The first reason I give is found in Hebrews. ‘The word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where soul and spirit meet, to where joints and marrow come together. It judges the desires and thoughts of the heart.’
Hebrews 4:12. The Greek word for soul is ‘psyche’. Initially it was joyful and yet confusing to be given a fresh faith through the grace of the Holy Spirit. I was a trained psychiatric nurse, very aware that the new understanding I was being given had attributes similar to the delusions that my patients talked to me about. It was a thin veil; delusions on one side, the Living God on the other. My psyche – my whole being was encountering the Living God. What was real and what was not real? I see the sword, mentioned in the passage from Hebrews, not as an instrument of aggression but as an instrument of healing; more like a surgeons knife cutting away the dead flesh caused by previous badly healed hurts and wounds, to allow new healthy growth to occur. Everything I was experiencing could be checked against God’s word in the Bible, which proved to be a trustworthy source: Each revelation building up my confidence and faith.

The second reason is found in the Christians I meet. We all have gifts from God; different gifts. One is not superior to another. However, I keep on meeting Christians who have a similar experience to me. In prayer, God leads us to Scripture. It is always personal and has the character of a private message, meant for the moment. Sometimes it is encouraging and reassuring; sometimes it is disapproving. It reveals that God is watching over us and knows what we need to know for the moment. More importantly it reveals that God is using Scripture today to help us. ‘All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living.’ 2 Timothy 3:16.

The third reason is Jesus’ own use of Scripture. Jesus, like his contemporaries believed in the Old Testament. But Jesus understood the Old Testament Scriptures in a deeper, more living way than his contemporaries. He stressed how important it is to obey it in spirit as well as in letter. Jesus revealed God to humanity in a way the written Old Testament alone could never have done. Yet to him the Scriptures were authoritative. He used it when wrestling with the devil in the wilderness, whom he answered three times with the words 'It is written'. ‘We know that what the scripture says is true for ever’. John 10:35.