Theology of the Reformers: A Review

(This is my review of Dr. Timothy George's Theology of the Reformers)

In a time such as ours when many books and journal articles have already been written about the life and works of Protestant Reformers, particularly about Luther and Calvin, Timothy George's yet another volume on the subject deserves commendation. This book is well-researched, especially its frequent reference and quote of the primary sources. It is also carefully written that scholars, pastors, students of history, and interested Christians from every status and station in life can easily understand and appreciate.

Dr. Timothy George himself is Dean and Professor of History and Historical Theology at the Beeson Divinity School. As one of the most respected historians in the evangelical world, Dr. George is the author of more than 20 books and a hundred of journal articles, and editor of The Reformation Commentary on Scripture with InterVarsity Press. He has been active in the evangelical dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church. He is also a favorite conference speaker among many Baptist denominations and evangelical organizations on history and theology. He holds the Th.D. From Harvard University.

In Chapter One, which is the Introduction, one of the first issues that Dr. George tackles in this book is the matter of periodization of the Reformation. How does one rightly situate the Reformation? Is it at the end of the Middle Ages or at the beginning of the modern era? The author puts it nicely and correctly by saying that “it is best to see the Reformation as an era of transition, characterized by the emergence of a new kind of culture which was struggling to be born even as the old one was still passing away” (17).

Dr. George also addresses the issue of perspectives in Reformation studies. In other words, the question that every historian should ask in studying a particular period in history, say, the Reformation, is this: “How should one approach that period of history?” Every historian has his own idea and perspective on history. One may view it from a socio-economic or socio-political lens while another may focus on the religious or cultural side of it.

In this book, while he recognizes the complexities in studying the Reformation period, Dr. George rightly views it, through the 'eyes' of the Reformers themselves, essentially as ‘a religious event.’ Not that everything is religious, but the author asserts that one cannot properly understand the Reformation without taking it mainly as a religious matter that is deeply concerned with theological issues with significant implications on social, cultural, political, and economic life of that period and the succeeding ones.

The book beautifully weaves the life and theology of three Protestant Reformers and one Radical Reformer of the sixteenth century: Martin Luther, Huldrych Zwingli, John Calvin, and Menno Simons. Most of the information written in the book are not totally new to students of history, particularly Reformation history, as these data have been around for centuries and are now available in different formats (books, articles, CD-ROMs, internet, movies, etc.). However, George has his own way of retelling them in a refreshing way that enables the reader not only to appreciate these 'human vessels' with great spirituality and courage but also to thank the Lord for raising up such men in such a period of great anxiety.

George notes in Chapter Two that the prevailing anxieties of Late Middle Ages, just right at the eve of the Reformation include death, guilt, and emptiness or meaninglessness. And he can think of no other person in that period that epitomizes the hopes and fears of that age than Martin Luther himself, whom he rightly described as “just like everybody else, only more so” (23).

Luther, as a perceptive and sensitive soul that he was, understood the hopelessness and helplessness of the human race before a righteous and holy God. Thus, Luther's restlessness has providentially been used by God to ignite the fire of the Reformation. This Reformation spread and affected many parts of Europe that not even disease or death, nor sword nor Satan can stop the burning passion of the Reformers to proclaim the blazing sword of the Spirit that cuts the heart of sinners, on the one hand, and brings healing and comfort to their weary souls, on the other hand.

It is amazing how Dr. George can put together such a dramatic life and Word-centered and Spirit-powered theology as Luther's in 56 pages in Chapter Three. George characterizes Luther's theology as 'at once biblical, existential, and dialectical' (56). So Luther was not a kind of theologian who delights in speculation and speaks or writes above the head of his listeners and readers. He was an ardent Biblical scholar and theologian who carefully explains and applies the Word of God to the believer's daily life, which affects their eternal destiny. Luther then was concerned not only with the welfare of the people whom he ministered but also with the glory of God who called him to teach and preach the glorious gospel of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

While Dr. George recognizes the enormity and profundity of Luther's literary output, no one can deny that to the Reformer of Wittenburg justification by faith alone is the central summarizing doctrine of the Christian faith, “the article by which the church stands or fall” (62). George ends his chapter on Luther by reminding the readers that this Augustinian monk was a man with warts and vices. Yet in spite of his many weaknesses Luther has left us with “his spiritual insight into the gracious character of God in Jesus Christ, the God who loves us and sustains us unto death and again unto life” (106).

