Secure in the Scriptures

You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 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 are 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 complete, equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:10-17

God’s Word is secure in the Scriptures

The Scriptures, although stemming from various centuries, are a united, non-contradictory message of God, while among the Fathers none may be found who remains exactly the same. Holy Scripture knows of no contradictions. It speaks more simply, irrespective of time and place, than even the purest of the Fathers.

We acknowledge that in the Bible, even in the New Testament, there are difficult passages, but we maintain that they are fewer than one thinks and are hardly of the kind of importance that would cause the general sense of the Scriptures to be called obscure. Either they do not at all concern the way to eternal life or, if so, are in no way contrary to the properly understood content of clear passages that deal with the same subject, nor could they be, for both originate in the Holy Spirit who does not contradict Himself.

Scripture is like the stars in heaven. Whoever lifts his eyes from earthly darkness will immediately see the great shining stars of the first magnitude and the path of light that girds the heavens.

Becoming accustomed to the light, the eye sees more and more stars.

Eventually, even the blue seems interwoven with light.

So to the eye of the reader of Scripture, there first come those shining, mighty passages, whose meaning is easily understood and undeniable. The longer we read, strengthened by that first light, the more other passages become bright and clear.

At last, we see more than just a Milky Way of bright truth in the heaven of the Bible; an awareness, indeed a clear, conscious perception of complete harmony within it overpowers us and edifies us.

So this is not merely a ruse but rather an assertion that proves true in every conscience, that the harmony of the clear passages of Scripture, such as those one collects for a children’s catechism, comprises the analogy of faith and the proper interpretation on which the unclear passages are made clear.

On the contrary, it is doubt of God’s truth if you fear that obscurity might be hidden in dark corners of Scripture that could extinguish the bright stars of the analogy of faith and simple passages that even a child can understand. Besides, Scripture has always proven itself in its clarity.

This much is certain: any hint of darkness that one would impute to the Scriptures lies not in the heaven of Scripture nor as spots on her sun, but in the heart and eye of man. And every misunderstanding of the divine Word by which one would mask that most wanton lie that the Spirit of the Lord has not spoken clearly and plainly has its basis in man’s blindness and sinful nature.

The Word is like the Lord from which it comes: it is righteous for the righteous, holy for the holy, pure for the pure. For those who seek the light, it is light and it leads to a Church that knows the Light and lives in its brilliance and warmth. But for the perverse it is perverse, and for the children of darkness who forsake the Church, it is darkness.

Praise be to the Father,
with whom is the Fountain of Life,
and in whose light we see the Light!

From ‘The Word Remains’, Wilhelm Löhe, Selected Writings on the Church Year and the Christian Life, Emmanuel Press, Fort Wayne IN 2016