The Clarity of the Bible

The clarity of the Bible means that although some passages may at first seem difficult to grasp, the Bible is written in such a way that all things necessary to become a Christian, live as a Christian, and grow as a Christian are clear.

This truth should bring us great hope and expectancy as we devote ourselves to the study of God’s Word and search for the answers to life’s greatest problems that may be found in it.

Psalm 19:7 is one place that we see this, as well as Psalm 119:130

This means that our understanding of the Bible does not depend on our own intellectual abilities. No one can say “I’m not smart enough to understand what the Bible says.” God has not allowed for that option.

The necessary element for understanding the Bible is the Holy Spirit, which every Christian has, so that all that is needed for understanding God’s Word has been granted to us.

We see this to be true as well, by the types of disciples that Jesus Himself chose during His earthly ministry. Many of them were uneducated men, but Jesus expected them to be able to grasp the things that He was teaching them.

In Acts 4:13 we see the surprise of the religious elites of their time that men like Peter and John would be able to boldly stand before them and proclaim God’s Word in the way that they did.

We see this powerfully expressed by Paul: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

We must grasp this truth that our understanding of Scripture is not dependent on intellectual ability but on our willingness to humble ourselves underneath God’s sovereign authority over our life and accept all things that are clearly revealed to us through His Word.

Although there will always be times that we misunderstand something that the Bible teaches, we must remember that the problem does not lie with the Scriptures, rather the problem lies with us.

Due to indwelling sin and the deceitfulness of the human heart we will sometimes misinterpret Scripture. However this should cause us to study the Bible more diligently and prayerfully, asking God to reveal to us the truth of His Word.