• Figures of speech, continued:
    • Synecdoche (similar to metonymy: uses a part to refer to the whole; or the whole for the part)
      • “Give me a hand.”
      • “He’s running from the law.”
      • Genesis 3:19
      • Matthew 6:11
      • John 15:5
    • Misusing figures
      • Don’t mix figures from different passages.
        • Ephesians 6:17 – Sword means the Word of God. What does it mean in Romans 13:4? Capital punishment.
        • Is Jesus a door (John 10:9) or a shepherd (John 10:11)? Is he a vine (John 15:5) or a stone (Acts 4:11)?
      • Don’t take an unintended lesson from the figure.
        • This is probably the largest abuse of figures.
        • John 10:1-6 – Jesus is the shepherd and we are the sheep.
        • In what way are we to “become like children” (Matthew 18:3)? We are to be humble like children.
        • The church is the “body” of Christ (Ephesians 4:23). Does that mean we should prop up the church with supplements and new things until it dies, then replace it? No. This passage is talking about Jesus’ authority over the church.
        • I John 5:1 – Once a child of God, always a child? No. Other passages show that one can fall away from his faith and no longer enjoy the blessings of that relationship with God. See John 1:12.