One of the great, yet often overlooked doctrines to arise from the Protestant Reformation was the belief in the clarity of Scripture (known as the doctrine of perspicuity among theologians). The world into which Martin Luther cut his teeth theologically was one in which only the religious elite were allowed to discus the meaning of the Bible. This elevation of scholasticism over the commoners in society created two class of believers: the clergy, who were permitted to talk about God, and the laity, who could only hope to be fed spoonfuls of the Gospel during the weekly service.
Luther rebelled against this heresy. Being a highly educated man himself, Luther believed that the more people read the Bible for themselves, the better off they would be. He detested those who lived in their spiritual ivory towers, who turned the message of salvation into a secret reserved for those in their exclusive club. Luther was greatly aided by the advent of the printing press, and he published and distributed pamphlets as quickly as he could. One such work was given the rather lengthy title “Defense of all the Articles of M. Luther Condemned by the Latest Bull of [Pope] Leo X.” The very thought of publishing a “defense” that the common man could read was an outrage to the religious ruling class. Especially infuriated by this pamphlet was Desiderius Erasmus, a Roman Catholic scholar.
Erasmus put out his own pamphlet condemning Luther. In his words, the pope and bishops were responsible for having doctrinal discussions, and it was not “proper to prostitute them before common ears,” as Luther had done. Now five hundred years later, Luther has been decided as the winner in this debate. The clarity of Scripture is an important doctrine. Brad Klassen has defined clarity 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.” Clarity is tied to inspiration; just as we believe that the Holy Spirit inspired the Bible to give us a flawless instruction manual, we also believe that He has given us a text that we can all understand. The Bible is clear.
As Christians, we are indwelled by the Holy Spirit, and He illuminates the text so that we can understand it, but even the unbeliever not yet filled with the Spirit can read John 3:16 and be led to salvation. There are certainly passages that are a little more difficult than others; some are plain on their face, while some require a little bit of digging. But those so-called problem passages do not negate the doctrine of clarity.
Some still argue against clarity today, taking the side of Erasmus of old. This creates a problem, for if the Bible is not clear, then we need an outside source to shine light on it. Critics of the Bible are essentially ascribing greater clarity to something else. They will say that the opinion of the learned carries more weight than a blue collar believer. Luther’s position is that the Average Joe can understand Scripture just as well as Reverend Joe. Many in this class of clergy will say that they have special understanding of Scripture, so you might thinkyou know what the Bible says, but they actually know, so at the end of the day, they are to be trusted, not you.
I believe Peter settled the debate between Luther and Erasmus, and between the clergy and laity, when he wrote, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light (I Peter 2:9).”
Did you get that? The church—whether clergy or lay, is part of a royal priesthood. Luther called this the priesthood of all believers. The Bible was given to us so that we can all understand it, whether young or old, educated or not. If you are a skeptic, open the Bible to the book of John and begin to read. If you are a believer, make sure you are reading too. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t comprehend the Bible, because it is a book of clarity.
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