You Can Read the Bible: The Clarity of Scripture Part 1

“You can’t possibly know what the Bible really means; there are so many denominations, and they all interpret it differently.”

“What about all those translations? How can anyone know which one is right?”

“Who are you to decide what a passage in the Bible means? I’d rather stay open-minded.”

“That’s just your interpretation.”

When half of all Americans believe the Bible lies; when over a third of evangelicals say there is no religious truth; when conversations about eternal realities are met with epistemic excuses and dismissive waves of feigned humility, then the church must assert its ancient conviction: the Bible is clear.

The clarity of Scripture has lived long as an assumed doctrine of the church, infrequently soliciting articulation throughout her history. In the last fifty years, the rise of “your truth” thinking has called for a renewed defense of this essential property of God’s Word to meet the challenge. Denominations have been torn apart because of a rejection of the clarity of Scripture. Families have reeled from its abuse. Morality has been squished and stretched to the tearing point in the name of Scripture’s obscurity, and a generation has been left floating in its wake.

The solution to this mass interpretive confusion is the clarity of Scripture.

In order to reassert this critical doctrine of Scripture, we’ll walk through Scripture in a series of posts to see how the Bible argues for its own clarity. Since we also believe in the supreme authority of Scripture, we rightly derive our understanding of the Bible from the Bible itself. The Scripture, as ever, is its own best defense. The clarity of Scripture is best seen through the clarity of Scripture.

First, we should offer a brief definition of the clarity of Scripture. Mark Thompson has helpfully defined the clarity of Scripture as “that quality of the biblical text that, as God’s communicative act, ensures its meaning is accessible to all who come to it in faith.”[1] Notice three crucial elements in this definition: it’s a property of the text (not a guarantee of our interpretive accuracy), its essential force is the Scripture’s accessibility to the reader or hearer (intelligibility, comprehensibility, unambiguity), and it only applies to those who approach it in faith (submissive to its content and its Author on its own terms).

In plain terms, to say that Scripture is clear is to say that you can understand it. The Bible is not esoteric, mystical, coded, or obscure in its presentation or its assertions. God means what he says in plain words that you can read rightly.

This definition of the clarity of Scripture, however, requires some qualifications to avoid misunderstanding. The doctrine of the clarity of Scripture:

• Doesn’t mean there aren’t some passages in Scripture that are difficult for us to interpret correctly (2 Pet 3:16).
• Doesn’t remove the need for hard work in accurate exegesis (2 Tim 2:15).
• Doesn’t destroy God’s role for the local church in aiding interpretation (1 Tim 4:11-16).
• Doesn’t mean that the Bible will answer every question that we may have about its true statements (Matt 24:36).

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We will address these and more objections to the clarity of Scripture in future posts. For now, it’s sufficient to note that the clarity of Scripture is a nuanced doctrine that accounts for the varied phenomena that we find in Scripture and the varied responses of different people to Scripture. God has spoken clearly in his Word, even if we struggle to listen clearly.

Given this definition, does the Bible claim to be clear? Yes, God contends for the clarity of his Word both explicitly and implicitly in the pages of Scripture.

Moses claims that what God has said through him is entirely accessible to the people of Israel:

“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.”

Deuteronomy 30:11-14

David likewise asserts Scripture’s clarity by explaining how it works in the lives of those who hear and understand it:

“The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul;

the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;

the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;

the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;

the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;

the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.”

Psalm 19:7-9

Note the effect of Scripture’s purity, that it “enlightens the eyes.” God’s Word often compares itself with light or a light source (Psalm 36:9, 119:105, 119:130; Proverbs 6:23; 2 Peter 1:19), illumining the darkened minds of men to give truth and understanding (Psalm 119:69).

The prophet Isaiah asserts the Scripture’s clarity by way of its efficacy:

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven

and do not return there but water the earth,

making it bring forth and sprout,

giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”

Isaiah 55:10-11

In order for God’s Word to accomplish its purpose in the hearts of believers, it must be understood. Hearing the Word produces faith, which is why preachers must be sent, and that can only happen if the Word that’s heard is clear (Rom 10:14-17).

Everywhere throughout the Scriptures, the clarity of God’s communication to mankind is not only stated but assumed. From the first sentence spoken between God and man (Gen 2:16-17) to the last words of Jesus to his church (Rev 22:20), God expected his creatures to hear his voice, to understand his intent, and to respond to his speech. The phrase “it is written” appears seventy-nine times throughout the Bible in reference to previous revelation, assuming each time that the meaning of the text can be understood by hearing it. According to Roger Nicole, 10% of the New Testament is a direct or indirect reference to the Old Testament, which presupposes its understandability. Jesus himself assumed that reading Scripture was sufficient to understand it, saying six times, “Have you not read?” or, on occasion, “Have you never read?” (Matt 12:3, 12:5, 19:4, 21:16, 21:42, 22:31 – other instances in the gospels are repeats of these recorded in Matthew).

Consider, too, the assumption of clarity bound up in Scripture’s public reading. When Israel first receives the Law, Moses reads it and the people respond by pledging obedience (Ex 24:7). Moses then commanded the people to read the Law out loud every seven years (Deut 31:9-13). Joshua renews the covenant by reading the Law to all the people (8:34-35). King Josiah hears the Law read, then he reads it to all the people, and it sparks a nationwide reformation (2 Kings 22:8-13). Ezra reads Scripture out loud to all the people for six hours and they left that day “rejoicing because they had understood the words that were declared to them” (Neh 8:1-12). And in the church, Paul urges young Timothy, “devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching” (1 Tim 4:13). What would be the purpose of so much open, corporate, out loud Scripture reading if the Scripture were too obscure to be understood? The command of Scripture for the public reading of Scripture assumes the clarity of Scripture.

Likewise, Paul writes to the Roman Christians:

“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

Romans 15:4

Paul’s claim in this verse is expansive; it applies to “whatever was written in former days,” by which he means “the Scriptures.” And how could all these writings “instruct” or encourage” or give “hope” if they could not be understood? Scripture can do its intended work in God’s people because it is clear (1 Thess 2:13).

The clear Word closes with the words of Jesus to his church:

“And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

Revelation 22:7

Our Lord binds his people to keep his Word because he has spoken with sufficient clarity to be understood and obeyed. From beginning to end, God has spoken clearly for our sake, so we “will do well to pay attention” (2 Pet 1:19) and respond with love and trust in our gracious Savior.

James Callahan says of Scripture, “Scripture can be and is read with profit, with appreciation, and with transformative results. It is open and transparent to earnest readers; it is intelligible and comprehensible to attentive readers. Scripture itself is coherent and obvious. It is direct and unambiguous as written; what is written is sufficient… Scripture is clear about what it is about.”[2]

Therefore, believer, you can read your Bible because God has spoken clearly in it. Our response to this clear word must be to follow the instructions that Augustine heard when he was saved through the reading of Scripture: “Take up and read!”

[1] Mark Thompson, A Clear and Present Word, 169-70.

[2] James Callahan, The Clarity of Scripture, 9.