George then deals with the life and theology of Zwingli in Chapter Four. Zwingli, born on New Year's day of 1484 just 51 days after Luther, was aptly described as “both a pastor and patriot, a theologian and a politician” (111), whose “early development,” according to the author “was shaped by two factors which continued to influence his thought throughout his career: Swiss patriotism and Erasmian humanism” (110). As a preacher, Zwingli is famous for his departure from the traditional lectionary preaching to lectio continua which brought him through the Bible, beginning from the Gospel of Matthew (except the Book of Revelation, whose canonicity he doubted).

In spite of his shorter life, lesser corpus of theological work and disagreement with Luther on the Lord's Supper, his stature and spiritual courage as an early Reformer is comparable with Luther. George summarizes the heart of Zwingli's spiritual pursuit with one of the Zurich Reformer's last admonition: “Do something bold for God's sake” (160). This better explains his desire in life and ministry which is “to bring every realm of life, church and state, theology and ethics, magistracy and ministry, individual and community, into conformity with the will of God” (161).

John Calvin's life and theology is the subject of Chapter Five. Though a second generation Reformer, Calvin did not lack the spiritual zeal and motivation that Luther and Zwingli possessed. Moreover, Calvin was humble to acknowledge Luther's significant role in the battle for truth against the Roman Catholic Church. Calvin has “addressed Luther as his 'most respected father' and later declared: 'We regard him as a remarkable apostle of Christ, through whose work and ministry, most of all, the purity of the gospel has been restored in our time'” (166).

I like the way Dr. George gave tribute to Calvin's unique and great achievement by saying that the Genevan Reformer has labored “to take the classic insights of the Reformation (sola gratia, sola fide, sola scriptura) and give them a clear, systematic exposition, which neither Luther nor Zwingli ever did, and to adapt them to the civic setting of Geneva” (166). His teachings, however, did not only stay in Geneva but spread throughout Europe and the rest of the world and read, studied and assessed by many. Many who understood him and embraced his teaching loved him and tried to emulate him and his heart to please and serve God by the power of the Spirit.

But Calvin did not lack fierce critics and detractors who misread, disliked, disagreed with and despised him. I agree with George's assessment that “[f]ew people in the history of Christianity have been as highly esteemed or as meanly despised as John Calvin” (167). In all his preaching and theologizing Calvin never sought his own glory but the glory of God. “His life's goal,” writes George “was to be a faithful servant of the Word of God” (248), whose witness still shines “as a means of illumination to point men and women toward the adoration of the true God, whose glory is revealed in the face of Jesus Christ” (248).

In Chapter Six, George sympathetically describes the life and works of the Dutch Anabaptist leader Menno Simons. George is able to locate the purpose and life goal of this courageous Radical Reformer set forth in his Foundation Book wherein he says, “This is my only joy and heart's desire: to extend the kingdom of God, reveal the truth, reprove sin, teach righteousness, feed hungry souls with the Word of the Lord, lead the straying sheep into the right path, and gain many souls to the Lord through his Spirit, power and grace” (303). His hard journey in the faith which brought him through many years of struggle and persecution did not cause Menno to waver from this ideal (303). His work has been carried out by his followers – the Mennonites and others - who are sympathetic to his ideals and “are still moved by his piety, courage and hope” (303).

George closes the book in Chapter Seven with the enduring validity and significance of Reformation theology in our time. I think George has done a very fine job in writing this book to remind his Christian readers, especially Protestants and Evangelicals, not to set aside the theological fruits of the sixteenth century Reformers but to treasure them by taking those Biblical truths to address the unique issues that we face, emulating at the same time the Reformer's passion and diligence “to listen reverently and obediently to what God has once and for all said (Deus dixit) and once and for all done in Jesus Christ” (310). What I also like about Dr. George's presentation of the life and theology of each Reformer was that it was balanced, dealing not only with the particular Reformer's numerous achievements but also his many imperfections.

