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Writer's pictureBible Brian

Tapping in to Perspicuity


One of the most difficult things about running this ministry is figuring out what to write in each article. One of the ways I used to look for inspiration is to go through a Bible in a year reading plan and try to pick at least one verse from each day.


The struggle with this is that although a lot can be said about the Bible, it usually says it about itself. A lot of the time (particularly with Proverbs), I'll find a verse, try to write something about what it says, and it'll turn out I end up saying the same thing with different words.


This is an excellent feature about the Bible. It was literally designed with the reader in mind. It is actually said to "give understanding to the simple." In other words, you don't need a university degree, or permission from a specific Church, to understand it. If you are literate, you are capable of understanding it.


This is called the Doctrine of Perspicuity. That is, the more important something is, the more clear it will be. Now, obviously this does not mean there will never be anything you don't understand when you read the Bible, as indeed it affirms there are things within it which are hard to understand. It's a huge book that ultimately proceeds from the mouth of God, so it's obviously going to be a little more complex than The Very Hungry Caterpillar. What's more is that we see Jesus spoke in parables specifically so that some people wouldn't understand them (Matthew 13:13). But even these parables, when taken in light of the rest of the Scriptures, make perfect sense (especially since Jesus Himself often explains them later on).


The Bible is a great book, deep, wide, and filled to the brim with oceans of divine wisdom. There is much you can learn about it from faithful, wise, and Godly teachers, but there is no substitute for personal studies. Indeed, it is these personal studies that protect you from false teachers and help you recognise true ones (Acts 17:11). As Paul said to Timothy, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15).

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