This post marks the beginning of a new series that I am calling ‘The Culture Building Project‘. In this series, I will explore the foundational principles and practices that I believe are most important to shaping the culture of the Church and defining the life of a Christian in the world.

Every church has a culture, whether intentionally cultivated or unconsciously absorbed. A healthy church culture doesn’t emerge by accident—it is forged with deliberate, Spirit-led effort. It grows as we align our shared life with the truths of Scripture, shaping everything from our worship and fellowship to our work and witness.

The Culture Building Project is not just about ideals; it is about the practical, gritty work of applying those ideals to real life. Together, we will ask and answer vital questions, sharpen one another as iron sharpens iron, and seek to glorify Christ in all we do.

Where do we begin when building a church culture that glorifies Christ and stands firm in a shifting world? We start where every faithful endeavour must begin—with Scripture. The Bible is not just a guide for personal piety or theological reflection; it is the foundation for how we live, work, and worship together as God’s people.

At the heart of this is the principle of Sola Scriptura, the conviction that Scripture alone is our ultimate authority in all matters of faith and practice. This isn’t abstract doctrine but practical reality: if we are to build a culture that honours Christ, we must first submit every thought, every decision, and every tradition to the scrutiny of God’s Word. A church culture rooted in anything else—tradition, personal preferences, or worldly trends—will falter. But a culture rooted in the sufficiency and authority of Scripture will endure. 

so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
    it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
    and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

Isaiah 55:11

The Word of God does not come to us as a fragmented collection of spiritual tidbits for our devotional moments. No, it is a roaring fire, burning with clarity and authority over all of life. From the smallest whispers to the great rumblings of the world, the Bible speaks to every facet of human existence – and it does so with sufficiency, authority, and finality. It leaves no stone unturned, no corner of our lives unaddressed.

The Bible is authoritative on everything of which it speaks. Moreover, it speaks of everything.

Cornelius van til

The Sufficiency of Scripture: What It Means and What It Demands

Scripture is the mother of all Christian thinking and living. Its sufficiency means that everything necessary for life and godliness is laid out before us in its pages. The Bible is not an encyclopedia of modern topics, but it is the lens through which all topics must be understood.

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him [the incarnate Word] who called us to his own glory and excellence,

2 Peter 1:3 [emphasis mine]

When we say the Bible is sufficient, we are not saying that it explicitly spells out every action or decision you will face. Instead, we are declaring that it contains all the principles and precepts needed to live faithfully in every circumstance. William Ames, in his Marrow of Theology, reminds us that “The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture.”

In simpler terms, the Bible is not a book of answers to lazy questions. It requires you to wrestle, to dig, and to build a framework of thought that can withstand the weight of the modern world. The sufficiency of Scripture is not a blanket that covers over every problem; it is the scaffolding that enables us to build a biblical worldview capable of addressing every problem.

And in order to do that, we must learn to ask that most important question.

What Does the Bible Say About This?

A crucial question for every Christian in every age: What does the Bible say about this? But notice how this question presupposes two things: first, that the Bible does indeed speak to the issue at hand, and second, that we are humble enough to listen.

The Apostle Paul tells us that all Scripture is “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). That includes how we work, how we raise our children, how we manage our finances, how we engage in politics and culture, and how we congregate as a church.

To ask, “What does the Bible say about this?” requires a posture of submission. Too often, Christians approach Scripture as if it were a buffet—picking and choosing the parts that suit their tastes. But the Bible is not our servant; it is the voice of our master. For instance, the Bible may not tell you how to manage your stock portfolio, but it does teach you to steward your resources faithfully (Luke 19:11-27). It may not outline the specifics of coding a software program, but it calls you to work with diligence as unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23). Or consider the family. The Bible does not provide a detailed daily schedule for parenting, but it commands you to raise your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). To dismiss the Bible’s authority over these areas is not humility; it is rebellion.

The Danger of Compartmentalised Christianity

Many Christians live as if the Bible has jurisdiction over their “spiritual lives” but not over their businesses, their politics, or their YouTube playlist. This is not Christianity but a form of deism, where God is acknowledged in theory but ignored in practice. John Owen warned of this danger when he wrote, “He who would have any real acquaintance with the mind of God as revealed in Scripture must be ready to apply it to his whole life.”

This is also where many who profess to hold to Sola Scriptura fail to follow through practically in their own lives. Instead, they adopt a “just me and my Bible” approach, retreating into their personal echo chambers and crafting a theology that is more self-referential than Scripture-referential. They mix in their sugar, spice, and everything baggage from life’s experiences to brew the perfect little theology. But they accidentally add an extra ingredient to the formula—Themselves! And thus, their personal theology is born! Using their self-crafted doctrines, they fight correction, dodge accountability, and defend their biases – all in the name of Sola Scriptura!

A compartmentalised faith is a faith that will eventually collapse. If the Bible does not speak to every area of life, then it speaks to no area of life. The Christ who claims Lordship over your Sunday worship also claims Lordship over your Monday morning meetings, your Wednesday evening dinner table, and your Friday night entertainment choices. Compartmentalized Christianity often results in a one-sided view of God. Many Christians are drawn to the gentleness and kindness of God, which are indeed glorious attributes, but they are hesitant to grapple with His justice and holiness. This is not a new problem. Richard Baxter, in The Reformed Pastor, lamented that many prefer to hear of God’s mercy rather than His wrath, of His promises rather than His demands.

