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Sunday, November 20, 2011

The Bible Alone is Clear

Isaiah 41:23a "Declare the things that are going to come afterward, That we may know that you are gods;"

Isaiah continues, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to issue the challenge to all other would be claims of Divine authority.  We have looked at other books in comparison to the Bible under the tests of infallibility and inerrancy.  Today we want to consider the test of clarity.  Is the given book clear in its meaning and consistent in its message?

The Miracle of the Bible's Clarity
The Bible is remarkable in the fact it was written by 40 different authors, over 1500 years period of time, living on three different continents (Europe, Africa and Asia) and writing in 3 different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek).  The Bible is composed of 66 smaller volumes called "books" which would had been originally scrolls.  The Bible has its own system of making plain its meaning, since you can take a passage (in context) and use it to shed light on another passage (in context). 

The Methods used in bringing out the Bible's Clarity
Though there are parts of the Bible that can be more difficult to interpret than others, yet the Bible is clear enough to where on major doctrines, there is full clarity of meaning.  The Bible as the inerrant and infallible word of God (see previous posts) is meant to be explained (preached or taught).  Whenever it is read, explained or taught, God is said to be speaking (compare John 6:66-70 and 1 Peter 4:11). 

Motives for appreciating the Bible's clarity
No other book has this quality of clarity like the Bible.  The Bible, being clear in its meaning, also makes clear issues that would be otherwise hidden from human understanding.  It alone can pierce into the depths of the human heart and soul (Hebrews 4:12).  Unlike man, who by reason alone cannot even fully comprehend his own heart (Jeremiah 10:23), the scriptures (The Bible) can penetrate the heart and bring about understanding (Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:15). 


As much as this quality of the Bible has been under attack in recent years, yet for millennia Godly men and women have been studying and coming away with clarity from God's Word.  it truly is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path (Psalm 119:105).