Have you ever been lost in a new city, desperately seeking clear direction, wandering winding streets with a dying phone battery and no Wi-Fi? And then, just when panic started to set in, you remembered you had downloaded an offline map before your trip. And that simple guide got you safely back to your hotel. The Bible serves a similar purpose in our spiritual lives, but with boundlessly more significance.

All the necessary truth for salvation and Christian living are contained in the Bible. It offers direction on ethics, faith, and doctrine. Some passages may be complex and difficult to grasp at first, but believers can easily understand the fundamental lessons contained therein. The text’s straightforward meaning should take front stage in interpretation. 

Even though there are authorities within Christianity – tradition, councils, and church leaders – they must be subject to Scripture. No teaching or practice should contradict Biblical principles. The supremacy of Scriptures over other authorities was established by Jesus Christ, who is the foundation of the Christian faith (1 Corinthians 3:11).

Jesus Christ, the Supreme Example

Jesus Christ, in all His teachings, drew from the Scripture and stated clearly that He has not come to abolish the law or the prophets but to fulfil them (Matthew 5:7). There was nothing that Jesus Christ taught that wasn’t referenced in the law and the prophets (the Scriptures). His responses to the temptations of the devil were all drawn from Scripture. Jesus Christ himself had this to say: “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you — that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled” (Luke 24:44 CSB).

Apostle Paul: When Personal Revelation Meets Scriptural Authority

The relationship between personal revelation and Scriptural authority is perhaps best depicted through the experience of the Apostle Paul. Even though he received the revelation of Christ mystically (Galatians 1:11-12), he submitted these revelations according to divine instructions to the chosen witnesses (the earlier Apostles) for scrutiny. This he clearly stated in the following words, “Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also. [2] I went up according to a revelation and presented to them the gospel I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those recognized as leaders. I wanted to be sure I was not running, and had not been running, in vain” (Galatians 2:1-2 CSB).

Testing Personal Experiences

This goes to show that whatever revelation we might have received via experiential intimacy must be subjected to the scrutiny of the Scriptures. Paul submitted his to the chosen witnesses since they were still on earth at the time. Now, we don’t have them here with us, but we have the Bible, their inscripturated revelations here with us, which has become the supreme authority of our faith. 

While many Christians may claim sound and compelling personal encounters with God through prayer, meditation, and worship, these experiences must be measured against the ageless gauge of Scripture. The church has long understood that every supposed revelation must line up with the Biblical witnesses inasmuch as God speaks to Christians via several channels. This approach maintains the possibility of real spiritual experience as well as the safeguard against misleading ideas that could pull believers off course. 

Finally…

While mystical revelations and personal experiences may provide fresh insights, they cannot introduce entirely new concepts absent from Biblical teachings. The Bible remains the ultimate standard for evaluating the authenticity of any claimed divine revelation. 

Just like that offline map guides lost people home, the Bible offers dependable direction across the spiritual road of life. But beyond providing direction, it discloses the fundamental nature of God, the road to atonement via Jesus Christ, and the values for leading a life that pleases God. Thus, if a personal revelation cannot be confirmed by the truth of the Scriptures, it cannot be a revelation from God.