John Frame on the Clarity of Scripture

One of my favorite living theologians is John Frame, who teaches at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando. He has a knack for writing huge books on complex topics in way that is still clear and easy to read. The following excerpts are from his latest work, The Doctrine of the Word of God. He is discussing the clarity of Scripture.

"To say that God's word has authority...is to say that it creates obligations in its hearers: obligations to believe what it says, to do what it commands, to write it on our hearts, and so on. The clarity of God's word means that we have no excuse for failing to meet those obligations. To say that God's word is clear is to say that we have no excuse for misunderstanding or disobeying it. So the clarity of Scripture has ethical implications...

He goes on to qualify this by discussing the fact that Scripture is not equally clear to everyone.

...The six-year old is not likely to understand the sacrificial rituals of Leviticus. But he doesn't have to. God has not given him responsibilities for which a knowledge of that material is requisite. If he grows up to become an OT scholar, that situation will change.

I conclude this as an important principle: Scripture is always clear enough for us to carry out our present responsibilities before God." 

John M. Frame (The Doctrine of the Word of God, 2010 A.D.; emphasis his) 

To preview or buy the book, follow this link.

http://www.amazon.com/Doctrine-Word-God-Theology-Lordship/dp/0875522645/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319219978&sr=1-3