positions have been constructed upon the shaky ground of speculation when men answer questions that the Bible does not answer, or even ask.
Some men have gone beyond the Bible’s teaching in matters of practice. To view the Bible as merely a starting place or a basic outline for church practice is in direct contradiction of this passage of Scripture. A bare outline is not that which thoroughly furnishes us unto all good works. Notice that the apostle uses a redundancy for emphasis. If he had said “throughly,” that would have been sufficient. If he had said “all good works,” that would have been sufficient. Since he used both expressions, we may conclude that he did so in order that we might not miss the point. The Bible has all we need to know about “good works,” and thus to call those things “good works” which the Bible does not teach as such is to contradict God’s word.
When reading the Scriptures, we should “be still, and know that I am God.” We should stand in reverent and silent awe, glad for every bit of divine information that is revealed to us, and so aware of our own ignorance and weakness that we dare not go beyond that which is revealed. The proper use of the Bible will come only through a proper attitude toward it; and those who seek to place themselves upon a level with God by viewing the Scriptures as “merely a starting point” in the construction of our doctrine and practice have placed themselves upon sinking sand.