The Clarity of the Scriptures
God revealed His will in the Scriptures so that everyone
could understand the basic teaching of Christianity. This has been called the
perspicuity of the Scriptures.[1]
Because of the unity and harmony of the Bible, readers can use the brightest
portions of the Word to shed light on those passages they find difficult at
first.
No one should think that a Biblical scholar or theologian
guards the door to understanding the Bible. Invoking human authority is a
classic logical fallacy – that something is true because a highly rated person claims
it. Often that fallacy is elevated to a denominational level or a matter of
family pride – “Are you saying my church body is wrong” or “My Uncle Fritz
always taught this.” We should test the spirits, by comparing what is claimed
to the plain language of the Word. Those who teach error are vexing, but they
encourage us to study more and gain a better understanding. Hunger is the best
sauce when eating food, and hunger for spiritual truth is stirred up by those
who would starve us of the Word.
