Why Divine Clarity Should Have Been Expected:
The Problem of Doctrinal Ambiguity
If the Christian God exists and intended to communicate essential doctrinal truths to humankind through a written text, then one would expect that such a God—omniscient, omnipotent, and concerned with human salvation—would have produced writings that were unambiguous, universally comprehensible, and immune to doctrinal fragmentation. Yet the actual state of Christian doctrine is anything but unified. The sheer volume of conflicting interpretations, schisms, and denominational disputes over basic tenets—baptism, salvation, the nature of Jesus, and the meaning of Scripture itself—suggests a textual corpus that is not only ambiguous but indistinct to a fault. In this essay, I will argue that (1) divine authorship is incompatible with this degree of ambiguity, and (2) this incoherence strongly disconfirms the claim that a perfect being intended to reveal binding doctrine through the Bible.
I. The Expected Epistemic Quality of a Divine Text
Imagine a pharmaceutical company writing instructions for a life-saving drug. If the directions said, “Take this pill unless your heart feels uneasy, in which case, perhaps avoid it unless you’re among those who must not skip it,” the company would be considered criminally negligent. When the stakes are high, precision is not optional. Now scale that analogy upward: the Christian God is said to be revealing eternal truths with consequences for everlasting joy or torment. If a human company has a duty to write clearly to avoid fatal misunderstanding, how much more should a God?
Yet Christian texts rarely display the kind of syntactic and semantic clarity that would be expected of even a moderately competent human communicator. Take for example:
- Mark 16:16: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.” Does this mean that baptism is necessary or merely typical?
- James 2:24: “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” How does this square with Ephesians 2:8–9: “not a result of works, so that no one may boast”?
These are not quibbles over obscure metaphors. These are verses that allegedly define the very conditions of salvation. The lack of clarity would be unacceptable from a human source, let alone a deity.
II. Ambiguity as a Design Failure in a Doctrinal System
For an omniscient being, ambiguity is not a side-effect of communication—it is a deliberate choice. It is trivially easy to imagine verses that would resolve centuries of dispute:
- Instead of saying, “This is my body,” Jesus could have said: “This bread is only a symbol of my body, to be remembered figuratively.”
- Instead of “he and all his household were baptized,” the text could specify: “Only the adults were baptized, for only they had professed faith.”
- Instead of “faith without works is dead,” it could have read: “Salvation is solely by faith, but genuine faith always results in works. The works contribute nothing to salvation.”
The existence of even one such clarification would have resolved entire theological divides. Yet the Bible contains none. This omission is not the result of linguistic limitations. The biblical authors clearly had the ability to speak unambiguously on many matters (e.g., genealogies, legal codes, travel routes). The fact that crucial doctrines remain opaque suggests that if a divine mind was involved, it chose not to be clear—or more plausibly, no divine mind was involved at all.
III. The Analogy of the Legal Contract
Imagine being handed a legal document governing your financial future or citizenship. You are told that the terms within it are final and binding—and that if you misread them, you could face a lifetime of suffering. You then discover that the contract contains archaic language, ambiguous clauses, conflicting requirements, and footnotes that contradict the main text. When you ask for clarification, the author refers you to other interpreters, who themselves disagree violently.
This is essentially the Christian Bible.
Unlike legal contracts, however, biblical texts lack a centralized mechanism of arbitration. No divine court steps in to correct misreadings. Christians must rely on fallible interpreters—priests, pastors, theologians, and even themselves—all of whom operate without a clear interpretive guide, and none of whom agree. If the Bible were a contract from a corporation, it would be voided for incomprehensibility. If it were a communication from a government, it would be declared unconstitutional for lack of due process. Yet it is defended by believers as the divine manual for eternal life.
IV. The Epistemic Cost of Doctrinal Pluralism
The diversity of Christian denominations—over 45,000 globally—is not simply a sociological accident. It is the natural consequence of insufficiently specified doctrine. Terms like “grace,” “salvation,” “atonement,” “kingdom,” and “faith” are used with radically different meanings. Even the core definition of “God” varies among groups claiming to follow the Bible. This undermines the idea that the Bible is a self-interpreting or self-authenticating document. A truly divine document would not result in such cacophony.
