Is the Bible to be taken literally?

Question

I just read an article which says Scripture is mostly just stories with a good moral and that there are many ways to reach God and obtain salvation, not only through Christ. What do you guys think?

Answer 1

Yes take it like an aspirin, swallowed whole in one gulp with a glass of water to wash it down.

Answer 2

I appreciate the sincerity of your question.

I'd disagree with the article, but I will point out that the apparent tone of the article is a non-theistic one. Ie, Bible is nice stuff, but don't believe any of it. That's not the same as taking it literally versus non-literally. In fact, that's taking the Bible as something between fable and historical treatise.

To take Scripture in a pure literal fashion is not entirely correct. There are metaphors (Jesus' parables, and when He said "if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out!" He didn't mean to blind yourself, but rather to sever yourself from sin profoundly) and literary terms that should be expected coming from semitic society and the Aramaic and Greek languages in which Scripture was originally written.

It is most correct to take Scripture contextually, ie to understand that it is a compendium of revelation, given by God to man over a period of several thousand years, and that the Bible did not fall from the sky perfectly bound in the King James English. That does not detract from its inerrancy - indeed, every word is divinely inspired, and all Scripture is good for teaching, encouraging and rebuking.

Much of the disagreement among adherents stems from interpretations of Scripture, as to what is and is not "literal". The idea of a Rapture, for instance, did not exist until the mid 19th century when a confederate soldier by the name of Scofield argued that Scripture was divided into 7 sections, which he termed dispensations, and that the other 6 dispensations did not apply to people living in the 7th dispensation (the current period). Scofield was widely decried by Reform theologians and Catholic theologians for shoddy work and a poor interpretation, but many Evangelical Christians took his commentaries literally.

Similarly, when Revelations describes the Whore of Babylon as wearing crimson and purple, these colors have strong symbolic meaning, and do not refer to (as Dave Hunt would claim) the Pope any more than they refer to the Alabama Crimson Tide or to the Colorado Rockies.

A contextual understanding of Scripture shows that it is far more than just nice stories with a good moral. A contextual understanding would reflect that there is a reason why morality exists, and reveals the truth, that salvation is through Christ alone. Any other reading, frankly, misses the point.

Answer 3

I often hear the word myth used here to describe Christian beliefs. Because of books and movies, the word myth has taken on a different meaning.

A myth is a story that has been passed down through thousands of generations around the campfires that, because no one has documented it (meaning wrote it down in a language we know today), it becomes the history of those people.

That, I believe is how the Bible and most of the Old Testament came about. It is the myth of the Jewish heritage. There is truly no way for us to know what is true in it and what is legend.

One thing we know is that time representation (a day, year, month) is not the same as we see it today. Another is that the "representation figures" of Adam and Eve were not the only people alive on this continent at the time.

Use reason and you will know when the Bible becomes a more literal history and passes beyond the boundaries of myth. And please remember, a myth is NOT a lie. To learn more, please study "Storytelling" and history.

Answer 4

No. First, the Old Testament prophets and writers admit that they don’t know everything, but they insist that someone greater will be coming – the Messiah. So if they really don't know, anyway, then why should we believe them, especially if our own experiences teach us that they are wrong?

Second, although a Master Teacher of Righteousness, Jesus, did come and his life and teachings are documented in the 4 Gospels, nevertheless, he emphasized that much of his teachings are couched in parables. We need to divine their real and deeper meanings and not rely on literal interpretations, alone. Further, there are great differences between what Jesus actually taught in his own words and the commentaries and writings of his followers. So as not to get confused, we should learn to distinguish the original from the translation.

Finally, Jesus used figures of speech. He did not mean for us to worship him but we should follow his living example. I am the Way simply means that we must live in love and righteousness if we want to earn eternal life and live in heaven. Provided we do this, no matter what religion we espouse or whomever prophet we believe, then we will get by okay.

God is One. The Truth is one. All religions lead to the same God.

Answer 5

It depends on the context of what was written.

Just as the Apostle Paul told Timothy in II Timothy 2:15 ...
"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

You have to "STUDY" which denotes a deeper level of reading & contemplation and "RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH" which means that you have to Figure it out -- look at the context.

If it is not something that looks to be obviously figurative, I believe it to be literal even things that "seem" hard to believe like the world, universe and mankind was created in 6 days or the account of the flood or the Garden of Eden with Adam & Eve or the parting of the Red Sea so the Israelites could cross it. I believe God has the power to do all of those things and have no reason to believe they are figurative.

Jesus said there is only one way to salvation and it is through Him so either He is a liar or the people that make such claims are liars. John 14:6 ...
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. "

Hope this helps your understanding.

Keep asking questions. Keep searching for the truth. Think about it -- figure it out!

Answer 6

The more a person studies the Bible the better they understand and in some places it is to be understood literally and in other places Symbolically. As far as the bible stories go you should know that these events actually took place, as to events that don't seem possible give your self a time to come to a more accurate knowledge of scripture, meaning before you seek the deeper things of God's word seek the milk first. This is how you build faith. What is milk of the bible?: what is a soul?, what is a spirit/, what is hell?, who is Jesus?, who is God?, what is the kingdom of God?.
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Answer 7

That article was just that, an article. If you want to know the truth, look to the source, the bible. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father but by Me." And about the bible. None of it is fairy tale. Some of it is meant literally and some is symbolic like Ezekiel's visions and Revelations.

Answer 8

That is terribly wrong! The good news of the Bible is to be taken literally! Yes, Jesus had a few proverbs, to demonstrate to the disciples, to give them a visual of what he meant (i.e. the man and the pearl) but other stories like when Jesus fed the 5,000 by only 2 loaves of bread and 1 fish is entirelly true! He performed many miracles!

The only way that you can obtain salvation is through Jesus Christ! You cannot accept salvation through good works or by being a good person, the only way to go to the kingdom of heaven is to accept the Lord Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

Answer 9

The Bible is to be taken literally. It is a true book. The only time that the Bible is being figurative is when it says like or as. Kind of like in litterature. There is only one way to salvation. By accepting God's gift of love - his son Jesus Christ dying on the cross for our sins. We need to confess that we have sinned and accept that he has the power cleanse our sins. Only then can we accept the salvation that the Lord has provided for us.

Answer 10

Mostly it's a bunch of idiotic fables, mixed with healthy doses of lies.

The Bible stated very clearly that the 'End is nigh' two thousand years ago.

You don't need to worry about taking that literally or figuratively. It was just wrong, like everything else in the Bible.

Answer 11

What do we do about Jesus?
It's a proven fact the man was here and he had a following called Christians. We have non christian evidence to prove this from; Pliny the Younger, Tacitus, and Josephus.
Now, when Jesus said, "I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the father except through me!" Was he a liar? A nut? Or was he who he claimed to be?
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