Genesis 3:1

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made.

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say?”

Here we have the first question ever asked by anyone. Before this there have been no questions, there is no one wondering anything. This question is designed to start Eve on path to questioning the word of God. This is the same path Satan uses today. This is still where the battle rages. Satan is telling us to sit in judgement on God’s word. He is saying you have that right, you have that privilege, God cannot say something to you that is binding, it is all open to question, it is all open to human judgement. You cannot take God’s word at face value. “Did God actually say?”

One thing that I have seen in the emerging church is an attack on the clarity of Scripture. There is a denial of the clarity of Scripture. There seems to be this idea that we really cannot understand scripture. It is really just nothing but paganism in disguise. It’s a yearning for needs and wants to be met. It’s about “feeling Jesus” but not having any knowledge of him.

In a review of Brian’s Mclaren “A Generous Orthodoxy” John Frame helpfully points out “McLaren is far more eager to correct cocksureness (clarity) than to show how us how to correct doctrinal error.” Mclaren says that “Let me go on record as saying that I believe sound doctrine is very, very, very important (Titus 2:1-3:11), and that bad doctrine, while not the root of all evil, is a despicable accomplice to a good bit of the evil in the world. In fact, this book is an attempt to correct what I perceive to be some bad doctrine, including bad doctrine about doctrine.”

Mclaren says that doctrine is very, very, very important (3 times – count ‘em). In fact his book is written to correct “bad doctrine, including bad doctrine about doctrine.” And what is this very, very, very important doctrine? It’s the doctrine of ambiguity that correct the bad doctrine of certainty. Mclaren calls us to set aside “false certainties.” He is a theological liberal in disguise. Mclaren has a willingness to attacks those with a true and historic theology and an unwillingness to attack those who deny what the Bible says.

Mclaren states that “Sometime clarity is overrated and that shock, obscurity, playfulness, and intrigue often stimulate more thought than clarity.”

We are seeing a giant assault and attack on the clarity of Scripture by people like Mclaren who say nothing is clear. This is why it is important to attack these false teachings and come back to the clarity of God’s word. This is where the attack always comes from. Has God really said? You can’t be certain of anything. Not theology, not morals, not salvation, not homosexuality, not anything.

And this attack come flying in the face of what is clearly taught in Scripture. We have the mind of Christ. We know how he thinks. We have the word of God. We have the scripture. We know exactly how he thinks.

And why dose this attack take place? Why does this “emergent cult that is blossoming within our Lord’s Church rebel against authority and most particularly the Bible itself?” John 3:19 tells us “people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil.” This is the judgement. The light has come into the world. God’s word, the light, has come into this world. The scripture is light. It is clear. But “people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil.” Why do we come up with the idea the scripture is not clear? Why do we question time and time again what the Bible says? Why? It is because what is clear is repulsive to them. They do not like what they see. They love their sin, they love darkness. The emerging church wants nothing to do with holiness. They want nothing to do with God’s word so they question what has been taught. They do not want to accept what the Bible says. They want to hold on to sin. Everyone who does wicked things hates the light.

Do you trust the words of God? “Whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been carried out in God.” The light of Scripture and theology and doctrine shines bright. The emergent church has come up with many ways to try and explain the light away. They point fingers and say that we have the wrong interpretation. Wright tells us we have been getting it wrong for 2000 years. Mclaren says we cannot get anything right cause nothing is clear. But scripture is clear and the emergent church dose not like the message and has run back into the dark and says you have the wrong interpretation, let have a conversation, let’s chat.

Scripture gives it meaning to the simple. There are no hidden messages, there are no mixed messages, there are no missed messages. Scripture is light. Jesus quote the old testament many times and never once says “I wonder if this is the right interpretation? I wonder if I am getting this right?” He never once questions the meaning or interpretation or clarity of Scripture. In fact he expect people to know the Scriptures. You are required to know what the Bible means. You don’t see him saying “Oh…Here is your problem, you just have the wrong interpretation, you have the wrong understanding, I’m sorry it’s just not clear.”