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Today’s Teaching

Perspicuity: Scripture Is Clear (Theology 101)

Eric Gagnon

Day: 10 | Plan: Theology 101

Start Here: Psalm 119:105

Key Verse: Psalm 119:105 (ESV) "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

Major Moment: The psalmist declared that God's Word is a guiding light for life.

In the Ancient Near East, nighttime was very dark. With the glow of headlights and streetlamps today, sundown doesn't really stop us from going wherever we want. But before electricity, if a caravan set out at night, travelers had to carry lamps or torches that lit only their next few steps. This is the image the psalmist used for God's Word in Psalm 119:105: "a lamp to [our] feet and a light to [our] path," clearly guiding us one step at a time.

Psalm 119 is a deeply personal and poetic celebration of the illuminating power of Scripture. It's an acrostic poem with 22 stanzas, each beginning with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which was a common method in Hebrew poetry that aided memorization. Though the author is anonymous, many scholars point to David, Ezra, or Nehemiah. Whoever he was, the author's "delight" in God's Word is unmistakable (Psalm 119:14; Psalm 119:16; Psalm 119:24; etc.).

With 176 verses, Psalm 119 is also the longest chapter in the Bible. And nearly every verse celebrates God's Scriptures, also called His "law," "testimonies," "precepts," "statutes," "commandments," "words," and "promise." Some critics even argue that the psalmist seems to worship God's Word rather than God. But every verse in this psalm references God Himself directly, often with the personal address "you" or "your." Psalm 119:105 says, "Your word is a lamp," and Psalm 119:130 echoes, "The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple" (emphases added).

So what does this have to do with Bible study? Just as light brings clarity before our eyes, Christians throughout history have used the word "perspicuity" to describe how the Bible's Truth is clear to us.

The IVP Pocket Reference Series defines "perspicuity" as "a doctrine maintaining that the gospel of Jesus Christ and the salvation obtained through him are clearly presented in Scripture ... The message of Scripture is presented with enough clarity that it can be understood, at least at a basic level, without advanced theological or exegetical training."

Long ago, biblical manuscripts were copied on scrolls that had to be stored in synagogues or churches and read communally, but later events and technologies like the printing press enabled more believers to read the Bible themselves, not depending solely on clergy (or scriptures that were inaccessible in Latin). Bible scholar John Frame writes, "The clarity of Scripture does not mean that we need no teachers; Scripture says God provides teachers ... But the doctrine of clarity calls on everyone—of any age, status, or education level—to hear God's word."

Throughout this two-week Theology 101 study, we've highlighted some helpful Bible study tools. Today, as we close, the tool is simply this: At first, don't use one. Just sit with God and His Word, and let Him speak.

While other resources are valuable, we remember God's words to Israel: "The word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it" (Deuteronomy 30:14). Romans 1:19-20 also says "what can be known about God is plain to [people], because God has shown it to them" through His creation. And if this is true, how much more clearly must the Lord shine on us through His Word?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word! We desire to understand Your will better. Reveal this to us in Your Word. We desire to live godly lives. Show us how in Your Word. Please give us a greater hunger for Your Word. Thank You for the understanding You have given us all. Grant us deeper understanding as we study Scripture so we may know You better. In Jesus' name, amen.