We spoke about the fundamental stance of tota scriptura, how we let scripture interpret scripture. Yet, what do we do when scripture appears to contradict scripture? We appeal to the Law of Faith. We approach scripture in the faithful presupposition that there is no error in the text. Therefore, when apparent contradictions arise, rather than ignore or pit portions of scripture against one another, we seek, through prayer and continued study in faith to clarify. We always seek the unity between the texts and within the text as a whole. This is where context, study, and overarching methodologies help. A fancy word for how we approach scriptural interpretation is hermeneutics. The law of faith is really the first application of hermeneutics after the three stances we have already discussed.
Recognition of Mystery
In some cases, an apparent contradiction will be resolved through an appeal to mystery, which seems like an abdication of our study, but is the humble response to things which God has not fully revealed. As John Calvin once said, “Where God closes His holy mouth, I will desist from inquiry.” Or, as D.A. Carson once said in an article about the providence of God displayed through the book of Esther, “It is the duty of a Christian to learn everything that the Scriptures record; and it is equally his duty to remain in the most obstinate ignorance of everything they do not reveal.”
Despite the fact that some apparent contradictions will resolve into mystery, I would contend that God has revealed far more than we often try to pursue. An appeal to mystery too soon is really just spiritual and intellectual laziness and cowardice – perhaps from a fear that the Lord’s Word may be disproven (a groundless fear though one I recognize as in the background). An appeal to mystery too late is presumption and pride – to seek to know the “secret things of God” is especially common among heretics in the earliest church and today. We will discuss in further strikes and sparring where those lines might be drawn, but for now, we reinforce that mystery may be the only faithful response to certain paradoxes of scripture and hence falls under the law of faith.
Resolution in Understanding
The second way that pseudo-contradictions resolve is with understanding, typically in the context and framing of the text itself. I once had the privilege of teaching on the very difficult passage in Hebrews six which raises serious questions of whether or not a true believer can lose their salvation. One of the young ladies approached me after and asked how I could be so sure of my approach in how I used broader scripture to explain this one difficult chapter. By the grace of God, my response was essentially this. Have you ever zoomed in on an image, down to pixelated level? Can you tell what the image is, or rather does it seem like something, but you aren’t quite sure? It’s fuzzy isn’t it? In order to understand the picture, you need to zoom out.
The opposite can also happen to us when looking at scripture. We can zoom out really far, to where some of the practical details become blurry, and then we need to zoom back in. One of the greatest practical tools of the law of faith is that it reminds us to zoom in and zoom out as we approach scripture. To understand Hebrews 6, we need to understand what comes not only right before and after (in chapters five and seven respectively), but also the intent, audience, and overall argument of Hebrews. Then we need to understand where it fits in the broader New Testament, and then how it interacts with the Old Testament. Hebrews is a book especially linked with the OT since it was written to Jewish believers who were very familiar with the Hebrew OT. I won’t go through the entire process, but I think that the Holy Spirit gave me a bit of an insight there, because the young lady’s eyes lit up and she seemed to “get it.” I have been blessed to be a teacher of many topics and in many contexts, but I will never tire of the light bulb moment in a student’s eyes. I am very thankful to God for that.
So, some of you may be wondering, can you lose your salvation? I am not going to answer that right now, as this is about the principle and approach, but I will respond to the question with another question – can you gain your salvation?
What apparent contradictions have you seen in the text recently, and have you done the work to resolve them? Or have you rather avoided the apparent dissonance and moved along? It takes courage to approach this well, humbly, and effectively, but the Lord is faithful to demonstrate His own trustworthiness through the process.
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