It is sad that in spite of the many literature on the Reformation and Reformational theology that were published recently (thanks to popular authors like R. C. Sproul, Michael Horton, John Piper, John MacArthur, and others), it is still observable that some, if not many, Evangelical churches are oblivious, to some degree, to the essence and implications of the Reformation to the life of believer and the Church today.

Moreover, though there is a resurgence of Calvinism among youth today (see Christianity Today [CT] September 2006 issue), Emerging Church (see CT February 2007 issue) and Pentecostalism (see CT April 2006 issue) are also asserting their influence among many evangelicals who are not fond of good theology, particularly Reformational theology. There has also been several joint efforts between Evangelicals and Roman Catholic and between the Lutherans and Roman Catholics to 'bridge the gap' and 'heal the wound' cause by the Reformation, which often times undermine rather than promote the doctrines recovered or re-discovered by the Reformers.

I hope that books like Timothy George’s Theology of the Reformers would be put in the hands of pastors and church leaders so that they may be spurred to better understand the theology of the major Reformers who sought to conform their doctrines to the Word of God no matter how unpopular they may have been to the culture around them. I believe books like this one can play important role to open the hearts and minds of pastors and Christian leaders whom God can use to further His reforming work in the Church today by His Word and Spirit.

My Journey in the Christian Faith

My goal in sharing with you this story is to thank God and His providence in leading me in my journey as a follower of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to thank as well those whom God has used in helping me grow in the faith. In my other article, “The Testimony of God’s Grace in My Life,” I shared with you how I came to a saving knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Here I would like to relate my growth in the Christian faith highlighting some people who helped me and those ones that I want to help me along the way.

People Who Helped Me Grow in the Faith

God has sovereignly and uniquely strengthened me in the faith using people who are devoted first to Him. My brother, Melchor, first modeled to me the Christian life. His example of faithfulness to God challenged me to stay strong in the faith. He was one of the few people who was concerned for my spiritual growth early in my Christian life back in 1987.

When I was still new in the Christian faith, he would always bring me to a Pentecostal church every Sunday and let me join in every lecture and seminar the church was offering. Though he never taught in any of those lectures I still consider him as my 'teacher'. After the class he would talk to me and try to explain further what the teacher had said. He would also compare notes with me and ask me if I have more questions. He also became my first discipler because he modeled to me how to study the Bible and pray privately and publicly. In the first year of my Christian life he served as my personal discipler.

I was also a college freshman when my brother took care of me as a new Christian. The following year I started involving in a Christian fellowship inside the campus. There I have experienced continuous spiritual growth as I attended Brother Elmo Velasco’s Bible study group. Three times a week he would lead a small group Bible study. There were five of us who would regularly attend his group and he became a discipler to us. He taught us the basics of prayer, fasting, Bible meditation, church involvement and other Christian disciplines.

One time he led us in giving out Bible tracts to other students inside the campus. On another occasion he asked me to enter a room with students waiting for their class. Then he let me share my personal testimony of how I came to know the Lord Jesus Christ. That was my first experience in sharing my faith with other people. It was through his coaching that I became an active witness for Christ in the campus.

I also realized that my skill in leading group Bible studies was first learned from him. He also became a spiritual guide to me. His warm and pastor-like personality served as an example to me on what it means to be a servant-leader of Christ. He also brought me to many trainings and seminars. I felt as if he wanted me to learn many things.

Through the early mentoring of these two people I have gained enough knowledge and understanding on how to live the Christian life. I have learned basic skills in witnessing and leading Bible study out of my relationship with them. On my last year in college, I got involved with Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF).

