Do you know any good Gospel analogies?

Question

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Jesus often spoke in parables that were deeply rich with meaning that many of His listeners could grasp as farmers, fisherman, merchants, or shepherds. He also used current events, historical events, Old Testament stories, etc.

Do you know of any modern-day Gospel analogies?
Analogies from current news events, current hot debates, or popular movies?

Can you come up with a completely new Gospel analogy, on the spot?

How about analogy for a child? A physicist? An artist?

Are you able to share the Gospel using concepts and words in your profession?

As it is written: “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” Colossians 4:6

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For something is SERIOUSLY wrong...when non-Christians do not see Christianity as a message from God that is good – a message of hope, a message of love, a message of grace, a message of freedom!

So...please share, and give others a fresh view on this GOOD news!

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Answer 1

This is my favorite, it came to me in one of my chemistry courses in college:m

**Holy God and sinful humans are like water and oil:

What if God is like water and human beings are like oil. They can be right next to each other, but cannot interact because they are so fundamentally different.

On a chemical level, oil and water don't mix because of the clash of fundamental chemical properties - water molecules are polar (carry a weak charge), and oil molecules are non-polar. When you mix them, they just do not "connect" so remain separated.

So if God is like water, and we are like oil (sin has made us "oily)? What if God is holy (water-like) and cannot interact with us because sin made a fundamental difference in our properties (making us oil-like, separating us from God)?

Let's say Jesus is like DETERGENT. Detergent has one end that water-like, and one end that is oil-like, all in the SAME molecule. Individual detergent molecules can bind attract one molecule of water and one of oil, making it possible for the two to mix. In short, detergent makes it possible for oil to dissolve in water, because it BRIDGES the two natures.

Holy God and sinful man are separated because of their fundamental properties, but when you attach yourself to Jesus (because he is human like us and is holy like God), he can be a BRIDGE for us to God. And JUST like detergent allows hot water to clean grease from a pot, Jesus allows God to clean sin from humankind.

Answer 2

If Jesus is God that would mean He invented marriage so He can set the rules what marriage is about. Actually when Jesus defined marriage between a man and a woman. The Pharisees brought up the question about divorce and Moses allowing the Israelites a bill of divorce. Jesus response was that Moses gave into the Israelites because they were a stiff necked people. He also goes on about unless the marriage is unlawful it's adultery to get remarried. The key words He used what God has brought together let no man separate. Do you know what that means the courts of men don't mean jack to God. Now a marriage is only considered unlawful if one of the spouses brake their vows which were made to each other in the presence of God. If goes further on when St. Paul explains this that there is a difference from a marriage between two baptized Christians, and a marriage between a baptized Christian and a Non-Christian. If the Non-Christian separates from the Christian the Christian is free to get remarried because there was no binding vows made in the presence of God. It's not the same a a marriage between two baptized Christians the vows are binding which mean until death do you part. The Israelites were influenced by the pagans of Egypt in regards to handfastings, handfastings are not marriages. When your handfasted to someone else it's not binding after a certain period of time you are allowed to separate and be handfasted to another person. This is what marriage as become in the United States a handfasting.

Answer 3

I believe when we look at the world around us today, The analogies that Christ used fits, and I don't think they were made for just in those times, Christ knew what we were to become, and all of these analogies fit straight with what is going on today, and yes the weeds will be thrown into the firery furnace, if only they would listen, and quit turning their backs in denial, don't people wonder what we are here for, what is their answer to this, they laugh, didn't they then also.

Answer 4

The analogies Jesus used in parables were directly applicable and identifiable to those who heard them.

Coming up with a modern-day parable would require us to know our audience.

With such a broad audience as on this forum, the current peace talks at Annapolis, MD would be a great analogy, akin to The Parable of the Prodigal Son, with GW acting as the father.

Answer 5

Ok, here is one for people who say, "Why do people blindly trust in Jesus without 'thinking for themselves'?..." And isn't faith in Jesus "blind faith" without any sound basis?

Let's say you have two football players, both wide receivers competing for the first string position on the same team. One is a rookie having never even played before on a team and the other has a couple of years of experience. The coach calls a particular play. The rookie knows basically two things: 1) that his assignment on this play is to run deep down the sidelines, and 2) that the play calls for the ball to be thrown to the Tight End.

So the rookie says to himself, "What is the point of me running all the way down the field if the ball isn't even going to be thrown to me. Instead, I will save my energy and just run a few steps." He refuses to put his faith (or as he may say to himself, "blindly trust") in the coach and in the coach's playbook because he doesn't fully understand it. The more experienced player, on the other hand, trusts the coach and does what he instructed him to do.

