📖 Biblical Definition
Divine accommodation is God's gracious condescension in revealing Himself through human language, metaphor, and historical forms that finite minds can comprehend. When Scripture describes God's "arm" or "eyes," it accommodates infinite reality to human understanding without introducing error. Calvin taught that God "lisps" to us as a nurse does to a child — speaking truly but in terms we can grasp. This does not mean Scripture contains mistakes; it means God truly communicated within the limits of human language. "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children" (Deuteronomy 29:29).
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
A state of being fitted and adapted; adjustment; applied to a state of mind.
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ACCOMMODA'TION, n. 1. A state of being fitted and adapted; adjustment; as, an accommodation of the muscles of the eye to an object. 2. Provision of conveniences. 3. In theology, accommodation, or adaptation of discourse to the capacities and conditions of hearers. Note: Webster understood accommodation in theology as God adapting His communication to human capacity — not God embedding errors in His Word.
📖 Key Scripture
• Deuteronomy 29:29 — "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us."
• Isaiah 55:8-9 — "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways."
• John 1:18 — "No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, He has made Him known."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Liberal theology uses "accommodation" to claim God allowed errors in Scripture.
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Liberal and neo-orthodox theologians have perverted the doctrine of accommodation to argue that God "accommodated" the scientific ignorance, cultural prejudices, and moral limitations of the biblical authors — meaning Scripture contains errors that reflect ancient misunderstandings rather than divine truth. This is a direct assault on biblical inerrancy. The orthodox doctrine teaches that God accommodated His revelation to human capacity without error. The liberal version teaches that God communicated through human error. These are opposite claims. One preserves the authority of Scripture; the other destroys it under the guise of piety.
Usage
• "True accommodation means God spoke truthfully in terms we can understand — it does not mean He embedded errors in His Word to match ancient ignorance."
• "When liberals claim God 'accommodated' cultural prejudices in Scripture, they are calling God a liar and stripping His Word of authority."