Making Wise the Simple

It should go without saying, but sadly it needs to be emphasised in a day when antinomianism is rife in the visible church: Sanctification is not an optional extra in the life of the Christian. The true Christian – born again by the power of God and indwelt by the Holy Spirit – will grow in holiness and obedience. It should also go without saying that Sola Scriptura is foundational to true, obedient Christian faith. By the Spirit’s power we have been made captive to the Word of God, which is “able to make [us] wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15 ESV).

James White puts it in these terms:

“[A]ll a person must believe to be a follower of Christ is found in Scripture and in no other source. If it has been given to us in Scripture by the Holy Spirit, then it is binding upon the believer’s heart and conscience. We cannot pick and choose what we will and will not believe: If it is the infallible rule of faith, it must be believed. Here is how I expressed it when defending [Sola Scriptura] in a public debate a number of years ago: “The Bible claims to be the sole and sufficient infallible rule of faith for the Christian church. The Scriptures are not in need of any supplement; their authority comes from their nature as God-breathed revelation; their authority is not dependent upon man, church, or council. The Scriptures are self-consistent, self-interpreting, and self-authenticating. The Christian church looks to the Scriptures as the only infallible and sufficient rule of faith, and the church is always subject to the Word, and is constantly reformed thereby”.”¹

If we truly believe in Sola Scriptura, then we will strive to consistently practice Sola Scriptura. We will allow the Scriptures to search us, examine us, test us, try us, and lead us into the truth. We will strive to conform every area of our life and worship to the Scriptures. We will allow the living and active Word to reform us, bit by bit, down to the very thoughts and intentions of our hearts. In the words of Paul, “we tear down speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). This will be a fierce spiritual battle against the flesh, but the Spirit who dwells in us and enables us by His grace shall prevail.

Did God Really Say?

Sola Scriptura affirms that Scripture alone is God-breathed revelation. It is God speaking to us. This is why Jesus can say: “[H]ave you not read what was spoken to you by God?” (Matthew 22:31). God is a perfect communicator, and thus Sola Scriptura also affirms that Scripture is clear (perspicuous). Ordinary Christians, using proper and right hermeneutics (rules of interpretation), can, with the illumination of the Holy Spirit, interpret and understand the Word of God.

There are many, however, who would attack Sola Scriptura at this point as well. It is said that without an allegedly infallible interpretation of Scripture from the Roman Catholic Magisterium (or some other human authority), it is impossible to know what the Scriptures actually say with any certainty. Indeed, it is claimed that to attempt to interpret Scripture yourself is dangerous, causes division, and undermines Christian unity. The Council of Trent decrees:

“[I]n order to restrain petulant spirits, [the Council] decrees, that no one, relying on his own skill, shall – in matters of faith, and of morals pertaining to the edification of Christian doctrine – wresting the sacred Scripture to his own senses, presume to interpret the said sacred Scripture contrary to that sense which holy mother Church – whose it is to judge of the true sense and interpretation of the holy Scriptures – hath held and doth hold; or even contrary to the unanimous consent of the Fathers; even though such interpretations were never (intended) to be at any time published.”²

As an illustration of the horrifying depths of spiritual bondage and darkness created by such ecclesiastical tyranny, consider these words of Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits:

“All judgment laid aside, we ought to have our mind ready and prompt to obey, in all…[,] our holy Mother the Church Hierarchical… To be right in everything, we ought always to hold that the white which I see, is black, if the Hierarchical Church so decides it, believing that between Christ our Lord, the Bridegroom, and the Church, His Bride, there is the same Spirit which governs and directs us for the salvation of our souls. Because by the same Spirit and our Lord Who gave the ten Commandments, our holy Mother the Church is directed and governed.”³

It is Sola Ecclesia (Church alone), and if the Church declares that white is black, or black is white, then the only response acceptable for the faithful is to agree, against all reason. Sad to say, though, that “softer” forms of this kind of spiritual tyranny exist within Evangelicalism as well. There can often be a subtle hostility to the asking of honest questions, a pressure to avoid allegedly “divisive” theological conversations, and an anti-intellectualism which loves to ridicule (even from the pulpit) more serious-minded Christians. Or attitudes like this: “Who do you think you are to challenge our understanding, or question how we do things? You are causing division and harming the unity of the church. Keep quiet, respect and esteem your elders, and submit to our authority.”