Furthermore, this doctrinal instability imposes high epistemic costs on believers. They are forced to choose among interpretations, denominations, and theological systems—all while believing that choosing wrongly could have eternal consequences. This turns Christianity into an epistemic lottery: salvation by guesswork.
Conclusion: If God Wanted to Be Understood, He Would Be
A God who desires to be known clearly, worshipped truly, and followed faithfully would not have allowed his primary self-revelation to become an interpretive Rorschach test. Instead of clarity, we find contradiction. Instead of consistency, we find confusion. The best explanation for the doctrinal ambiguity in Christian texts is not divine mystery—it is human authorship.
Let believers believe. But let no one say that the Christian God has communicated as a God would. If eternal salvation hangs in the balance, we should expect a divine author to be clearer than any human author. And the Bible is not.
Doctrinal Disagreements in Christianity and the Easy Fixes
| A. The Issue | 🟩 Vagueness for Side X | 🟩 Clarity for Side X | 🟥 Vagueness for Side Y | 🟥 Clarity for Side Y |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Whether infant or believer’s baptism is correct | 🟩 Acts 16:33 – “he and all his family were baptized at once” | “Baptize infants, for their household’s faith covers them until they confess Christ.” | 🟥 Acts 2:38 – “Repent and be baptized…every one of you” | “Only those who knowingly repent and believe may be baptized. Infants are excluded.” |
| 2. Whether salvation is predestined or freely chosen | 🟩 Romans 8:29 – “those he foreknew he also predestined” | “Before they were born, I chose each of My elect. None may choose Me unless I first choose them.” | 🟥 2 Peter 3:9 – “not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” | “Every human is free to accept or reject salvation, for I force none and choose none beforehand.” |
| 3. Whether salvation requires works or faith alone | 🟩 James 2:24 – “a person is justified by works and not by faith alone” | “Salvation comes through faith expressed in good works; neither alone suffices.” | 🟥 Ephesians 2:8-9 – “by grace…not a result of works” | “No deed earns salvation; only belief in Christ is needed, without any additional action.” |
| 4. Whether communion is symbolic or literal | 🟩 John 6:53 – “unless you eat the flesh…you have no life in you” | “The bread and wine are My literal body and blood; they change in essence though not appearance.” | 🟥 Luke 22:19 – “Do this in remembrance of me” | “The bread and wine are mere symbols to recall My sacrifice; they are not My actual body.” |
| 5. Whether humans are born sinful or innocent | 🟩 Psalm 51:5 – “Surely I was sinful at birth” | “Every child is born guilty of Adam’s sin and condemned unless redeemed by grace.” | 🟥 Deuteronomy 1:39 – “children…who today have no knowledge of good or evil” | “No child is born sinful. Sin begins when one knowingly chooses wrong.” |
| 6. Whether divorce and remarriage are permissible | 🟩 Matthew 19:9 – “except for sexual immorality” | “If a spouse is unfaithful, the other may divorce and remarry without sin.” | 🟥 Luke 16:18 – “Everyone who divorces…and marries another commits adultery” | “Remarriage after any divorce is adultery, and no exception is allowed by God.” |
| 7. Whether hell is eternal or temporary | 🟩 Matthew 25:46 – “eternal punishment” | “All who reject Me shall suffer conscious torment forever, without end.” | 🟥 Romans 6:23 – “the wages of sin is death” | “The wicked will perish in the second death and cease to exist eternally.” |
| 8. Whether women may lead in church | 🟩 1 Timothy 2:12 – “I do not permit a woman to teach or exercise authority” | “No woman may preach, lead, or teach in My church; leadership is reserved for men.” | 🟥 Galatians 3:28 – “There is no male and female…you are all one in Christ Jesus” | “I call both women and men to all roles, including apostleship and teaching.” |
| 9. Whether Christians must observe the Sabbath | 🟩 Exodus 20:8 – “Remember the Sabbath day” | “All believers must rest from labor every Saturday as I commanded from the beginning.” | 🟥 Romans 14:5 – “One person esteems one day as better…another esteems all days alike” | “No day is holier than another; observe rest if you wish, but it is not required.” |