This selective reading of Scripture often creates a caricature of God for most people—a deity who comforts but does not confront, who forgives but does not discipline. Such a view leads to a desire for a perpetual state of sweetness within the Church, a culture where any questioning of sin is seen as unkind or unloving. Yet Scripture itself stands against this error. The God who is gentle and lowly in heart (Matthew 11:29) is the same God who declares, “I will by no means clear the guilty” (Exodus 34:7). To ignore His justice is to misrepresent His character entirely.

A church culture that avoids the justice of God and the confrontation of sin becomes a shallow and sentimental place. It is like a doctor who refuses to tell his patients about their illnesses for fear of upsetting them. Such a church cannot stand as the pillar and buttress of truth (1 Timothy 3:15). Instead, it becomes a place of fragile egos and unexamined lives, ill-equipped to withstand the storms of life or the attacks of the world.

This unwillingness to confront sin also weakens the Church’s witness. A church that glosses over sin cannot proclaim the Gospel in its fullness, for the Gospel is good news only because it addresses the bad news of our sin and God’s judgment. The cross itself is the ultimate declaration of God’s justice and mercy—justice in that sin is punished, and mercy in that Christ bears that punishment for us. To deny God’s justice is to strip the cross of its meaning.

Recovering a Biblical Worldview

To recover the sufficiency of Scripture is to recover a biblical worldview—a way of thinking and living that places every aspect of life under the authority of God’s Word. This requires three key disciplines:

1. Immersion in the Word: The Bible must be your daily bread, not your occasional snack. To live a life shaped by Scripture, you must know Scripture. You must read it, meditate on it, memorise it, and discuss it with others.

2. Theological Discernment: The Bible speaks in principles as well as precepts, and it is our task to discern how those principles apply to our lives. This is not a solo endeavour; it requires the collective wisdom of the church to see every activity, from ploughing fields to governing nations, as an opportunity to glorify God.

3. Community Accountability: Proverbs 27:17 declares, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” If you are not in regular, meaningful conversation with other believers about how Scripture applies to your life, you are likely dulling rather than sharpening your understanding. Biblical wisdom is honed in the crucible of community.

The Bible Speaks to All of Life

The Bible’s sufficiency is not merely an abstract doctrine; it is a practical reality. Every time you ask, “What does the Bible say about this?” you are affirming its authority and sufficiency. And every time you live as if the Bible is silent on an issue, you are denying that sufficiency.

A robust church culture must also reclaim the biblical understanding of addressing sin. To confront sin is not an act of cruelty but of love. Proverbs 27:5-6 reminds us, “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.” A church that loves well will confront sin, not to condemn but to restore. This is what it means to be a community where iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17).

Sola Scriptura isn’t just that doctrine thingy you nod along with in agreement at church meetings. Something you agree with in theory, like broccoli is good for you, but it never makes its way onto your plate. It’s not the intellectual equivalent of a bumper sticker that says, “I brake for catechisms.” You might give it a polite nod during a sermon, but you’re still running your life like you’re the one writing the story. And when you do that, you’re not standing on the Bible; you’re standing on the thin ice of your own preferences. No, this is the load-bearing wall of the house. Remove it, and everything else comes crashing down. It’s the conviction that God’s Word speaks to all of life—every corner, every crack, every dusty old shelf where we like to hide our pet sins and unexamined habits.

Conclusion

If people keep treating Sola Scriptura like it’s some abstract theological accessory, let me tell you what’s going to happen. One day, they’ll stroll into a church where they take this doctrine seriously, and a sermon soaked in the authority of Scripture is going to knock them upside the head. They’ll be sitting there, dazed, wondering, What just hit me? And the answer, my friend, will be biblical fidelity—tough, uncompromising, and sharper than a double-edged sword.

Sola Scriptura isn’t just a doctrine; it’s a declaration. It’s the battle cry of a people who bow to God’s Word, not to their own opinions or the world’s whims. And when we live like that, it doesn’t just shape our lives—it shapes the Church, the culture, and the world. So, pick up that sword, dig into that Word, and let Sola Scriptura be more than “that thingy.” Let it be the thing that defines you.

This week, I challenge you to ask this question in every sphere of your life. What does the Bible say about how I should approach my work? What does it say about my conversations with my family? What does it say about the cultural challenges we face as Christians? Don’t be content with shallow answers. Dig deep. Wrestle with the text. Seek the counsel of your church community. And above all, submit to what God’s Word reveals.

To live under the sufficiency of Scripture is to live a life of joyful obedience. It is to see every challenge and every opportunity as a chance to apply God’s Word. As we ask and answer the question, “What does the Bible say about this? or that?” we will find ourselves growing in wisdom, courage, and faithfulness.

Brothers and sisters, the Bible speaks to all of life. Let us live as though we believe it. Let us be a community that sharpens one another, spurs one another on, and submits together to the Lordship of Christ in every area of life.