The Perspicuity and Knowability of Scripture

            I used a couple of terms in a previous post that are very important to understand if we are to proceed productively with our investigation of the origins and validity of the Bible. There is no shortage of opinions when it comes to the Bible, that’s for sure. We will consider and discuss some of the more prominent views concerning the Bible both from the secular community as well as from various religious perspectives as we go forward. But here at the outset I would like to invite you all to suspend your preconceptions and opinions temporarily, in order for us all to think in unison, as much as is possible, as we consider two very simple and fundamental questions. These questions will frame the definitions of the two concepts in view, and will set the ground rules for our further studies about the nature of the Bible.

            The first question that I would invite you to think about is this. If the God of the Bible really does exist, do you suppose that He would be smart enough to be able to come up with a way to reveal Himself clearly in and through His creation? Now, I know at first glance this may sound facetious or trite. But in fact it is neither. It is a very serious question, one that will set the tone for everything that follows. It is a question concerning the existence of, and the abilities of God, as He is described in the Bible.  

            Secondly, and while related to the first question, significantly different from it, I would ask you to consider; If such a God would want to reveal Himself. This is a question of purpose and intention.

            To assist us in answering our two questions, let me introduce two related and perhaps more familiar concepts, into our discussion. They are “General Revelation” and “Natural Theology”. The first, like our term Perspicuity, is something that God does. The second, also like our term Knowability, is something that man receives as a result of what God has done.

 A simple definition of general revelation is that God has revealed His very existence and His attributes in and through His creation. For example,  Psalm 19:1 says “The heavens declare the glory of God”, likewise Romans 1:18-20 says  “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” So we see that the Bible clearly makes the claim that God has revealed Himself in and through His creation. We understand that this is something that God does. Again, we call this “general revelation”, it is revealed in a general way to a general audience.

When we come to scripture we speak of God’s “special revelation”. Here the idea is that God is speaking in a special and specific way. But since it is the same God that is speaking He speaks with the same perfect clarity that He does through His general revelation. Deuteronomy 29:29 says “the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.”  Deut. 30:11-14 says "For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, 'Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us that we may hear it and do it?' But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.”  II Pet.1:3-4 says "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire."  Again, Romans 1:18-20 says “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen”.

This attribute of unambiguous clarity that is built into the very nature of scripture we call “the Perspicuity of Scripture”, it, like “General Revelation” is something that God does. God does not stammer or stutter. He is not trying to be coy or obscure. He is perfectly able to say what He means and to say it clearly.

This brings us to our second question.  Does God want to reveal Himself?” What would be the reason for such a being as He to want to communicate with His creatures?

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John 3:16-17 says “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”

 Even though He clearly does desire to reveal Himself, how can He expect such inferior beings as we to understand Him, and what about sin and evil in man, wouldn’t they prevent Him from getting through? Is there any way that such a creature as man could ever recognize the existence of, or the thoughts of such a perfect and superior being?

You can see that this is a separate and very important question. There are many that would grant the validity of general revelation and even the idea of the perspicuity of scripture in a limited sense, but would not accept the concepts of natural theology or of the knowability of scripture. I Corinthians 2:14 says “But a natural man does not accept

 (receive, welcome) the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.” Based upon a particular point of view (Extreme Calvinism) concerning this and other similar passages, the idea is promoted that even though God has clearly spoken through the scriptures and even given that He would desire to make Himself understood by man, He cannot break through to man in his depraved and rebellious state (so called “spiritual death”). The error here is the failure to differentiate between will not and can not. The verse clearly states, particularly in the original language, that the natural man, soulish or fleshly man, does not willingly receive or refuses to accept the word of God (Zech. 7:11-13 teaches “But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears from hearing. “They made their hearts like flint so that they could not hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from the LORD of hosts. “And just as He called and they would not listen, so they called and I would not listen,” says the LORD of hosts”). The chronological order is as follows, God speaks to a heart through His living and active word which is able to impart saving faith if it is received by faith through the very presence of His Holy Spirit in the word of God. If it is rejected, through an act of the free will (not as a result of a pre programmed irresistible predisposition) then the offer is taken off the table for a time, or perhaps permanently, resulting in a further hardening of the unwilling heart (Hebrews 3:7-12 makes it perfectly clear where the responsibility lies) “ Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says,
“TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE,

DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME,
AS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS,

WHERE YOUR FATHERS TRIED Me BY TESTING Me,
AND SAW MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS.

“THEREFORE I WAS ANGRY WITH THIS GENERATION,
AND SAID, ‘THEY ALWAYS GO ASTRAY IN THEIR HEART,
AND THEY DID NOT KNOW MY WAYS’;

AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH,
‘THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.’

 Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.”

You recall that I asked that we all suspend our preconceptions and opinions for a while in order that we might all come to the discussion with unity of objectivity. My intention here is to present evidence from the Bible to establish the fact of the Knowability of Scripture. Romans 10:17 says that “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” If we take this statement at face value it is clear that there are no limitation placed upon the power of God’s word to produce faith in man, Romans 1:16-17 says “I am not ashamed of the gospel (the word of God), because it is the power of God for the salvation to everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed, from faith to faith, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” Here we see again that the word of God (the Gospel) contains the power of God to impart saving faith to those who will receive it.

 II Tim.3:16 says that “All scripture is God breathed and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness”. When we take what these verses are saying literally we come to the understanding that God’s word, the Bible is not like any other book. It is powerful and active and filled with God’s Spirit and is able to impart life giving faith to man! Hebrews 4:12 declares this very profound truth in unambiguous and irrefutable terms that can be understood by any man without exception. “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

          Let me say this as lovingly and as clearly as I can. If you do not understand the word of God, if you do not have a desire to read the word of God, if you do not believe in the word of God, do not blame God! Don’t blame father Adam. Don’t blame your pastor or society or your mom or your dad or your teacher or Augustine or Luther or any one or anything other than yourself! You are the only thing keeping you from understanding God’s revealed truth. Stop resisting Him today and open your heart by faith to receive His life giving word! The Holy Spirit is waiting for your decision right now. Let all who are willing... come.