While with IVCF I experienced a tremendous spiritual growth when I joined its month-long leadership training camp known as Kawayan Camp (KC). It was like a mini-Bible school. There I was enabled to strengthen my knowledge of the Holy Scripture and enhance my skill in studying it and in leading Bible studies. It also helped me grasp the basic Christian doctrines and disciplines as we studied the theology and practice of the Christian life, listened to Bible expositions from Genesis 1-3 and lectures on the kingdom of God and other topics relevant to life and ministry as a Christian student.

The camp also helped me come to terms with my struggles in my personhood and relationship with my family. The different lectures by and my personal interactions with the IVCF staff and speakers, as well as my conversations with fellow campers helped me settle some personal issues haunting me in the past. In that camp it was not all lecture and study but also a real and healthy interaction in a community of fellow believers who share the same struggles in life as followers of Jesus Christ.

I brought these knowledge, experiences and skills with me when I joined an evangelical church. Pastor Elvin Mijares, the resident pastor of Caloocan Bible Church, has helped me grow more as a believer. He encouraged me to join a local team of young people who ministers to the high schoolers in a nearby campus. He served as a counselor to me in joining this team. Being my local church pastor I learned from him deep spiritual insights through his expository sermons every Sunday. It was through him that I first learned the rudiments of preaching textual expository sermons. His study habits and discipline in preparing for these sermons provided a model for me on how to do the same.

One of the greatest impacts he had on me as a leader was his love for books and the discipline of reading interactively. He would always lend me his books and I saw how he interacted with the author. He wrote his comments and questions on the margin and highlighted those ideas that he deemed to be important. Because of that I started buying Christian literature for myself and did the same. Also this led me to start reading my Bible in the same manner.

Another influence he had on me is in the area of humility and simplicity. He never projected himself as a super Christian or a perfect pastor or pretending to be somebody who knows a lot. He simply did his best to live out his faith. He did not hide his fears, his angers, his failures and his weaknesses. He cried and poured out his anguish and frustrations in life and ministry in his sermons, as well as during Wednesday prayer meetings. He could manage to laugh also. In fact he laughed a lot and oftentimes aloud. He is so down-to-earth and a light-hearted person.

Although there was no formal commitment for him to mentor me, yet I consider our relationship as that of a mentor-protégé. Oftentimes he allowed me to stay with his family, eat with them and spend time with them. He let me see who he was as a husband and a father. I became a family friend to them as a result. In the process I learned a lot about building a Christian family out of that relationship I had with him and his family.

Pastor Elvin also served as a mentor to me when I joined Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship staff team. With his years of experience with IVCF he provided me the right perspective in this ministry. My interactions with him became an informal way of learning the ups and downs of campus ministry. His perceptions and precautions were seeds of wisdom as I tried to figure out my way through the student ministry.

Several people mentored me while I was with IVCF. Jun Singson is one worth mentioning. He became a Kuya (big brother) to me. He imparted principles and strategies on how to start and sustain group Bible studies among high school students. I remember how he brought me to different high school campuses and introduced me to several key teachers and students whom he was working with. I learned through that experience that having a good relationship with people is an important element in doing the ministry.

Peer counseling was another type of mentoring that I had experienced while with IVCF. Gary Celis, a fellow field staffworker became an accountable partner to me. In times of loneliness and confusion Gary acted as a concerned friend and co-worker. He gave me timely words of encouragement and affirmation. Gary possesses traits of a good counselor. He was willing to listen and accept people in spite of their weaknesses. I can be transparent with him with no fear of rejection. He corrected my misbehaviors without passing any judgment. The relationship I had with him provided the venue for me to grow in my listening and people-skills, which are important in ministry among students.

I would like to mention Kuya Darrell Mortalla as well. He was my IVCF co-worker in Davao City and pastor at Grace Evangelical Free Church. I served the Lord with him in IVCF and Grace EFC and it was a pleasure working with him. His wisdom and wit are both inspiring and contagious. His devotion to the Lord and dedication for His kingdom are genuine. His ability to expound the Scripture and apply it to daily lives is just awesome. He has a kind pastoral heart, too, for the Lord's flock. I was privileged to minister side-by-side with him and to have learned significant lessons in the Christian life and ministry under his mentorship.

