Coffee, Code and Candor

1Co.14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

The Bible teaches clearly that God is not the author of confusion. I am sometimes reminded of this fact by those with whom I have doctrinal discussions. Usually it takes a form along the lines of “That’s confusing and God is not the author of confusion.” This statement might be made after I’ve just explained how something that appears to be a contradiction in scripture is really not at all. In such cases a verse seems to say one thing but when compared with other texts on the same subject it is clear that it cannot say that thing which it appears to say in isolation since to do so would create a contradiction in scripture of which there are none (2Pe.1:20).

The objection that is raised in such cases is that God doesn’t make his word confusing and it’s confusing when a verse seems to say one thing but really says another. Ironically, this argument is itself a confusion. Let me explain.

Confusion is “a disorderly jumble; breakdown of order.” The English word confusion comes from the Latin confusio which comes from the verb confundere which means “mingle together.” In biblical context, when you mingle together God’s truth with Satan’s lie, you have confusion: a disorderly jumble, a breakdown of order. On the other hand, when you compare spiritual things with spiritual as the Holy Ghost does (1Co.2:13), you rightly divide the word of truth (2Ti.2:15) to ensure that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation (2Pe.1:20). Private means separate, thus no single verse or passage of scripture can be taken in isolation from the rest or it may result in confusion.

What people are really complaining about when they make this argument about things being confusing if they are not immediately obvious from the first read of a verse is that they’re hard to be understood. I have no problem with that statement, nor does Peter, nor does Paul (2Pe.3:16). Those who take the time to study the scriptures, who labor in the word and doctrine, who search for wisdom as for hid treasures will reap the reward of a clear understanding of God’s word.

Confusion does not necessarily mean difficult to understand.  The verse quote above comes in the midst of Paul’s dealing with the gift of prophecy and directly after he says that the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.  In other words, prophecies that are truly from the Lord will be in agreement one with another.  Just as Peter said, no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.  God’s prophets do not prophecy in isolation from one another (even though they may be separated by time and space).  Their words are the words of the Lord and he is not the author of confusion.