Some of it is literal....
Controversial Verses:
Saying, "Yes. I take the whole bible literally." , is actually saying, "Yes. I take what I want to take literally...literally." The fact is, a skeptic will ask this question, and giving a straight yes or no answer will be wrong either way in their mind. We won't cut off our arm if its sinning or pray without ceasing, but there are things in the Bible that are supposed to be done. We should go and make disciples. We should remember what Christ did for us by taking part in communion. -- We should NOT pick and choose what we want to follow in the Bible.
How do we know the difference?
Moses states in Deuteronomy 21:18-21 that if a man and a wife have a son that is "stubborn and rebellious" they should take him to the elders and have him stoned. This act should "cleanse out the evil from your midst"
The Bible was written by 40 different men. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, "All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness,"
The Holy Spirit led these men to write what they did. The Holy Spirit, in actuality, is the author. To know how to interpret what the Bible says to our own lives, we need none other than: The Holy Spirit.
2 Peter 1:20-21 "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
ARGUMENT:
This was written before Jesus died and paid for all the consequences of our sin, BY the cross. After the cross, we don't need to live that way. The law was abolished.
.....BUT:
That doesn't mean that it is useless. The New Testament seems to have less severe sounding "rules" but it does have rules that aren't taken literally. For example....
1 Timothy 2: 9
"Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire"
It has always seemed sort of ironic to me that conservative christians who wear skirts, coverings, and express modesty as a strong part of their life often braid their hair. Personally I find no fault at all with braiding hair, pants/skirts, makeup, or covering hair or not. What gets me every time is the verse where it says for women to cover hair is the same verse where it says stray from braiding hair.
I totally get modesty and why it is important. It's not the verse that confuses me; it's the way people have interpreted it. In context this was written thousands of years ago, and in that time period, this was apparently a stumbling block for the men. This is an example of a verse that I believe we do not need to take literally. It still applies, and there are values that can be taken from it, BUT speaking literally....different time....different effect.
What does it mean?
Bibliography:
- https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1TSNO_enUS608US608&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=what%20is%20a%20parable
- http://www.christianbiblereference.org/faq_BibleTrue.htm
- My Bible (NIV 1984)
We all know what the term "literal" means. It means seriously, or exactly. Controversy comes when people say we need to take the Bible literally and then reprimand those who don't. The Bible has verses in the OT and the NT that seems outrageous to us, in the 21st century, and that is understood to be symbolic, or, allegorical, and therefore: not practiced.
- What does allegorical mean?
Times are different.
CONCLUSION:
Jesus was poetic.
Is the Bible literal or allegorical?
WELL.....
both.
Jesus himself frequently spoke to people in parables. He told many fictional stories that had an underlying theme that the story he told was meant to stress. He also used comparison to objects like a vine. John 15:1 "I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit...." Jesus is obviously not an actual vine, and humans are not branches. This is just a way Jesus could orally illustrate the relationship we have to him and God.
Understanding the author to audience relationship, the time period it was written in (context), highlighting the apparent theme, thinking about the application, and the leading of the Holy Spirit will hopefully enable the reader to figure out what is literal, and what is symbolic (allegorical)
The Bible: Literal or Allegorical?