Clearly Propounded
Chapter 1: Of the Holy Scriptures
7. All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all: yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed, and observed for salvation, are so clearly propounded, and opened in some place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of the ordinary means, may attain unto a sufficient understanding of them.
Perhaps you have heard someone say before: “the Bible can be interpreted in many different ways.” Sometimes people say this in an attempt to discredit the Scriptures, but they might as well say the same thing about math, because, if you ask any math teacher if their students give different answers to the same problem, they will say yes. However, the fact that people give different answers or varying interpretations doesn’t change the fact that there is a right and there is a wrong answer.
Along with this, the claim of varying interpretations is often overblown by those who are not familiar with the Bible. I say this because, while there are disagreements on certain issues, the majority of Scripture—and particularly what is necessary for Salvation are “so clearly propounded, and opened in some place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned but the unlearned, in due use of the ordinary means, may attain unto a sufficient understanding of them.”
I particularly want to point out to you the phrase “in due use of the ordinary means.” This is referring to what I discussed last week: an honest reading of the text using the faculties of discernment, wisdom, logic and reason which God has given us, along with contextual information such as history, grammar, language, and genre to come to a conclusion to the intended meaning of the Scriptures. This is the way we understand any other form of written communication; If you read a news paper, you expect straight forward and plain language, but if you are reading poetry, you typically expect different literary devices, such as metaphors, symbolism, rhythm, etc. The same is true for the Bible; when I read history, I am not going to interpret it allegorically, and if I am reading prophecy, I’m going to try to understand the symbolism in the context of the Bible’s language, the culture of the time, and the passages place in the immediate context of the book it is in (to name a few).
Sometimes we make the mistake of thinking that because the Bible is such a different book, that it must be understood differently—that the meaning is just conveyed to a person via the Holy Spirit. However, there is a problem with this idea. How do I know that the meaning that I come to by mere reflection and rumination is the right one, especially if it differs from someone who is apparently relying on the same source?
The work of the Spirit in our understanding of the Scriptures is not the supernatural conveying of information directly into my mind like some extra-sensory perception. Instead, it is the work of the Holy Spirit through “the ordinary means” of learning. For example, when the disciples didn’t understand one of Jesus’ parable, what did they do? Well, Jesus said that these parables were given in order that those who believe would understand (Matt. 13:11). Does this mean that if they did not automatically understand them, they must not believe? No, of course not! Was the understanding of these things automatically implanted into their heads? No, that didn’t happen either. So how did they come to an understanding of what Jesus was teaching? Well, they asked Him! Instead of walking away from Him as others did (John. 6:66), they approached Him and asked for an explanation. Here is the difference between the unbeliever and the believer: the unbeliever rejects the Word of God out of hand as another human writing, and when they don’t understand it, that just gives them another excuse for them to walk away. The believer who doesn’t understand, on the other hand, will recognize that this is indeed the Word of their Lord and Savior, and, desiring to understand it, they will diligent study the Word—an act of faith which God will bless. You see, the work of the Holy Spirit is to open my eyes to see that this is indeed the Words of the Living God, so that I will follow after Christ, rather than walk away from Him.
Along with this, the claim of varying interpretations is often overblown by those who are not familiar with the Bible. I say this because, while there are disagreements on certain issues, the majority of Scripture—and particularly what is necessary for Salvation are “so clearly propounded, and opened in some place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned but the unlearned, in due use of the ordinary means, may attain unto a sufficient understanding of them.”
I particularly want to point out to you the phrase “in due use of the ordinary means.” This is referring to what I discussed last week: an honest reading of the text using the faculties of discernment, wisdom, logic and reason which God has given us, along with contextual information such as history, grammar, language, and genre to come to a conclusion to the intended meaning of the Scriptures. This is the way we understand any other form of written communication; If you read a news paper, you expect straight forward and plain language, but if you are reading poetry, you typically expect different literary devices, such as metaphors, symbolism, rhythm, etc. The same is true for the Bible; when I read history, I am not going to interpret it allegorically, and if I am reading prophecy, I’m going to try to understand the symbolism in the context of the Bible’s language, the culture of the time, and the passages place in the immediate context of the book it is in (to name a few).
Sometimes we make the mistake of thinking that because the Bible is such a different book, that it must be understood differently—that the meaning is just conveyed to a person via the Holy Spirit. However, there is a problem with this idea. How do I know that the meaning that I come to by mere reflection and rumination is the right one, especially if it differs from someone who is apparently relying on the same source?
The work of the Spirit in our understanding of the Scriptures is not the supernatural conveying of information directly into my mind like some extra-sensory perception. Instead, it is the work of the Holy Spirit through “the ordinary means” of learning. For example, when the disciples didn’t understand one of Jesus’ parable, what did they do? Well, Jesus said that these parables were given in order that those who believe would understand (Matt. 13:11). Does this mean that if they did not automatically understand them, they must not believe? No, of course not! Was the understanding of these things automatically implanted into their heads? No, that didn’t happen either. So how did they come to an understanding of what Jesus was teaching? Well, they asked Him! Instead of walking away from Him as others did (John. 6:66), they approached Him and asked for an explanation. Here is the difference between the unbeliever and the believer: the unbeliever rejects the Word of God out of hand as another human writing, and when they don’t understand it, that just gives them another excuse for them to walk away. The believer who doesn’t understand, on the other hand, will recognize that this is indeed the Word of their Lord and Savior, and, desiring to understand it, they will diligent study the Word—an act of faith which God will bless. You see, the work of the Holy Spirit is to open my eyes to see that this is indeed the Words of the Living God, so that I will follow after Christ, rather than walk away from Him.