Literal or Symbolic Interpretation Part 1 of 3

LITERAL INTERPRETATIONS ARE THE INSPIRATION FOR OLD/FIRST COVENANT RELIGION
In many denominations it is a settled fact that for every scripture there is only one, literal meaning. There are several problems with this thinking:

  • It severely limits what God may want to reveal to anyone.
  • It discourages individual disciples from doing their own spiritual digging to discover meanings different from those that religious leaders have already taught.
  • It contradicts what the Bible says about mystery and parables and other deep sayings about symbolism.
  • It grossly simplifies God’s character and his ways.
  • It reinforces the position and control of spiritual leaders in an Old/First Covenant religious system, and
  • Effectively constrains individual disciples from maturing into New Covenant disciples.

Even though we may believe that there is more to understand than the literal word of the Bible, we are sure to stumble over difficult scriptures. If we did not stumble, we would pridefully think we know the full mind and character of God. Nevertheless, knowing God is part of the New Covenant promise:

Jeremiah 31:33-34: But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each man teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

And we do have God’s word elsewhere that knowing him is possible and that he himself will teach us. In the meantime, when we do fail to understand difficult scriptures, we should always look for the symbolic meaning because we know it exists — even when we do not see it — because Jesus and God always spoke in parables. The search for the pearl of great price never ends for New Covenant disciples.

Coming to understanding of Biblical symbolism is partly an intellectual process and part spiritual. The intellectual part is in searching for related scriptures that give us clues to the meaning of the current scripture. This always involves going down many rabbit trails, some of which lead somewhere and some do not. Nevertheless, we do the digging with the expectation that we will eventually find that pearl of great value or the good fish. When we do this by faith that God will sooner or later open our spiritual eyes and ears, we have entered into that spiritual realm where we ask, seek and knock with all our heart.

When we find a scripture that is hard to understand in its literal form, we assume that it is a parable and then ask God what it means. We read with our natural eyes and ears until God gives us a mind to understand, spiritual eyes to see and spiritual ears to hear. 

Why God chooses to open our eyes to some scripture and not to others is a matter of the hardness of our own hearts. In our pride we do not know yet exactly where that hardness exists, but if we humbly acknowledge that we are not righteous and ask him to show us where the hardness exists, he will eventually reveal it to us. And when we are faithful to repent for  our hard hearts after God reveals them to us, he will be faithful to open our eyes and ears to spiritual understanding of those difficult scriptures.

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