All talks » Scripture: The clarity of scripture
Bible:
Speaker: Andrew Sach
The Clarity of Scripture
The Gagging of God?
God is incomprehensible. We can’t know him exhaustively
Psalm 139:6; Ecclesiastes 7:23; 8:17; Romans 11:33-35; John 3:12
God wants to communicate. We can know him truly through Scripture.
1) God accommodates himself to human language.
2) He uses language analogically (not univocally or equivocally). E.g. “Who is a rock, except our God†(2 Samuel 22:32); “I am the door of the sheep†(John 10:7)
3) But he is the God who designed Creation that we might understand him
(e.g. Ephesians 3:14-15)
4) And he is the God who gave the Old Testament so that we would understand the New.
5) An his word achieves the purpose for which it was sent (Isaiah 55:10-11; Speech-Act Theory)
It’s our fault when we don’t understand Scripture
6) Jesus holds his opponents responsible for failing to understand Scripture (e.g. Matthew 22:29)
7) We are warned of false-teachers who “twist†the Scriptures (e.g. 2 Peter 3:16)
God helps us to understand Scripture
8) By our reflection on the words (e.g. 2 Timothy 2:7)
9) By the help of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:12)
10) By the help of teachers (Ephesians 2:11)