Some Christians say the Bible is the only source of authority in spiritual matters. Other Christians say they follow the Holy Spirit’s leading as equal to or even superior to the Bible.

The Bible is important. I love the Scriptures as much as anyone. It is the only objective source we have for understanding God.

At the same time, I recognize the role of the Holy Spirit in teaching us.

For the first few hundred years after Jesus was born, there was no Bible. The individual books existed, but it was not officially made into “the Bible” until the late 300s.

The Bible, being readily available to anyone at any time, is a recent development. The lack of a Bible did not slow down the spread of Christianity.

While I would say the Bible is the most authoritative source we have on spiritual matters, I would not go so far as to say it is the only one. People have done well spiritually, as Christians, even before the Bible was printed or made available.

It should not be an “either-or” question. The answer is “both, and.”

There is a tension there, and that is where we should remain. We hold to the Scriptures but leave room for the Holy Spirit to speak to us. If the two conflict, it is not the Holy Spirit speaking to you. The two must agree. When in conflict, the Bible trumps that voice you heard.

The Bible itself speaks to this issue.

1 John 2:27 — As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit — just as it has taught you, remain in him.

2 Timothy 3:16 — All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.

The two verses are guardrails on both sides of the highway. That is Biblical tension. Both are true at the same time.

John 4:24 — For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”