[Glossary] Doctrines and the Bible

1. (Clark 1965, 24): "The Reformers made it a principle never to establish a doctrine on the basis of a single verse. On one occasion a Bible School teacher tried to convince me of something by quoting a verse. I objected that what he was saying was said only once in the Bible. With crushing confidence he replied, 'How often must God say something to make it true.' "

"The gentleman was of course considerably confused. If we take his reply very literally, we shall point out that God does not have to say something, reveal something to us, even once to make it true. All his secret decrees are true, though none of them is revealed. But more to the point, the Bible School teacher did not understand what is necessary for laying down doctrinal statements. The question has nothing to do with how many times God must say something to make it true, but, rather how many times must God say something before we can understand it. And the answer to this question is, usually several times."

The Reformers made it a principle never to establish a doctrine on the basis of a single Bible verse.


Reference:

Clark, Gordon H. 1965. What Do Presbyterians Believe? The Westminster Confession: Yesterday and Today. Phillipsburg, New Jersey: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company.

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