Sometimes we think that the Bible came right from Christ’s lips. That’s a mistake. Christ established his Church, the living community of his followers gathered around and “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets” (Ephesians 2:20). He commissioned that Church to hand on (the same term that gives the etymological root for “tradition”) his message. The Bible followed, as disciples like St Luke realized a need to record the events and teachings of Christ’s life and the early Church for the sake of having common reference points to guide the Church’s growth. The Bible truly is the Word of God, a uniquely inspired compendium of God’s own self-revelation, but it doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It is a sacred text whose full meaning only shines through when read and interpreted in the context of the living Church, which preserves the Tradition from which the Bible itself sprang.
That’s why the term “Bible Christian” is a misnomer – the Bible is not enough to make for a mature Christian. And that’s why all Christians need to make the effort to stay tuned to what the Church is saying; we all need to feed our souls on God’s Word as served up by the Church.
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