Introduction

• John 16:25

• The Bible is 100% true, but not 100% literal.

• The Bible contains lots of figurative language.

  • I Peter 5:8

  • Deuteronomy 1:28

  • Isaiah 66:1

  • John 6:48

  • John 8:12

  • John 10:9

  • John 15:5

  • Matthew 13:3-8

• Figurative language in the Bible makes the message more vivid, powerful, and memorable.

When should we take a word or phrase figuratively?

When it is said to be figurative

• John 2:18-21
• Galatians 4:24
• Ephesians 6:17 – “sword of the spirit”
• Isaiah 9:2

When a literal understanding contradicts another passage

• Mark 10:5 – Literally “all” the people? Luke 7:29

When it matches a pattern of figurative language in other passages.

• John 6:27 – “do not work for food”
• I John 3:18 – “do not love with word or tongue”

When a literal understanding contradicts known facts or common sense.

• John 3:3, 5 – being “born again” (compare I Peter 1:23)

When should we NOT take a word or phrase figuratively?

When a literal understanding simply contradicts our beliefs.

• This is intellectually dishonest!

If we miss a figure, we miss the meaning

• John 10:11
• John 11:11-14
• Matthew 16:6-12
• Matthew 26:26-29 – Partaking of Jesus’ body and blood in the Lord’s Supper. Missing this figure results in doctrines like transubstantiation.

Conclusion

• The Bible means what it means!
• There are lots of figures of speech in the Bible, and we need to do our best to accurately and objectively understand them.