“What Do You Mean By That?”

Friday, September 13, 2013

In a previous post, you stated that we should interpret the Bible literally.   Even though it goes against modern science, you stated that God created the world in six literal days.  There was no reason to think the author of Genesis was not being literal when referring to the amount of time it took God to create the world.  My question is simple.  As a christian, how do I obey Christ in His command found in John 6:54?  John 6:54 says, “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”  How do I know when the Scriptures are being literal and when they are not being literal?

Sincerely,
Flummoxed

Dear Flummoxed,

Actually, in that post we said, “The Bible does say that the world was created in six literal days, and the internal context of the Book (emphasis added) doesn’t give us any reason to read those days as figurative.”  Not everything in the Bible is literal, but just like in normal life and conversation – we assume it is literal unless the context tells us otherwise.  The verse you mentioned, Jhn 6:54, is a perfect example of this because in the context, Jesus makes it clear that it is His words that they must ingest… not His physical body (Jhn 6:63).  Jesus obviously isn’t condoning cannibalism.  As in all literature and human interaction, context defines whether something is literal, metaphorical, etc.  When Jesus says He is the door (Jhn 10:9), context makes it clear that He is a figurative door to salvation… not a literal door with hinges.  When David said he “makes his bed to swim” with tears (Ps 6:6), we all understand him to be speaking figuratively about his sorrow… he isn’t addressing a supernatural event that allowed him to fill a room with tears while avoiding dehydration!  Context always rules the day.  Assume literal unless the context tells you otherwise.

Share