Such bullying and intimidation cannot be reconciled with the words of Paul: “I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). The true Church of Christ upholds the truth of God’s Word as revealed in Scripture, and is subject to that truth. It does not invent its own “truth” based upon the arbitrary whims and decrees of men. The true Christian pastor does not rule as a tyrant, demanding submission to his own authority. He is himself a man under authority, in humble submission to – accountable to and correctable by – the Word of God. The true Church does not seek to enforce a false “unity” based upon lies, threats, and external claims of authority. True Christian unity is created by the Spirit, through the Word, and never apart from it.

The Clarity of Scripture and the Need for Sound Hermeneutics

But the question remains: Can ordinary Christians actually interpret the Bible for themselves? It is true that many lawless individuals claim Biblical sanction for all kinds of heretical beliefs and gross sin. Peter writes: “Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures” (2 Peter 3:15-16 ESV). Peter warns that “ignorant and unstable” men are wilfully misinterpreting and misunderstanding Paul’s Epistles, and using them to justify false doctrine and ungodly practices. They do so, he says, “to their own destruction”.

So the problem of people twisting Scripture is real, but the answer to it is not Sola Ecclesia, or any other such abandonment of the sufficiency and authority of Scripture alone. Such “ignorant and unstable” people are not practicing Sola Scriptura at all: That’s the problem! They are in rebellion against Scripture, and deceiving themselves that they are hearing the voice of God, when in fact they are merely hearing the sinful delusions of their own hearts, or worse.

Sola Scriptura demands that we are actually in submission to the text of Scripture, and this requires us to be able to rightly understand and interpret the text of Scripture. The illumination of the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of truth – is essential in this process: “[W]hen He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13). For us, this takes the form of the Spirit illuminating our minds to understand the written Word of God.

But this illumination is not some passive, mystical thing. It takes place in harmony with sound hermeneutics. Scripture is perspicuous: Even a child can interpret and understand the basic message of the Bible accurately. But this is not to say that all of the Bible is equally easy to understand. Peter says that some things Paul writes “are hard to understand”. God has spoken to us in Scripture, so the true Christian works hard, studies, and wrestles with the text, to ensure we are understanding Him correctly.

And this is also where the local church comes in, because no Christian is to walk in isolation: “[Christ] gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12). Christ has appointed such men in the church to help His sheep learn how to interpret and understand the Bible, and so be able to hear the Word of God themselves, obey it, and be transformed by it. The local church has a vital role to play.

Subordinate Authorities

But if this is the case, are we not now accepting, after all, the authority of the church as somehow equal to Scripture? Not at all. Sola Scriptura is not Solo Scriptura (nothing but the Bible). Sola Scriptura does not deny the importance of the church, or of preaching, or of teaching. In fact, it is Scripture itself that commands their existence. What Sola Scriptura says is that all these things – faithful preachers and teachers in the local church, good books, sound sermons, creeds and confessions, etc. – are subordinate, secondary authorities. These secondary authorities are themselves under the authority of Scripture, subject to it, and judged by it.

James White says this of the 1689 Confession, to which his church holds: “The confession is subordinate to the ultimate authority of Scripture. It is a statement of faith, an explanation of what we believe; its authority, as all ecclesiastical authorities must, bows to Scripture’s authority.”⁴ He adds:

“The Bible, being God-breathed, partakes of the very authority of God Himself. As such, it cannot possibly embrace a non-divine authority alongside itself. However, this does not for a moment mean that God cannot set up subordinate authorities that are vitally important and necessary for the proper health and balance of the believing community and the individual believer – authorities that look to and draw from that divine authority while never eclipsing it or replacing it.”⁵

