The Next Chapter - Taking God at His Word, Ch 4

I love Kevin DeYoung's writings. I have a very high regard for his theology and biblical perspectives. Ironically, I find ch 4 to be slightly unclear on one or two issues. His basic premise is true, reliable and sound, using The Westminster Confession to define "perspicuity" as such, "All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all: yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed, and observed for salvation, are so clearly propounded, or opened in some place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of the ordinary means, may attain unto a sufficient understanding of them. (WCF 1.7)"

In other words, "Scripture is very clear on the things it is very clear on." DeYoung goes on to describe some assumptions that should arise from this statement:

• Some portions of Scripture are clearer than others.
• We can clearly see and discern the main things in the Bible.
• While the essentials doctrines may not be clear in any one passage, they are made clear by the full context of Scripture.
• All that is necessary for salvation can be easily understood by all who read and properly study the Bible.
• The most important points may not be understood perfectly, but can be understood sufficiently.

There are those who dispute this doctrine. Some claim an element of mysticism in all Scripture, read "unknowable mysteries" here. Some believe tradition must augment the Scriptures to gain an authoritative and binding knowledge of truth. "This can only come through the church and is unavailable to the common man" they claim. Others believe any claims to clarity in the Bible are trumped by the widely diverse denominational and doctrinal practices in the church universal, "If the Bible is clear, why do we argue over methods of baptism?"

These arguments miss the point, DeYoung claims. God communicates with His children to reveal, not conceal. The parts we need to understand are clear. Some of the parts that are not essential to salvation are understood, but not perfectly. The Bible represents God's absolute truth. Those fundamental absolutes are very clear. Some of the finer points of doctrine are not so clear.  

This is where DeYoung begins to lose some of his clarity. I'm willing to be generous here. This doctrine is extremely difficult to articulate. Too much dogma puts us in the dangerously precarious position of trying to determine who is right or wrong regarding things that should be distinctives rather than necessities. Furthermore, too much dogma denies the richness and diversity of the body of Christ. Too little dogma and we put everything up for interpretation, winding up with something like, "Do whatever you want as long as you are sincere."

DeYoung handles this as well as can be expected but fails to remind his readers that the second half of the chapter has to be taken in the context of the first half. Parts of the second half of the chapter, at times, sound like everything should be clear.

He rightfully cautions against claiming God is undefinable by words. He also warns against thinking that God is unknowable at all because we cannot know Him exhaustively. Some mystery in God is OK, but everything about Him is not mysterious or mystical. 

DeYoung goes on to encourage that all who read the Bible can interpret it well enough to understand the essentials of the faith. Linguistics, ancient studies and years of exegetical study are not necessary to grasp our need for a savior and that need met in Jesus Christ. 

My only hesitation is that the author might have spent a paragraph or two reiterating his opening statements concerning parts of the Bible that are not easily interpreted. A few difficult-to-answer questions we encounter in our studies make this clear.

• What is the status of Israel in the end times?
• Is mode of baptism clearly determined?
• How do we resolve the tension between divine sovereignty and human responsibility?
• Is the basis for our theology covenantal or dispensational?

Of course the above list is not exhaustive. There are other issues that have been debated by true believers for centuries, none of them essential to our salvation, none of them worth being divisive over. 

I also regret that Kevin didn't mention the service scholarship, linguistics and life-long study bring to the body. While overemphasis of any of those factors can create the impression that knowing the meaning of the Bible is beyond the average person, devaluing them can be dangerous as well. Those who labor over the text, digging deep to decipher its meaning, help us to better understand the the more difficult passages. They also can bring an incredible richness to the easier portions as well, encouraging us to dig deeper ourselves.

I want to be very careful not to over-criticize Kevin DeYoung here. He has tackled a very complex issue in very few pages and has managed to bring an incredible amount of scholarship in a brief and credible way. My only caution  is that the reader not divorce the beginning of this chapter from the end.

What did you see in here?