As John was bringing his gospel to a close, he explained his purpose for writing in John 20:30-31: “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”In Colossians 4:16, Paul wrote: “Now when this epistle is read among you, see that it is read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and that you likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.” In 2 Timothy 4:13, Paul made a personal request to Timothy: “Bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas when you come — and the books, especially the parchments.”
Paul needed to have certain manuscripts with him during his imprisonment as well as additional material for reading and writing. All of the above passages stress the importance of the written word in the spread of Christianity. It was the method chosen by God for its preservation. What a great privilege it is to be able to hold God’s completed written Word in our hands and to be able to read the very words that emanated from His mind (Matthew 4:4; John 12:48-50 ASV).
While the Bible is its own best commentary (Matthew 4:4; 1 Corinthians 2:1-13 ASV), we must recognize that uninspired sources can also aid us in our understanding of it.
See here.
—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets
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