| 10. Whether creation was literal or figurative | 🟩 Genesis 1 – “And there was evening and there was morning, the first day” | “I created the world in six 24-hour days, and all life in its present forms.” | 🟥 2 Peter 3:8 – “With the Lord…a day is like a thousand years” | “The creation account is symbolic. The earth formed gradually, as I guided evolution.” |
| 11. Whether charismatic gifts continue today | 🟩 1 Corinthians 12:8–10 – “to another prophecy, to another tongues” | “Prophecy, tongues, and healing will continue in My church until I return.” | 🟥 1 Corinthians 13:8 – “where there are prophecies, they will cease” | “After the apostles died, the miraculous gifts ceased, having fulfilled their purpose.” |
| 12. Whether Christians may support war | 🟩 Ecclesiastes 3:8 – “a time for war” | “Defending the innocent through war is just; My followers may serve as soldiers.” | 🟥 Matthew 5:39 – “Do not resist an evil person” | “Those who follow Me must never harm others. War and violence are forbidden.” |
| 13. Whether marriage or celibacy is the higher calling | 🟩 1 Corinthians 7:7 – “I wish that all were as I myself am” | “Celibacy is the holier path; marriage is a concession for those who cannot remain pure.” | 🟥 Genesis 2:18 – “It is not good for the man to be alone” | “Marriage is My ordained path for most; it reflects My covenant and is to be embraced.” |
| 14. Whether modern Israel has prophetic significance | 🟩 Ezekiel 37:21 – “I will take the people of Israel…and bring them to their own land” | “In the last days, the nation of Israel will be restored and central to My final plan.” | 🟥 Romans 9:6 – “not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel” | “Modern Israel holds no prophetic role. My promises apply to spiritual Israel, not nations.” |
| 15. Whether tradition holds authority with Scripture | 🟩 2 Thessalonians 2:15 – “stand firm and hold to the traditions” | “Sacred tradition, passed through the Church, is as binding as the Scriptures I inspired.” | 🟥 Matthew 15:9 – “in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” | “Only Scripture holds authority. No tradition shall override My written word.” |
| 16. Whether the rapture happens before or after tribulation | 🟩 1 Thessalonians 4:17 – “caught up…to meet the Lord in the air” | “Before the Great Tribulation begins, I will remove My church from the earth.” | 🟥 Matthew 24:29–31 – “immediately after the tribulation…he will send his angels” | “My people shall endure the tribulation, and then I shall gather them to Myself.” |
| 17. Whether full belief is necessary for redemption | 🟩 James 1:6 – “ask in faith, with no doubting” | “Only those who believe with unwavering certainty shall be saved; all others fall short.” | 🟥 Mark 9:24 – “I believe; help my unbelief!” | “Even belief as small as a mustard seed will bring salvation, despite doubt.” |
| 18. Whether God promises health and wealth to believers | 🟩 Malachi 3:10 – “see if I will not…pour down for you a blessing” | “Those who believe in Me and give generously will be rewarded with health and prosperity.” | 🟥 Luke 9:23 – “take up their cross daily” | “My followers should expect suffering and lack, not wealth or ease.” |
| 19. Whether the Bible is inerrant or only inspired | 🟩 2 Timothy 3:16 – “All Scripture is God-breathed” | “Every word of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is without error in history, science, and doctrine.” | 🟥 Proverbs 30:5 – “Every word of God proves true” (interpretive ambiguity) | “Scripture is inspired in matters of faith, but contains human errors in non-spiritual details.” |
| 20. Whether exorcism is still essential today | 🟩 Mark 16:17 – “In my name they will cast out demons” | “Demons still torment people today, and exorcism is an essential ministry of My Church.” | 🟥 James 4:7 – “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” | “Exorcisms were for the apostolic age only; now, prayer and faith are sufficient.” |
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