Are The Scriptures Ambiguous?

2/15/2004

Over the past year, I have had conversations with Pastors from three different denominations where the crux of their argument rested on the “ambiguity” of scripture. The first time I encountered the comment “that could mean anything” from a Pastor concerning a clear and simple scripture, I was shocked speechless. My mouth literally fell open while I waited for the punch-line which never came. However, it became less shocking and more depressing with each succeeding event. It took a while, but I began to realize that this represented an underlying “given” for a large percentage of those behind the pulpit. If this is true for those in leadership, then what can we expect from those in the congregation?

In my conversations and debates with fellow layman, I have encountered an even more virulent strain of philosophy. It appears to actually be considered ludicrous to quote scripture in support of a particular belief. While arguments and rationalizations based on the principles of “tolerance” and “relativism” are generally accepted and encouraged, any attempt to illustrate a Biblical foundation for a certain belief or behavior is met with cynical anger. Those who do so are automatically accused of being close-minded simpletons, of imposing their “interpretation” on others and being “judgmental.”

The general consensus among many Christians today (both in and out of the pulpit) appears to be that we agree that Jesus died and was resurrected. But the rest of the scriptures are just a bunch of ambiguous suggestions and allegory which you can interpret as you see fit. The result is a mirror image of the moral relativism which we see in the non-Christian world. It all boils down to the same thing: “there are few if any absolutes so just do what seems right to you.” It seems to be Pontius Pilate all over again asking cynically “What is ‘truth’?”

I’ve been at a loss to explain where all this is coming from. But a new survey provides some clues. It is based on the responses of 601 Senior Pastors nationwide and represents a random cross-section of Protestant churches. The survey reports only half of the country’s Protestant pastors possess a biblical worldview. The survey defines a biblical worldview as believing that absolute moral truth exists, that it is based upon the Bible, and having a biblical view on six core beliefs (the accuracy of biblical teaching, the sinless nature of Jesus, the literal existence of Satan, the omnipotence and omniscience of God, salvation by grace alone, and the personal responsibility to evangelize).

Another important finding was that the educational system training our clergy appears to be a contributing factor. Only 45% of seminary graduates possessed a biblical worldview as opposed to 59% of pastors who had not attended seminary.

In his previous research, George Barna discovered that only 9% of adults who consider themselves “born again” have a biblical worldview. He feels that the reason for this is obvious:

“The most important point is that you can’t give people what you don’t have. The low percentage of Christians who have a biblical worldview is a direct reflection of the fact that half of our primary religious teachers and leaders do not have one. In some denominations, the vast majority of clergy do not have a biblical worldview, and it shows up clearly in the data related to the theological views and moral choices of people who attend those churches.”

You can find more details of the survey results at http://www.barna.org/cgi-bin/PagePressRelease.asp?PressReleaseID=156&Reference=A.

And we wonder why so many of our churches are like stagnant and dying social clubs. Why there’s no shortage of social commentary from the pulpit but no evidence of the power of the Holy Spirit. Why churches are ordaining “gay” bishops and states are endorsing “gay” marriages. Why the one of the most common reasons most non-Christians in the United States give as to why they are not Christians is that they’ve had a bad experience with a church. Why so many churches break up and so many pastors are caught in financial misappropriation and extra-marital affairs.

The scriptures are NOT ambiguous. The vast majority of the time, what the Word of God says and how it should apply to a particular situation is so simple a child could understand it. It is only when our desires conflict with what the Word of God says that we try to make the scriptures APPEAR to be ambiguous.

Yes, we are to use discernment and listen for the Holy Spirit to guide us in our decisions. However, it is often difficult to differentiate our desires, the principals that the world are constantly bombarding us with, Satan’s influence, and the voice of God. The most important criteria in validating the leading of the Holy Spirit is determining if it is in agreement with the Word of God. How can we do that if we don’t know what the Word of God says? If we don’t have a broad understanding and acceptance of basic biblical principals then we will wind-up with what we have now…a theology almost indistinguishable in application from the philosophy of the world.

Amos 8:11,12 "Behold, days are coming," declares the Lord GOD, “when I will send a famine on the land, not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, but rather for hearing the words of the LORD. People will stagger from sea to sea and from the north even to the east; they will go to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, but they will not find it.”

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.