Word Doctrine and the Perspicuity of Scripture

"Perspicuity" is a ten-dollar word that basically means clarity.  The Westminster Confession speaks of it in Chapter I, section VII in saying that not all things in Scripture are equally clear, but those which are necessary for our salvation are so clearly described that anyone can understand them.

Word doctrine provides a suitable reason for this:  when God speaks with the intent of being understood, the act of his speaking creates the understanding in the creature.  (It is worth noting that there are clearly times in the Scripture when God speaks with the intent of preventing understanding.  See, for example, Is 6.10, Mt 13.13-15 and parallels.)


While I suppose the point is a simple one, I think it's incredibly important. In thinking about the topic of inspiration or semantically-driven hermeneutics, the point must remain outstanding:  God has communicated with us in order to be understood, at least in the matter of our salvation.  We should be wary of using language as a tool to obscure meaning rather than enlighten.

Word Doctrine

I was lately asked to briefly describe my Christian faith.  After a bit of noodling, I settled on Nicene, little-c catholic, reformish with a bit of Lutheran sympathy, mainly with his view on the Word.

I confess that I owe most of my understanding to people who read Luther, and less to Luther himself.  But orthodox Lutheranism describes the several attributes of the word, one of which is efficacy:

When used theologically the term implies, as John Theodore Mueller wrote, that the Scriptures possess. . .the creative power to work in man,  who by nature is spiritually dead, both saving faith and true sancification The Word of God does not merely teach man the way of salvation and show him the means by which he may attain it; but by its truly divine power (vis vere divina) it actually converts, regenerates, and renews him. This unique efficacy is possessed by no other book in the world . . . for the divine efficacy of Scripture is nothing else than God's power in the Word.

 There's some good support of this idea in the Scripture.

Glory in the Sky

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.  Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.  (Ps 19.1-2)