Scripture is often said to be the Word of God. I wonder whether that statement ought to be phrased a bit differently.
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I would put it like this: Scripture verbally expresses, in human and therefore fallible terms, some aspects of the Logos[1] that God has graciously revealed to us so far.
Experience suggests[2] that Scripture contains everything necessary to salvation, along with other stuff. Our challenge is to figure out which is which — and we can’t rule out that God might have intended the answer to be different in different circumstances.
[1] Logos: “A Greek philosopher named Heraclitus first used the term Logos around 600 B.C. to designate the divine reason or plan which coordinates a changing universe. This word was well suited to John’s purpose in John 1.” (Crosswalk KJV Greek Lexicon.) “A principle originating in classical Greek thought which refers to a universal divine reason, immanent in nature, yet transcending all oppositions and imperfections in the cosmos and humanity.” (Glossary from PBS Web site “Faith and Reason,” which I just stumbled onto and which is well worth your time.)
[2] Interestingly, Scripture itself seems to demand that its teachings be judged empirically, that is, by experience: “You may say to yourself, ‘How can we recognize a word that the LORD has not spoken?’ If a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD but the thing does not take place or prove true, it is a word that the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; do not be frightened by it.” (Deut. 18:21-22)
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