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The Historic Faith

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Question 7
Bercot warns against using “let the many interpret the few” to dismiss truths found in only a few passages, such as the New Testament texts that directly call Jesus “God.” How does this example challenge the assumption that biblical truth is determined mainly by how often something is stated?
Another way to ask: Bercot warns against using “let the many verses explain the few” to ignore truths found in only a few places, like verses that directly call Jesus “God.” How does this challenge the idea that a truth matters most only if the Bible says it many times?

Direct Answer

Bercot’s example challenges the idea that frequency alone determines truth by showing that some essential doctrines may rest on comparatively few direct passages. A teaching may be stated only a few times and still be a vital biblical truth.

Support from Transcript

- Bercot says “let the many interpret the few” has “a considerable amount of validity” in some cases. - Yet he warns it is not right simply to “ignore the one or the two.” - He says a teaching does not become invalid just because it “does not find support in other passages.” - He notes that only “four or five verses in the New Testament directly address Jesus by the title ‘God.’” - At the same time, “there are dozens of passages that address his humanity.” - He asks whether we should therefore accept only the humanity passages and ignore the deity passages, answering, “Of course not.”

Discussion Follow-ups

The transcript’s point is not that frequency is irrelevant, but that minority passages may contain “important truths” that must not be forced to fit the majority.