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Which parts of the Bible are supposed to be taken literally and which are supposed to be taken as stories?

I keep hearing that there are parts of the Bible which are Laws for Humanity to follow and that they are supposed to be taken literally.
Then I hear that there are parables which we are supposed to take as figurative stories and are supposed to learn only the morals of the story.

So which parts are which?

2007-04-09 03:18:01 · 20 answers · asked by Maverick 6 in Society & Culture Religion & Spirituality

20 answers

One of the funniest things I ever read on this site was a fundie answering this very question. The response was, and I am not making this up, when we are saved we get a pair of God goggles to see the difference.

Good luck.

2007-04-09 03:25:00 · answer #1 · answered by Adoptive Father 6 · 4 1

You don't sound like a Bible reader -- sorry! No offense intended!

In Matt 13:3, Jesus said, "3And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying. . ." The rest of the quote is below!

Such a statement needs no interpretation, everyone knows what follows is a parable!

The Law Covenant, not God's laws since Christians are to obey the royal laws, was abolished!
Did that mean that the principles were abolished? NO!

On several occasions, we see Paul transferring principles from the Old Testament directly to Christians! E.g. Heb 13:5
5Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Here the "I will never . . . " part is taken directly from Deut 31:6, 8
Here is verse 8: 8And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.

KJV Bible used!

As such, you can see that there usually isn't any difficulty in understanding what is to be taken or not to be taken literally!

Some things, it is true, are difficult. But that is what fellow Christians are there for, to help each other understand the Holy Bible.

The Bible needs to be used like a Lego Toy! You use your common good sense and put the various scriptures about a particular teaching together. Next, you meditate upon it, even talk to fellow believers, and usually reach the correct and logical explanation permitting one to understand the various teachings contained in God's Word

.

2007-04-09 10:56:22 · answer #2 · answered by Fuzzy 7 · 0 0

There are so many laws and situations in the Bible that there's no way I can explain them to you. However, I will say that most of the laws discussed in the OT, such as Leviticus, Numbers, etc were strictly related to the culture of the time. Most of them were ritualistic laws that had to do with tabernacles, priests, etc . . .The 10 Commandments however, were not merely for the culture of the time, but for all of mankind for eternity.

Now, in the NT, God starts to get away from most of the legalistic things and into the mercy, love, justice, and salvation through Jesus Christ.

As for the literal and figurative aspects of the Bible, most of it is literal. The Bible was written in a historic manner, meaning it was written in such a way that described events that had happened along with descriptions of the people who were involved.

Now, when Jesus Christ came along and spoke in parables to His disciples, the stories He told weren't literal. Parables were designed to teach a lesson. Sort of like Aesop's Fables.

So, while most of the Bible is literal, there are parts that are meant to teach lessons. If you have any questions about specific parts, I'd be glad to answer them to the best of my knowledge.

Or, you can go buy a Study Bible (a Bible that has footnotes and commentary about the scripture as well as personal profiles of the people, a concordance, maps, who the authors of each book are, where and when they were written, whom they were written to, and why they were written.)

2007-04-09 13:07:37 · answer #3 · answered by Evan S 4 · 0 0

It's normally very easy to tell with the Bible, just as it is with any other writing. You have to read it.

Examples:

Here's Proverbs 2: 1-5, which clearly has to be taken figuratively:

1 My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,

2 turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding,

3 and if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,

4 and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,

You see - this can't be taken literally, since you can't look for wisdom by digging in the ground. Rather you search for wisdom "as for silver" and "as for hidden treasure." i.e. with the same enthusiasm and zeal. Get it? It's not to be taken literally. It's a metaphor.

Now, here's a passage to be taken literally from 1 Kings 2:1-2: "'1 When King David was old and well advanced in years, he could not keep warm even when they put covers over him. 2 So his servants said to him, "Let us look for a young virgin to attend the king and take care of him. She can lie beside him so that our lord the king may keep warm."

You see - that's not a metaphor or figurative language. It's the telling of an event that occurred to King David in his old age.

Nobody can sit here and tell you which of the thousands of verses of the Bible in its dozens of books are to be taken lilteral or figurative. You have to read it with thought and care, and search for that understanding "as for silver" and "as for hidden treasure."

Reading these answers, it is clear that most people don't understand the difference between literal and non-literal. Literal and "true" is not the same thing. Just because something is non-literal doesn't make it not true. Jesus's beatitudes are not literal, but they are true. The genealogies in the Old Testament are literal, but there are probably some mistakes in there.

2007-04-09 10:26:52 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1 0

Usually the context tells you which is which, and you determine that by reading regularly.

In the Mosaic Law, God forbids adultery, incest, murder, and theft. Even after the abolition of this law, the principle guides us to this day.

The book of Revelation is largely symbolic, as it states in the first few verses, and much of the interpretations are listed therein. The lake of fire and brimstone/sulphur is shown not to be a literal place, but symbol of the second death, from which there is no resurrection (complete annihilation).

Like I said, most of the time the context tells you whether or not something is to be taken literally.

2007-04-09 10:23:58 · answer #5 · answered by DwayneWayne 4 · 2 0

It's usually pretty obvious if you read the whole chapter or book which ones are which. The only time it gets tricky is when you're dealing with prophesy.

For example: "Don't murder." Which is that? Umm... it's a commandment which is to be taken litterally. How can you tell? It's phrased like a commandment. "Let me tell you a story: the trees set out one day to choose a king for themselves." Which is that? Umm... that's a story which is meant to be taken for the stories it teaches. How can I tell? It starts with "Let me tell you a story." That's a pretty dead give away.

2007-04-09 10:47:14 · answer #6 · answered by Sifu Shaun 3 · 0 0

Try reading the "Furqan" at www.islam-in-focus.com . It is written in English and Aramaic. It may be easier for you to understand. This project is done by Islamic and Christian scholar Dr Anis Shorrosh, a Palestinian who holds a Ph.D in Islamic Studies from Oxford, and a D.Min. from Luther Rice. He is a well known world wide teacher on Islam, the Koran, the Bible, and Christianity.

2007-04-09 10:26:11 · answer #7 · answered by DATA DROID 4 · 0 1

The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.

2007-04-09 10:33:31 · answer #8 · answered by pumped up! whoo hoo! 3 · 0 0

Consider the bible as a complete library, with references to how people are to live their lives and conduct themselves from day to day.
You will begin to understand better if you study with us and ask questions when there appears to be something you failed to get the first time around.
We are more than happy to work with you and although we encourage you to join us as so many do. It is always your choice, not a requirement.

2007-04-09 10:38:04 · answer #9 · answered by Wisdom 6 · 0 0

everything in the Bible in black writting is Gods word and to be taken literal all words jn Red are Jesus saying parables and are to be understood as truth but in a sense of words put that the people of that day as illiterate as most were could understand the terminology He used..they are still literal stories of truth...

2007-04-09 10:24:53 · answer #10 · answered by Pastor Biker 6 · 1 1

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