Authors Who Influenced and Shaped My Early Christian Life and Ministry

Early in my Christian life several authors helped me get established in the faith. John R. W. Stott, through his acclaimed book Basic Christianity, left an imprint to my soul as I tried to understand the new life I have in Christ. Stott systematically explained man’s universal sinfulness as well his violation of God's law as summarized in the Ten Commandments. Through the simple explanation of the Ten Commandments Stott is able to prove that man is guilty in violating all those commandments and in desperate need of a Savior.

In Christ, Stott argued, God displayed both His justice and love. Man deserves to die because God’s justice requires death as a penalty for his sin and disobedience to the moral law of God. But Christ died in man's stead paying for the penalty of his sin and disobedience.

In Christ’s death God’s wrath was propitiated. Thus man’s sin was atoned for at the cross of Calvary. This is where God showed His holy justice and gracious love – at the cross of Jesus where He died on behalf of sinners like me.

Stott also explained that in Christ’s perfect and obedient life God’s righteous requirement was satisfied. Thus anyone who believes in the finished atoning work of our Lord Jesus Christ will be saved and clothed with the righteousness of Christ.

This is the way God provided for man to be saved and forgiven. Therefore man, by God’s enabling grace, must repent from his sin, ask God’s pardon and believe in the death of His Son as the only means to be reconciled with Him. It was through Stott’s clear presentation of the gospel that the Holy Spirit enabled me to understand my fallenness and God’s unearned favor in Christ.

As I slowly grow in the faith Charles Swindoll, Neil Anderson, and Max Lucado helped me along the way. Swindoll’s Strengthening Your Grip and Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life, Anderson’s Victory Over the Darkness, and Lucado's In the Grip of Grace helped me in my understanding of the Christian life. Though I didn’t fully agree with their teachings, God, in His sovereignty, used these authors in my personal knowledge of Him and the abundance of His grace in Christ at that point in my Christian journey.

Additionally, when I decided to join IVCF I thought I was ready to face the student ministry’s demands and challenges. Life as a student worker is no joke. It is not easy. It is not only taxing physically, it is sometimes draining spiritually and emotionally. I think this is a typical experience for men and women in people-helping ministry.

Two prominent Christian authors mentored me as I struggled in my personal life and ministry among students. The first was Paul Borthwick. His books Feeding Your Forgotten Soul and Leading The Way ministered to me. The former helped me understand what I was going through. It also provided me valuable insights on how to stay spiritually and morally healthy as a student worker. The latter gave me the courage to take the challenge of leadership especially in critical times when faithful and morally responsible leaders are hard to find.

The other author was Bill Hybels. His books Too Busy Not To Pray, Who You Are When No One’s Looking, and Honest to God? challenged me to live the Christian life with the knowledge that God is all knowing, ever present and ever pure. His wisdom deepened my knowledge of the Christian life. His simplicity and very practical approach to life provided me the model to practice the different Christian disciplines more consistently at that point in my Christian journey.

People Who Helped Sharpen My Perspective in Life

My five-year stint with IVCF increased my appetite to read. Shortly after I left campus ministry, four outstanding Christian authors continued to impact my life and understanding of the grace of God as I read their books. The first was R.C. Sproul whose books The Holiness of God, The Soul’s Quest for God, Chosen by God, and Grace Unknown are still very valuable. Sproul is more of a popular theologian and his writings are easy to understand. It is as if he is just talking to me face to face. His passion and skill to communicate Biblical truths is contagious. God has spoken to me through His Word as I read Sproul. To some degree, Sproul has marked me theologically.

Another Christian author whom I delight reading is Jerry Bridges. His expositions on holiness, godliness, grace, and sovereignty of God are superb. I have been greatly blessed by God’s wonderful grace in reading Bridges. His books The Pursuit of Holiness, The Practice of Godliness, Transforming Grace, Trusting God, and The Disciplines of Grace are my frequent companions when I want to read and study God’s Word. His impact is in the area of holiness and personal obedience to God. His wisdom empowers me to take holiness seriously. By the power of the Holy Spirit, Bridges’s warnings against legalism and antinomianism save me from trying to earn God’s favor by performance, on the one hand, and from abusing His grace by living licentiously and irresponsibly, on the other hand.

