Examples of Gospel Obscurity in Christian Culture and History

The concept of gospel obscurity appears in various forms throughout Christian history, often referring to instances where the clarity of Christian truth is veiled or misunderstood. One significant aspect of this obscurity relates to the human mind's inability or unwillingness to grasp divine revelation. For example, the Apostle Paul's writings highlight how the minds of those who reject the Gospel can be blinded, preventing them from seeing the glory of Christ ^[8]. This spiritual blindness is not merely a lack of understanding but a judicial hardening, where individuals are given over to a "spirit of deep sleep" due to their rejection of spiritual light ^[5].

Augustine of Hippo, a prominent patristic writer, acknowledged that certain passages in sacred writings are intentionally obscure. He suggested that this obscurity serves to exercise and train the minds of readers, stimulate their zeal, and prevent satiety ^[1]. Such difficulties, while sometimes "troublesome rather than edifying," can also lead to deeper contemplation ^[3]. Augustine also noted that ignorance on many points, particularly concerning God's hidden operations or obscure scriptural passages, can be compatible with sound Christian faith, and even erroneous opinions on such matters may not necessarily constitute heresy ^[9].

Historically, the integrity of the Gospel message has been challenged by those who intentionally corrupted it. Tertullian, another early Church Father, accused groups like the Marcionites, Valentinians, and Lucianists of altering the Gospel "from its original integrity, to a threefold, and fourfold, and many-fold degree," remodeling it to suit their own objections ^[4]. This suggests that obscurity can arise not only from inherent textual difficulty or spiritual blindness but also from deliberate distortion.

The Gospel itself is often referred to as a "mystery" in the New Testament, particularly by Paul, who speaks of it being made known to him by revelation ^[10]. This "mystery of the Gospel" encompasses doctrines such as the Trinity, the hypostatic union of Christ, and the resurrection ^[10]. While these are profound truths, their "mysterious" nature can contribute to their perceived obscurity for those without divine revelation or spiritual understanding. John Calvin, a key figure in Reformed theology, emphasized that the sum of the Gospel message is reconciliation with God through Christ, by which God chooses not to impute sins ^[2]. This core message, though simple in its essence, can be obscured by human interpretations or a failure to grasp its full implications ^[7].

Even in public religious practices, obscurity could be present. Augustine observed that ancient pagan solemnities, while publicly performed, often contained obscure moral instructions alongside overtly wicked rites, creating a confusing and contradictory spiritual landscape ^[6]. This historical example illustrates how religious practices themselves could contribute to the obscurity of moral or spiritual truth.