Teaching the People to Handle the Word

One of the traditions of men holding Christ’s sheep captive within Evangelicalism today is what I call the “simple people” doctrine. Those who hold to this doctrine declare that people today cannot think deeply, cannot cope with theology or long sermons, and are unwilling and unable to handle the Word for themselves. They are “simple people” who just need “simple teaching”, and from whom nothing more can be expected. To “keep it simple”, Biblical texts are speedily glossed over in superficial, shallow fashion. The full glory of the Word, and the riches it contains, are hidden and buried under Gospel generalities. The power and clarity of the Word is destroyed with joking around, and endless banal stories and illustrations. The people are starved, being denied the full counsel of God. They grow dull and stagnant; it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. And slowly, surely, the work of the Reformation is undone.

Men! It is our responsibility and privilege as preachers and teachers to feed Christ’s sheep, that they may be built up and grow in the truth, and so be equipped for the good works God is calling them to. This requires – and Scripture demands – hard work on our part: “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). If the sheep are starved on our watch, we will answer to God for it. Our calling is clear: “[P]reach the word; be ready in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2).

What is more, as we preach and teach, our congregations will learn from us how to rightly – or wrongly – handle Scripture for themselves. Are we teaching them how to rightly handle the sufficient Word, using sound grammatical-historical hermeneutics? In a recent sermon, Jerod Gilcher put it like this:

“Hermeneutics is… not some abstract, academic theory… Hermeneutics is… the most practical issue on the face of the planet… We have to get the text exactly right… Bad hermeneutics in our preaching makes the Bible inaccessible to the ploughboy… Botched hermeneutics from the pulpit makes bad readers in the pew… We train our people to read the Bible by the way that we preach… Wrong hermeneutics in our preaching will diminish people’s confidence in the Bible, and eventually it will bring the church back into darkness the way it had been before the Reformation.”⁶

We must lead by example of sound hermeneutics. And we should rejoice to see our people growing in knowledge, asking good questions, becoming able to defend the truth, and increasing in love for Christ and the Church. We should welcome the safety given to us, as pastors, by a Biblically mature, wise, and discerning congregation holding us accountable to the written Word. If we fear such things, then we should examine ourselves to see who we are really serving. Scripture teaches, and my experience bears out, that Christ’s sheep – those “simple people” – are hungry to grow and to hear the deep things of God. Let us feed them, and see the Word do it’s work! As it is written: “[T]he testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple” (Psalm 19:7 ESV). 

The local church is the primary setting for preaching, teaching, and discipleship. Not just the Sunday services, but the people of God living our lives with one another, day-by-day. Pastors are to shepherd and equip the flock, but it doesn’t stop with pastors. Pastors are only a subordinate authority. God’s will is that every Christian be growing to maturity and unity in the faith, loving God and one another, living their lives governed by Scripture alone (Sola Scriptura), by all of Scripture (Tota Scriptura), and to the glory of God alone (Soli Deo Gloria):

“[Christ] gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ, so that we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming, but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is Christ, from whom the whole body, being joined and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the properly measured working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:11-16).

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1 James R. White, Scripture Alone: Exploring the Bible’s Accuracy, Authority, and Authenticity (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2004), p.28.

2 “The Fourth Session (8^th April 1546)”, in J. Waterworth (Tr.), The Canons and Decrees of the Sacred and Ecumenical Council of Trent (London: C. Dolman, 1848), pp.19-20.

3 Ignatius Loyola, “Rules to Have the True Sentiment in the Church” (1^st and 13^th), in The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola (Elder Mullen (Tr.)) (New York: P. J. Kenedy & Sons, 1914).

4 White, Scripture Alone, p.29, note 5.

5 White, Scripture Alone, pp.37-38.

6 Jerod Gilcher, “Making the Bible Accessible for the Ploughboy”, Preach London (2026). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWlyYV2pBvk, accessed 20^th June 2026.

Image: Andrew Barden, "Curbar Edge, Derbyshire" (September 2009).