John MacArthur is also a favorite writer. He faithfully expounds the Word of God and communicates clearly to his reader. I especially like his books Ashamed of the Gospel, The Gospel According To Jesus, and Our Sufficiency In Christ which deepened my knowledge of God and understanding of the message and the implications of Christ’s gospel. To a certain degree, these books motivated me and made me more confident in sharing the gospel. Also his book Ultimate Priority led me to a deeper understanding of why and how should we worship God.

J. I. Packer is also very influential to me. When I first read his book Knowing God, it was as if God was talking to me saying, “I gave you my Son for your life and salvation, now live a life of faithful service by my Spirit.” I can't thank God enough for the blessing of His grace to me through Packer's careful and faithful exposition of the Biblical truths he wrote in the pages of that book. It is still one of my favorites and I promise myself to read that book, or at least part of that book, every year.

I am grateful to God for the lives and ministries of these authors. Surely God has used them and is using them still to impact my life with their gospel-centered books. But the other person who really has a great impact in my life as a Christian, especially as a Reformed Christian, is Pastor Nollie Malabuyo. He is the one who introduced me and taught me and my family the Reformed faith back in 1999. He is also responsible in encouraging me to study in a Reformed seminary. The Reformed denomination which I am now a part of was organized partly due to his faithful teaching of the Reformed faith and mentoring.

I also would like to thank the Lord for my seminary professors and mentors at Mid-America Reformed Seminary who taught me how to think Biblically and minister pastorally. My thanks to Dr. Cornel Venema, Dr. Nelson Kloosterman, Dr. J. Mark Beach, Rev. Mark Vander Hart, Rev. Alan Strange, Dr. Peter Wallace, Prof. Blaine Conklin, Rev. Ron Scheuers, Dr. John Sittema, Rev. Paul Ipema, and Rev. Jason Tuinstra. They've been gracious in giving their time and energy to train and mentor young and aspiring pastors like me.

My Personal Commitment

While I have been learning from different people with diverse backgrounds, in various ways and in different degrees, still, Lord willing, I desire to grow more in the knowledge of God and His grace. Lord willing, I would like to take the time to learn some more from the early church Fathers such as Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp of Smyrna, Athanasius, the Cappadocian Fathers, John Chrysostom, Cyprian, Augustine, and others. I also want to be acquainted with the great medieval theologians and their writings particularly Anselm, Thomas Aquinas, and Bernard of Clairvaux.

Definitely I want to be influenced by the Protestant Reformers – Luther, Calvin, Bucer, Bullinger, Ursinus, and others who followed their faith like the English Puritans and the Dutch Reformed theologians. Their knowledge of God, prayer life and passion for godliness are exemplary. Their influence in the past and even in the present is noteworthy. I can see God’s grace and mercy flowing out of their beliefs and behavior. I am not only impressed. I am inspired and challenged by their pursuit to serve and follow Christ. God is blessing me by their words and works.

I also would like to be adequately informed by the writings and theologies of some great Puritans like John Owen, William Perkins, Thomas Watson, Thomas Boston, Richard Sibbes, Jonathan Edwards, and those preachers and theologians in the Reformed tradition like Francis Turretin, Wilhelmus a Brakel, Abraham Kuyper, and Herman Bavinck. I am also interested to explore and study the theologies of the Hodges (Charles and A.A.), B. B. Warfield, Louis Berkhof, Geerhardus Vos, J. Gresham Machen, John Murray, etc.. Then I would surely enjoy the writings of contemporary writers such as my seminary professor Dr. Cornelis Venema, Drs. Sinclair Ferguson, Gregory Beale, Richard Gaffin, Vern Poythress, and Michael Horton, and other Reformed and Evangelical authors.

