Not Manifold, But One
Chapter 1: Of the Holy Scriptures
9. The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself: and therefore, when there is a question about the true and full sense of any Scripture (which is not manifold, but one), it must be searched and known by other places that speak more clearly.
10. The supreme judge by which all controversies of religion are to be determined, and all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men, and private spirits, are to be examined, and in whose sentence we are to rest, can be no other but the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scripture.
10. The supreme judge by which all controversies of religion are to be determined, and all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men, and private spirits, are to be examined, and in whose sentence we are to rest, can be no other but the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scripture.
Previously we have discussed how the Bible gives us all the truth that is necessary for us to know for salvation. It does so in such a way that it is clear and accessible to all. This means that there are certain truths which the Bible teaches which are not open for debate because of their clarity; anyone who is reading the Bible honestly will come to a clear understanding of what is being taught concerning who Jesus is, and what it means that He is Savior, for example.
This being said, it cannot be denied that there are parts of the Scriptures which are not as clear. In fact, some of these passages have been pondered (and disagreed upon) for centuries. For example, what did Paul mean when he spoke about “being baptized for the dead” (1 Cor.15:29)? Or who were the “sons of God” in Genesis 6:2? There are several such challenging passages in the Bible, though not as many as critics of the Bible would have people believe. It is important to point out that none of these passages involve any doctrine or truth that is necessary for salvation. But the question remains: how do we go about finding answers to these difficult passages, because we just can't ignore them! They are a part of God’s Word, and are therefore important for us to understand, even though they aren’t usually about essential issues. I would also add that because they have been given to us by God, they have been given to be understood; there is indeed one right and available answer. God gave us His Word to instruct us and communicate with us, therefore even these hard parts of scripture are, as the Bible declares, “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (1 Tim. 3:16,17).
The question then becomes “how do we seek to understand these challenging texts?” And if we desire to be diligent and faithful students of God’s word, there is only one answer to such a question: “the infallible rule of interpretation of the Scriptures is the Scriptures itself: and therefore, when there is a question about the true and full sense of any Scripture (which is not manifold, but one), it must be searched and known by other places that speak more clearly.” (WCF 1:9).
That is, there is only one right answer, not many, and we cannot pull an answer out of thin air, nor can we find answers based off of our assumptions and presuppositions, or based off of what “sounds right” to us. Instead, we must seek an answer that is in keeping with the entirety of God’s Word. This means looking for clarity from other places in God’s Word that speak more plainly.
So what does this look like when considering what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:29 concerning being baptized for the dead? The first thing to consider is whether or not any other passage in the Bible talks about this subject, and when one looks for any other place that speaks about "being baptized for the dead, we find that this passage in 1 Corinthians is the only place. Should we build a doctrine that the church is morally obligated to believe based off of one unclear passage in scripture? Secondly, we see elsewhere that a person cannot be saved by the faith of another (Mtt. 25:1-13; Jhn. 8:24) and that once a person dies, the chance to believe is over (Heb. 9:27). Also, there is context to consider; Paul is speaking to the Corinthian church concerning the wrong teaching of a group of people who reject the idea of the resurrection. Perhaps along with this rejection of the resurrection, the false teachers were promoting the practice of being baptized for the dead. But if they rejected the resurrection, then wouldn't being baptized for a dead person be a waste of time? So rather than promoting this practice, Paul is pointing out their inconsistency.
Along with this, being God’s Word, the scriptures bear the weight of God’s authority. This means that the scriptures have the final word on matters of faith and practice, not the church. This means that councils, confessions, catechisms, and even personal opinions MUST submit themselves to the Word of God. This also means that in no way can I use the scriptures as proof text to promote my personal ideas. This is a popular method of reading God’s Word, where a person pulls a verse out of its context (sometimes called "cherry picking"), and use it to promote, or “prove” something which the text would not in anyway prove if it was understood rightly.
