The Clarity of Scripture

The doctrine of the clarity of Scripture teaches that what the Scripture text means can be clear to the ordinary unschooled reader, and that God uses the Bible’s text to communicate His will to him.  In the Bible, the Person and Word of God are inextricably connected.  That implies that what is true of the character of God is also true of the character of the Word of God.  This has serious implications because to deny the clarity of Scripture is to deny God’s ability to communicate clearly.  When resort is made to human compositions, it is not a big step to saying that God Scripture is not sufficient, is not clear, and therefore does not possess the same authority as do the human theological compositions. However, by affirming that the Bible’s message is inherently understandable, the doctrine of perspicuity rightly acknowledges that the Spirit of God has revealed divine truth propositionally and in a way that is readily understood.

In fact, the witness of the Church throughout the ages is that ordinary Christian people, who come to it in faith and humility, and in dependence upon divine grace, will be able to understand what the Bible teaches in all important matters of faith and life, even if they face particular difficulties occasionally.  Conversely, Scripture is a deep well that has kept scholars and theologians busy for millennia.  It is clear in all matters essential for life in this world and for admission into the next.  Where difficulty is experienced in understanding Scripture, the reason lies in man’s sinful nature, not in any lack of clarity in Scripture.  When the ordinary means of interpretation are used to gain access to the meaning of a passage, that meaning becomes clear.  Even an unsaved sinner is able to grasp the plain teaching of Scripture at an external level.