Ultimately my desire is to read, study, meditate and live out the Bible in order to glorify God. I am also desiring to faithfully study the Christian faith as it is the summarized or expressed in the ecumenical creeds of the Christian Church and the Reformed confessions in order to grow in my knowledge of the Christian doctrines and to be able to live consistently with these Scriptural doctrines serving the Church, body of Christ, and the kingdom of God.

As I grow in my understanding of the Word of God I also desire to be more obedient and devoted to the Lord, living a holy life out of gratitude to His undeserved grace to me in His beloved Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I implore the enabling grace of the Holy Spirit as I embark on this lifetime pursuit of knowing God, glorifying and enjoying Him forever. Soli Deo Gloria!

The “Perfections” of Scripture and Their Implications in Hermeneutics

In the history of Bible interpretation, it was the Protestant Reformers who championed four perfections or attributes of the Scripture as they defended themselves against the accusations of Roman Catholic authorities and as they declared the teachings of the Holy Scripture over and against the excesses of Rome and some of the Protestant sects. These perfections also serve as important guides for us modern interpreters in understanding the message of the Holy Scripture.

The first perfection of Scripture is its authority. By this we mean to say that the Holy Scripture is the supreme and ultimate authority in matters of faith and conduct. While we recognize other authorities and standards such as the church council or assembly, creeds and confessions of the church, church leaders, and others, these are subordinate to the Scripture’s authority. Ultimately our recognition of the authority of Scripture is founded on the Lordship of Christ, who attests to the authority of the Scripture (Matt. 5:17-19), and the authority of God, who is the divine author of the Holy Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:21). This tells us that the faithful interpreter of the Bible must submit himself to the Lord as he interprets God’s Word.

Consequently, we interpret Scripture with great care and humility, submitting to its commands and precepts, believing its claims and promises, utterly depending on the Holy Spirit’s illumination and enabling in understanding and applying everything that it says. We have no right therefore to twist, modify or undermine its teachings and instructions in order to suit our own personal, cultural, theological or denominational preferences and convictions which are not Scriptural. Nor do we have the freedom to interpret (or reinterpret) Scripture in such a way as to justify our unscriptural beliefs and wrongdoings or minimize our culpability. That is not only an irresponsible handling of the text of Scripture but that is also an irreverent way of interpreting the Bible.

For example, since Scripture clearly teaches that God will inflict “vengeance on those who do not know [Him] and on those who do not obey the gospel of Jesus Christ” (2 Thess. 1:8), we as Bible interpreters and teachers do not have the right to diminish the truth of eternal punishment in order to make the gospel appealing to the unbelieving ears. In interpreting any Biblical passage, the authority of Scripture must guide us in seeing and learning what it really says, not what we want to see and hear from the text.

The second perfection of Scripture pertains to its necessity. The necessity of Scripture “refers to its indispensable service as the God-ordained instrument for the communication of the knowledge of God and of ourselves. Only by means of the Scriptures do we come to know clearly and fully those things which are necessary for us to know in this life, to God’s glory and for our salvation” (From a handout in Theological Foundations class at Mid-America Reformed Seminary; cf. Belgic Confession, Article II). There are things of and about God and about ourselves which could not have been known to us if the Bible was not written.

In acknowledging the necessity of the Scripture we are saying that without God’s divine act of revealing Himself more clearly and more fully through the written Word, our knowledge of Him and of ourselves is limited, even defective because of our sin (Rom. 1:18-23). Though “the heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1), God deemed it necessary to make Himself known to man through the writings of the prophets, like Moses (Ex. 17:14; 34:1, 27) or Jeremiah (Jer. 30:2), the apostles, like John (John 20:31; 1 John 1:4), and other men who were inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:19-21).

