Grudem on Scripture's Clarity
November 16, 2009
The Bible is not locked away in esoteric mystery as theological liberals or postmoderns would have us believe. God gave us His Word (yes, I believe it is HIS Word) not to confuse or confound us but to reveal Himself to us. Belief in the clarity or perspicuity of Scripture is often miscast by the pomo/emergent/liberal crowd as arrogant. They assure us that their approach of not really knowing what the Bible means is a "humble apologetic." But I wonder. Is it truly humble to say of God's carefully crafted and fully inspired Word, "Who can truly know what it means?"
It leaves me wondering if the opposition to the Bible's perspicuity has more to do with discomfort over what Scripture has made clear than it is about Scripture being truly indecipherable.
One of the great achievements of the Protestant Reformation was that the common man should have access to the Scriptures because much of what the Bible says is readily understood by the common man. Surely this does not mean that formal training is of no use. Indeed, formal training in the biblical languages, hermeneutics, and theology are extremely helpful in deepening one's understanding of Scripture. I am deeply grateful for the fact that I was able to be formally trained in seminary. But the common layperson is not dependent upon those who are formally trained to understand those things in the Bible that pertain to salvation and godliness.
The latest issue of Themelios carries a helpful article by Wayne Grudem on Scripture's clarity. Among the points that Dr. Grudem makes are the following qualifications:
1. Scripture affirms that it is able to be understood but not all at once.
2. Scripture affirms that it is able to be understood but not without effort.
3. Scripture affirms that it is able to be understood but not without ordinary means.
4. Scripture affirms that it is able to be understood but not without the reader's willingness to obey it.
5. Scripture affirms that it is able to be understood but not without the help of the Holy Spirit.
6. Scripture affirms that it is able to be understood but not without human understanding.
7. Scripture affirms that it is able to be understood but never completely.
