GOD ALWAYS SPEAKS IN PARABLES
Many surveys have been conducted over the years to document what people of different religions believe about how the Bible should be interpreted. Most survey respondents believe that it is the actual, inspired word of God and is to be taken literally, word for word, while some will allow that some of it should be taken literally and other parts symbolically. These responses show how little religious people really understand about parables in scripture, about Symbols, Signs, Types, Copies, Shadows and Patterns and the mystery of the Bible.d

STUDY TIP: See this link for what the Bible says about Jesus speaking in parables.

For obvious reasons, it is beyond the scope of those surveys to identify which, if any, parts of the Bible should, or should not, be taken literally. This is not surprising given the volume, complexity and mystery of the Bible. As a practical matter, however, it can be said that those parts which do not easily lend themselves to literal interpretation are the parts which are parables. These are the parts that make no sense literally and are difficult or impossible for the average person of modest means to apply in a meaningful way. They are the parts that include parables, Symbols, Signs, Types, Copies, Shadows and Patterns and mystery, which are the substance of most of the Bible.

Why the Bible is so difficult to understand is hard for most people to understand. We might logically think that if God really wants people to love and obey him, and if he want people to learn about him from the written Bible, he would make Bible reading easy and simple. Simple and easy is how man would write a technical manual, but God does not think and do the way man does. Therefore, if we are honest in our assessment of the Bible, we would be forced to admit that the Bible is very hard to understand and impossible to obey.

When we look at the substance of religion, however, we find that the origins of Judaism and Christianity exist in those parts of the Bible that can be interpreted literally — even the parts which are in fact parables. In other words, the parts which should be interpreted as parables to teach spiritual truth are interpreted literally, or as close to literally as possible, by religious people. This the big problem for Jews and Christians who don’t understand that God’s voice and the Bible are not the same.

Jews and Christians understand that the Bible contains much symbolism and do their best to adapt that symbolism to their religions. Consider the following examples:

STUDY TIP: See Symbols, Signs, Types, Copies, Shadows and Patterns and subordinate pages for for examples.

Association of natural objects found in the Bible with other natural  objects is not what God wants his people to do. Associating natural things with other natural things results in religion — not righteousness.

God wants his people to learn how to interpret the spiritual symbolism of natural things, people and events found in the Bible. He makes this clear in scripture that discusses the “first the natural and then the spiritual” principle. He also tells us this when he says that all scripture useful for training in righteousness. Even scriptures and parables that Old/First Covenant religionists find impossible to understand are useful for training in righteousness by New Covenant disciples because New Covenant disciples listen to hear God’s spoken voice while reading.

Just the simple act of reading does not result in understanding of parables. If reading resulted in understanding, there would be no confusion or uncertainty. And if there were no confusion or uncertainty, there would not be so many different religions trying to make sense out of what they read.

The truth that faith comes by hearing is the reason that just reading the Bible does not result in understanding.

STUDY TIP: See this link for understanding of true faith.

Righteousness is an inner, spiritual condition of the heart that only God can see. Righteousness is a matter of faith that cannot be seen. Interpretation of natural things found in the Bible as natural things in contemporary life contributes to religion which can be seen. Therefore, if we use scripture as a source of rules for religious living, we have missed God’s purpose in giving us the Bible.

God is not unaware of the tendency of man to wrongly interpret the Bible. He accounts for that inclination when he tells us that the law is a stumbling block. But God also provides a remedy for people who wrongly interpret the Bible literally: Listen to his voice.

 STUDY TIP: See God’s Written Word and God’s Spoken Voice Part 1 and God’s Written Word and God’s Spoken Voice Part 2 for more about listening to God’s voice.

People who do not listen to God’s voice are stuck in religion. This is why God is so opposed to religion: It substitutes literal interpretation for listening to his voice. Thus, as religion focuses on natural things found in the Bible (e.g. rituals, places, artifacts), it successfully diverts people from listening to God voice and the spiritual truth which he speaks to their hearts.

Religion based on literal interpretations pose serious problems for religious people who sincerely desire to please God. They sincerely believe that by interpreting the Bible literally they have grasped what God expects of them. And then they work very hard to apply their literal interpretations to their religion. They have stumbled over the written law. They are under a curse that condemns them to practicing the sin of religion.

People who have read Relevancy of All Scriptures are hopefully convinced that their standing with God and their understanding of the Bible depends on their ability to accurately interpret and apply all scripture — including those parts which are difficult, and even impossible, to understand and apply. This will not happen, of course, unless they first understand that there is generally a big difference between reading God’s written word and listening to his spoken voice.

Sometimes the literal words of the Bible have the same value as God’s spoken word. But readers will not know when this is true or not unless God communicates the truth to them. It is always true, therefore, that hearing God’s voice is necessary to understanding the spiritual meaning.

Readers must always wrestle with the question of whether or not the Bible should be interpreted literally, or symbolically, or both. In this series of pages we will discuss the many ways that God informs us that symbolic interpretation is the only way to come to the spiritual understanding of all scripture. We will also review the many origins of religion found in literal interpretations of the Bible. These are found in scriptures that, with a little tweaking, have been easily converted to human rules (i.e. works of the flesh, religion) which are made up by men whose rules are laws that lead to death. And we will show how some of the mysterious scriptures should have been interpreted and applied.

The statement that literal interpretation of the Bible leads to death — and not to life — will be surprising, and even offensive, to people who base their religion on literal interpretations of the Bible. Such people must be informed that God equates religion based on literal interpretation of his word to being under the law. This truth will not be readily apparent to most readers, however, because they practice their religion according to religious laws that they think the Bible commands them to do. In their way of thinking, this is only reasonable because God’s word is truth. What they do not realize, however, that references to God’s word are to his spoken word — not to his literal word. Failure to make this important distinction is a stumbling block that has led both Jews and Christians astray for hundreds of generations.

Readers who are willing to plow their way through this website will learn to depend more on God’s voice and less and less on religious doctrines and traditions created and promoted by men from their literal understanding of scripture. As that happens for each individual, they will end their wandering through the wilderness of religion and enter the Promised Land. They will pass through the veil (i.e. religion) that separates Old/First Covenant religionists from God. In the language of the Bible, they will transition from spiritual death to spiritual life.

STUDY TIP: See Death, Resurrection and New Life for more about the transition from death to life.

God calls this process sanctification. It is accomplished when we are no longer conformed to this world (i.e. World of Religion), but are transformed by the renewing of our minds, so that we may correctly examine and test God’s will.

Romans 12:1-2: Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Ephesians 4:22-25: Put off your old nature which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. 25 Therefore, putting away falsehood, let every one speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

Examining and testing God’s will requires the ability to hear God’s spoken voice. It cannot be done by listening to the voices of human religious leaders. Therefore, it will not happen unless we first change our minds about listening to the voices of false prophets and about interpreting the Bible literally.