Now let's take a look at the results. The play was designed to clear out the middle of the field as best as possible to enable the QB to throw a 10-yard pass for the first down. The experienced player drew the cornerback and perhaps the safety away from the area where the ball would be thrown, but the rookie didn't of course, raising the percentage for an interception or blocked pass.

One WR had faith in the coach, the other didn't. Faith in this case was not a result of being brainless or blindy following instructions. Rather, it came as a result of knowing the coach (who is reputable for the sake of this analogy), knowing the game of football, and knowing the principles of teamwork. It actually demonstrated a level of maturity that the younger player lacked, which came from experience. In the same way, the more we trust in Christ, the more He proves Himself to us...giving us more and more reason to have faith, even when we don't understand the reasons why.

Answer 6

My friend shared this neat analogy with me . . . There is God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. They are separate, yet equal in strength and such. There is water, gas, and ice. It is still water but just in different states.

A mnemonic (way to remember the order of Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians) is General Electric Power Company.

God bless!

Answer 7

I can make an analogy of my life away from God.

ex. My life is like a refrigerator...
When I am away from God things are bad in my life.
A refrigerator may look good from the outside as I look but what happens when you unplug it?
all of the food spoils same as my life when away from God.
Beauty on the outside yet horrible on the inside.
How do you make me new and valuable again.
A person can wash the outside of a refrigerator over and over but it wont change the mess inside.
It is until you reconnect the refrigerator repent and start from inside is when things won't spoil and life is at peace and wonderful.
I

Answer 8

i would add to the idea of the Trinity analogy above ^ by relating it to superpositioning- the idea behind Schrodinger s cat. When the cat is put into the box with a 50% chance of death, and the same of life, it is considered not either/or dead/alive, but rather both/and dead/alive. this is called superpositioning. it is both of the things simultaeously. in the same way, God is ice, water, and gaseous- each at the same time.

another point you can explain about God with this concept is that God is both totally just and totally gracious; He can not fail to punish for crimes, and He can not fail to forgive those who plead to him for it. These two characteristics counter eachother, but he is both simultaneously. He could not just forget about what sins we committed- he needed to punish us, not as revenge or vengeance, but as who he IS. this quality is the whole motivation behind Christ s sacrifice. his perfect sacrifice for us. This allows God to forgive us when we ask him to, because Christ has already taken the penalty for what we have done.

a final suggestion for you is this video. it is not totally and entirely accurate, but the preacher named "Reggie Dabbs" narrates the short silent film for us. He explains the meanings as he goes along. it is powerful. it has led many to Christ already by proving to be an intense real-world example of what really happened when Christ died for us- we were unaware at the time. and yet, he still did it. here s the link --> https://youtu.be/Td_tp-qtqxw

Answer 9

wow, I LOVED the pastafarian allusion!

There's always the classic novels like "A Tale of Two Cities" and "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe".

Answer 10

I love what Romans 1:20, tells us; "For the INVISIBLE THINGS of him from the creation of the world ARE CLEARLY SEEN, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and GODHEAD; so that they are without excuse".

This says that we can see the Spiritual things of God, by observing the things which He has created. My family and I have made a point of searching for God in His creation, and it has been an eye opening experience for us all.

This also says that we are without excuse for not clearly seeing and understanding His saving power and Godhead, because He has shown them to us through his creation.

Now, it was logical for us to ask, What did God creat in His image & likeness? The answer is man, and through the creation of man, we can see the Godhead.

John 4:24, Jesus says, "God is a Spirit".

John 3:34, "For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for GOD GIVETH NOT THE SPIRIT BY MEASURE UNTO HIM".

John 14:8-9, when Philip asked Jesus to show them the Father, Jesus replied, "Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip?" (10) "...the Father that DWELLETH IN ME, he doeth the works".

Colossians 1:15, speaking of the Son, "Who is the image of the INVISIBLE God".

Colossians 2:9, speaking of Christ, "For IN HIM dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily". That leaves no other part of the Godhead to exist.

2nd Corinthians 5:19, "To wit, that God was IN CHRIST, reconciling the world unto himself".

The Word, which was with God and was God, was the body of God, and the Spirit translated His body as a seed into Mary's womb. Whoever placed the seed within the mother, is the child's father, thus God the Spirit is the Father of Jesus, the temple of God.

The Holy Spirit is our portion of God's Spirit within us, but Jesus had the FULNESS of the Spirit.

Answer 11

It's kind of stale news, hasn't been updated much in 2000 years.
Maybe it's just time to move on?