This then tells us that in reading and studying the Scripture, by faith and through the enabling of the Spirit, we are engaging ourselves in the pursuit of gaining a better and more reliable knowledge of God, of Jesus Christ, of ourselves and the way we should live as God’s people (Jos. 1:8; Psa. 19:7-14; Ps. 119; Luke 24:27; John 5:39; 2 Tim. 3:15). The necessity of Scripture then gives us the motive and the goal in interpreting the Bible, to know and gratefully thank and worship God for revealing Himself in such a special way. Only the Scripture gives us godly wisdom, which is closely connected to the idea of the fear of the Lord (Prov. 1:7; 9:10; Ps. 119:33-34). Thus in interpreting Scripture we have to bear in mind that the whole written Word has its own overall purpose, while recognizing the unique individual purpose of each writer and the times and audiences they were writing (e.g. Luke 1:1-4; John 20:31).

Third, it is also said that the Scripture is plain and clear for anyone who earnestly seek to know God, His gift of salvation in and through Christ, and His will for us. This perfection is called the clarity or perspicuity of Scripture. Louis Berkhof contends that

“In opposition to Rome, [the Reformers] further defended the clearness of the Bible. They did not deny that it contains mysteries too deep for human understanding, but simply contended that the knowledge necessary unto salvation, though not equally clear on every page of the Bible, is yet conveyed in a manner so simple that anyone earnestly seeking salvation can easily gather this knowledge for himself, and need not depend on the interpretation of the Church or the priesthood” (Summary of Christian Doctrine, p. 20).

As Bible interpreters we must then be careful not to complicate simple commands as “Love your neighbor as you love yourself,” “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor,” or “Honor your father and your mother.” These commandments are simple and need not be allegorized. The same thing applies to the narrative and the truth it portrays.

However, we also recognize that there are different literary genres in the Bible and therefore different literary approaches are required to make sense of the different Scriptural texts (like narrative, prophetic, apocalyptic, parable, etc.). Likewise there are difficult passages in the Scripture that are not easy to understand and this is where the principle that says “Scripture interprets Scripture” or that idea that states “the clearer parts of the Scripture must shed light to the difficult part” applies. The unity of Scripture is also important here. We should not forget that there is one God the Holy Spirit who is behind all the 66 books of the Bible. Literary and historical contexts are also important in this regard. A faithful Bible interpreter cannot afford to disregard the literary structure as well as the environment or background of the author and his audience in trying to understand the meaning of the text.

Responsible Bible interpretation then acknowledges the simplicity of the message of the Scripture, particularly on God’s work of salvation in Christ, while recognizing that there are things that God did not reveal to us (Deut. 29:29). This should move us then to be diligent in studying and understanding the word of God, not giving up when we seem to face dead end.

The sufficiency of Scripture is its fourth perfection. By this “we mean to refer to its adequacy and completeness to regulate, found and confirm the church’s faith and practice. The Bible alone is sufficient to equip the man of God for every good work. It does not require the addition of extra-Scriptural tradition or revelation to provide for the need of God’s people” (From a handout in Theological Foundations Class at Mid-America Reformed Seminary). Again the Reformers vigorously “defended the sufficiency of Scripture, and thereby denied the need of the tradition of the Roman Catholics and of the inner light of the Anabaptists” (Louis Berkhof, Summary of Christian Doctrine, p.20).

Similar to its clarity or perspicuity, the sufficiency of Scripture gives us the assurance that Scripture is our sure foundation and guide in knowing the truth and walking according to the truth. Guided by and dependent upon the Holy Spirit, the faithful Bible interpreters need not look anywhere to find certainty and security in the faith other than what the Spirit has already revealed in the written Word of God. Everything that we need to make us wise unto salvation has been provided by God in the pages of the Sacred Writings.

Thus in keeping with the Scripture’s sufficiency, our hermeneutical approach should be characterized by confidence, not doubting whether or not the Scripture misleads us or confuses us on matters of faith and doctrine. When confronted by two seemingly opposing or contradicting ideas, the interpreter should be convinced that the Scripture contains within itself a way to clarify ambiguity.

These perfections give us reason all the more to love the written Word, to guard its message and to rejoice in the fact that when we are confused we can turn to the Scripture and there find God speaking to us and assuring us that His Word “is a lamp to [our] feet and a light to [our] path” (Psalm 119:105) and can keep our way pure (Psalm 119:9). Thus Paul can confidently say to Timothy,

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which is able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:14-16).