The Holy Scriptures, God's writing of love, explain the origin, fall and redemption of mankind. It contains the all-sufficient revelation of God's will to men as our only infallible rule of faith and practice under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. John 5:39; Psalm 89:34 (cf Matthew 22:29; John 7:17); Luke 24:44, 45; Psalm 119:104, 105; Isaiah 8:20; 2 Timothy 3:15.
The Bible (Old and New Testaments) is the authority to teach us and correct us, showing us the difference between right and wrong. Mark 12:24; Act 17:11; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17; James 1:22, 23; 1 Peter 1:22, 23. Therefore, our individual stand before God and our relationship with one another must be based on a "Thus saith the Lord." Matthew 7:12; John 8:32; 16:13; 17:17; 2 Thessalonians 2:13.
Christ's presence with men of God, as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, in both the Old and New Testament times, is the origin of the written Word of God. 2 Peter 1:21; 2 Timothy 3:16; Luke 16:29, 31; John 5:46, 47. Proof of divine inspiration of the Bible is found in the Bible itself. 1 Peter 1:10-12; 1 Thessalonians 2:13.
Through the ministration of the Holy Spirit, the Bible is self-explanatory and does not need any human tradition or catechism for its interpretation. Isaiah 28:10; 34:16; 2 Peter 1:19, 20. If we live in harmony with the Holy Scriptures, the promises and blessings of the Lord are ours. Luke 11:28; Matthew 4:4; 7:21, 24, 25; John 6:63; 8:31.
"The whole Bible is a manifestation of Christ, and the Saviour desired to fix the faith of His followers on the word. When His visible presence should be withdrawn, the word must be their source of power."—The Desire of Ages, p. 390.
"The Bible is the most wonderful of all histories, for it is the production of God, not of the finite mind. It carries us back through the centuries to the beginning of all things, presenting the history of times and scenes which would otherwise never have been known. It reveals the glory of God in the working of His providence to save a fallen world. It presents in the simplest language the mighty power of the gospel, which, received, would cut the chains that bind men to Satan's chariot."—Fundamentals of Christian Education, p. 377.
"Every part of the Bible is given by inspiration of God and is profitable. The Old Testament no less than the New should receive attention. As we study the Old Testament we shall find living springs bubbling up where the careless reader discerns only a desert."—Education, p. 191.
"It is not the mere reading of the word that will accomplish the result that is designed by Heaven, but the truth revealed in the word of God must find an entrance into the heart, if the good intended is obtained."—Fundamentals of Christian Education, p. 131.
"The whole Bible is a revelation of the glory of God in Christ. Received, believed, obeyed, it is the great instrumentality in the transformation of character. And it is the only sure means of intellectual culture."—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 8, p. 319.
"By looking constantly to Jesus with the eye of faith, we shall be strengthened. God will make the most precious revelations to His hungering, thirsting people. They will find that Christ is a personal Saviour. As they feed upon His word, they find that it is spirit and life. The word destroys the natural, earthly nature, and imparts a new life in Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit comes to the soul as a Comforter. By the transforming agency of His grace, the image of God is reproduced in the disciple; he becomes a new creature."—The Desire of Ages, p. 391.
"The Bible, and the Bible alone, [is] the foundation of our faith."—Selected Messages, book 2, p. 85.
"God will have a people upon the earth to maintain the Bible, and the Bible only, as the standard of all doctrines and the basis of all reforms. The opinions of learned men, the deductions of science, the creeds or decisions of ecclesiastical councils, as numerous and discordant as are the churches which they represent, the voice of the majority—not one nor all of these should be regarded as evidence for or against any point of religious faith. Before accepting any doctrine or precept, we should demand a plain 'Thus saith the Lord' in its support."—The Great Controversy, p. 595.