Sources

Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 2: Augustine — City of God, Christian Doctrine — CHAP. 8.--THE OBSCURITY OF THE SACRED WRITERS, THOUGH COMPATIBLE WITH ELOQUENCE, NOT TO BE IMITATED BY CHRISTIAN TEACHERS.: 22. But although I take some examples of eloquence from those writings of theirs which there is no difficulty in understanding, we are not by any means to suppose that it is our duty to imitate them in those passages where, with a view to exercise and train the minds of their readers, and to break in upon the satiety and stimulate the zeal of those who are willing to learn, and with a view also to throw a veil ove”
CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 66: failli;”—whence it appears that he sets down as oppopsites the two things, To be justified, and To be held guilty, in that the process is brought against man who has failed. But the most satisfactory passage on this subject is that in which he declares the sum of the Gospel message to be reconciliation to God, who is pleased, through Christ, to receive us into favor by not imputing our sins ( 2 Cor. 5:18-21 ). Let my readers carefully weigh the whole context. For Paul shortly after adding, by way of explanation, in order to designa”
Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 8: Augustine — Exposition on Psalms — TO THE END, A PSALM OF DAVID HIMSELF.(2) (part 3): in allegory is fitly understood as the Church. Or if in such difficulties as these, troublesome rather than edifying, there be either no satisfaction or no leisure to exercise the mind, or if the mind itself be not capable of it, it is sufficient to regard the moon with ordinary(13) eyes, and not to seek out obscure causes, but with all men to perceive her increasings and fulnesses and wanings; and if she wanes to the end that she may be renewed, even to this rude multitude she sets forth the ima”
Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 4: Tertullian IV, Minucius Felix, Commodian, Origen — CHAP. XXVII.: After this he says, that certain of the Christian believers, like persons who in a fit of drunkenness lay violent hands upon themselves, have corrupted the Gospel from its original integrity, to a threefold, and fourfold, and many-fold degree, and have remodelled it, so that they might be able to answer objections. Now I know of no others who have altered the Gospel, save the. followers of Marcion, and those of Valentinus, and, I think, also those of Lucian. But such an allegation is no charge against the Christian sys”
Isaiah (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Isaiah 29:10: For the Lord hath poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep,.... Gave them up to a stupid frame of spirit; to a reprobate mind, a mind void of judgment and sense; to judicial blindness and hardness of heart: this was remarkably fulfilled in the Jews, in the times of Christ and his apostles, who choosing darkness rather than the light of the Gospel, which shone around them, were righteously given up to such a temper of mind; and to nothing else can be imputed their obstinate rejection of the Messiah, against the most glaring light and evidence. The Apostle Paul produ”
Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 2: Augustine — City of God, Christian Doctrine — CHAP, 26.--THAT THE DEMONS GAVE IN SECRET CERTAIN OBSCURE INSTRUCTIONS IN MORALS, WHILE IN PUBLIC THEIR OWN SOLEMNITIES INCULCATED ALL WICKEDNESS. (part 2): together, we were intensely interested spectators of the games which were going on, and saw, as we pleased to turn the eye, on this side a grand display of harlots, on the other the virgin goddess; we saw this virgin worshipped with prayer and with obscene rites. There we saw no shame-faced mimes, no actress over-burdened with modesty; all that the obscene rites demanded was fully ”
CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 57: is the particular gift of God, which a wicked man may possess and abuse, as the gift of tongues, prophecy, or other gifts, it is not strange that he separates it from charity. Their whole error lies in this, that while the term faith has a variety of meanings, overlooking this variety, they argue as if its meaning were invariably one and the same. The passage of James, by which they endeavor to defend their error, will be elsewhere discussed ( infra , chap. 17, sec. 11). Although, in discoursing of faith, we admit that it has a var”
2 Corinthians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 2 Corinthians 3:14: But their minds were blinded,.... This confirms the sense given of the foregoing verse, and shows, that not the Israelites only in Moses's time, but the Jews in the times of the Gospel, had their minds so blinded, that they could not behold the glory of the Gospel, nor Christ the end of the law; see Rom 11:7. For until this day, to this very time, remaineth the same veil untaken away; not the selfsame veil that was on Moses's face, but the veil of blindness, darkness, and ignorance, upon the hearts of the Jews: in the reading of the Old Testament; the boo”
Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 5: Augustine — Anti-Pelagian — CHAP. 27 [XXIII.]--ON QUESTIONS OUTSIDE THE FAITH--WHAT THEY ARE, AND INSTANCES OF THE SAME. (part 2): amidst the various and innumerable questions of this sort, which relate either to God's most hidden operations or to most obscure passages of the Scriptures, and which it is difficult to embrace and define in any certain way, that ignorance may on many points be compatible with sound Christian faith, and that occasionally erroneous opinion may be entertained without any room for the imputation of heretical doctrine?”
Ephesians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Ephesians 3:3: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery,.... Or "is made known unto me": so the Alexandrian copy, and some others, and the Vulgate Latin version. The Gospel, which is sometimes called a mystery, the mystery of the Gospel, the mystery of godliness, and the mystery of faith: the several doctrines of the Gospel are the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven; such as a trinity of persons in the Godhead, the union of the two natures in Christ, the saints' union to Christ, and communion with him, the resurrection of the dead, and the change of living saints, ”

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