The Bible is, after all, not a scaffolding; instead, it is more like a plumb line. A scaffolding holds something up, and when a person uses the scriptures as proof text for some extra Biblical idea, they are treating the Bible as a prop rather than as God’s authoritative truth. Instead, the Christian is called to hold their ideas up to the measuring line of the Bible to see if what they believe measures up to God’s standard. A good example of this is Martin Luther. When Luther began studying the scriptures, he was confronted with the reality that the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church concerning salvation and justification was inconsistent with what the Bible taught. He read Romans 1:17 which speaks of Justification through faith, not works--justification through faith in Christ’s finished work alone. This changed his life and his understanding of the Christian life, because Luther recognized that if men teach something contrary to what the Word of God says, the ideas of men must be cast aside for the declaration of the One True, and Living God.
This being said, it cannot be denied that there are parts of the Scriptures which are not as clear. In fact, some of these passages have been pondered (and disagreed upon) for centuries. For example, what did Paul mean when he spoke about “being baptized for the dead” (1 Cor.15:29)? Or who were the “sons of God” in Genesis 6:2? There are several such challenging passages in the Bible, though not as many as critics of the Bible would have people believe. It is important to point out that none of these passages involve any doctrine or truth that is necessary for salvation. But the question remains: how do we go about finding answers to these difficult passages, because we just can't ignore them! They are a part of God’s Word, and are therefore important for us to understand, even though they aren’t usually about essential issues. I would also add that because they have been given to us by God, they have been given to be understood; there is indeed one right and available answer. God gave us His Word to instruct us and communicate with us, therefore even these hard parts of scripture are, as the Bible declares, “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (1 Tim. 3:16,17).
The question then becomes “how do we seek to understand these challenging texts?” And if we desire to be diligent and faithful students of God’s word, there is only one answer to such a question: “the infallible rule of interpretation of the Scriptures is the Scriptures itself: and therefore, when there is a question about the true and full sense of any Scripture (which is not manifold, but one), it must be searched and known by other places that speak more clearly.” (WCF 1:9).
That is, there is only one right answer, not many, and we cannot pull an answer out of thin air, nor can we find answers based off of our assumptions and presuppositions, or based off of what “sounds right” to us. Instead, we must seek an answer that is in keeping with the entirety of God’s Word. This means looking for clarity from other places in God’s Word that speak more plainly.
So what does this look like when considering what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:29 concerning being baptized for the dead? The first thing to consider is whether or not any other passage in the Bible talks about this subject, and when one looks for any other place that speaks about "being baptized for the dead, we find that this passage in 1 Corinthians is the only place. Should we build a doctrine that the church is morally obligated to believe based off of one unclear passage in scripture? Secondly, we see elsewhere that a person cannot be saved by the faith of another (Mtt. 25:1-13; Jhn. 8:24) and that once a person dies, the chance to believe is over (Heb. 9:27). Also, there is context to consider; Paul is speaking to the Corinthian church concerning the wrong teaching of a group of people who reject the idea of the resurrection. Perhaps along with this rejection of the resurrection, the false teachers were promoting the practice of being baptized for the dead. But if they rejected the resurrection, then wouldn't being baptized for a dead person be a waste of time? So rather than promoting this practice, Paul is pointing out their inconsistency.
Along with this, being God’s Word, the scriptures bear the weight of God’s authority. This means that the scriptures have the final word on matters of faith and practice, not the church. This means that councils, confessions, catechisms, and even personal opinions MUST submit themselves to the Word of God. This also means that in no way can I use the scriptures as proof text to promote my personal ideas. This is a popular method of reading God’s Word, where a person pulls a verse out of its context (sometimes called "cherry picking"), and use it to promote, or “prove” something which the text would not in anyway prove if it was understood rightly.
The Bible is, after all, not a scaffolding; instead, it is more like a plumb line. A scaffolding holds something up, and when a person uses the scriptures as proof text for some extra Biblical idea, they are treating the Bible as a prop rather than as God’s authoritative truth. Instead, the Christian is called to hold their ideas up to the measuring line of the Bible to see if what they believe measures up to God’s standard. A good example of this is Martin Luther. When Luther began studying the scriptures, he was confronted with the reality that the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church concerning salvation and justification was inconsistent with what the Bible taught. He read Romans 1:17 which speaks of Justification through faith, not works--justification through faith in Christ’s finished work alone. This changed his life and his understanding of the Christian life, because Luther recognized that if men teach something contrary to what the Word of God says, the ideas of men must be cast aside for the declaration of the One True, and Living God.