Literal or Symbolic Interpretation Part 1 of 3

UNDERSTANDING SCRIPTURE IS OUR PROBLEM TO SOLVE
Ultimately, we need to accept that our lack of understanding of particular scriptures simply means that God has not yet given us a heart to understand. In particular, it may simply mean that we have not been actively listening for his voice. Or, more likely, the reason we don’t hear God is that we are committed to listening to false prophets. If that is the case, we should not expect to hear God’s voice — except that he would convict us of the sin of religion and call us out of religion.

That God would put conditions on hearing his voice may not sound much like grace to people whose theology includes an expectation that God will just want to give them all the understanding they need when they need it and that he will do that unconditionally. We understand that theology, but we cannot reconcile it with what God said about wisdom in Proverbs 8:17 or with what Jesus said about seeking in Matthew 7:7-8.  Thus, our theology says that understanding of deep spiritual truths remains our problem to solve. It remains for us to decide if we really want to solve the problem and if we are willing to invest the effort to discover what God’s conditions are for making revelation known to us.

If we do conclude that we do want to do these things, all that is left to do is do it. It all depends on the strength of our desire to find God and know him intimately. It seems like the least we can do if we claim to love him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength.

Readers who want to learn more about symbolic interpretation would do well to to go to Literal or Symbolic Interpretation: Part 2. In the meantime, here are a few key points to remember:

  • God writes the law on the hearts of his people.
  • After the law is written on their hearts, people will no longer say to one another: “I know God. Let me teach you about him.” Each person will take personal responsibility for knowing God.
  • People who have the law written on their hearts will know God because the law reveals the depth and breadth of Gods character and his ways to them in ways that no human teacher can do.
  • People who have the law written on their hearts will have faith that obedience to the requirements of the written law is no longer necessary. They will understand that performance of the letter of the law yields death while the spirit of the law produces life. With that understanding, people will understand that they no longer need to engage in the religious rituals and ceremonies written in the literal law. They will understand that all the righteous requirements of the law will be fulfilled by people who have it written on their hearts. For them, God’s character is now part of who they are and it will be evident in their daily lives through their good works. They will understand that to be “in Christ” means that Christ’s character is now their character. And because Christ is the image of the living God, God’s character is now their character and that it will be revealed in everything they say and do. To the degree that people accept and act on this truth by faith, they will no longer find it necessary or desirable to engage in outward religious behaviors required by the written law (e.g. the Law of Moses, the oral laws and traditions of the Jews, or the laws and traditions of denominations and churches). Their righteousness is based on what is inside them (i.e. the law, character of God), not on the works of the written law (e.g.  sacrifices, tithes, offerings, feasts, temple worship, etc.).
  • People who know God actively listen to hear his voice and obey (i.e. apply) what they hear.
  • People will not need to teach or be taught about God because the law is written on their hearts.
  • The ability to know God will be available to everyone — not just those who have status as spiritual leaders because of their education or titles (i.e. priests).

Regarding rigid literal interpretations of scripture, here are a few key points to keep in mind:

  • It severely limits what God wants 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 underestimates God’s willingness to discipline those whom he loves.
  • It reinforces the position and control of spiritual leaders in an Old/First Covenant religious system, and
  • It effectively constrains individual disciples from maturing into New Covenant disciples.

Hebrews 12:2-12 tells us that we struggle against sin and that God disciplines those he loves. The story of the Apostle Paul’s conversion tells us that God had been pricking, or goading Saul to turn in the right direction. Saul, however, had been kicking against the pricks because he did not want to turn from the security (e.g. position, income, etc.) he enjoyed as a leader in the established religious structure of the day. The pricks were God’s discipline to turn Saul from trusting that religious structure and his knowledge of the literal law, but Saul resisted what God was trying to tell him. God ultimately had to strike Saul blind, of course, to get his attention, but that is what it took to turn him from his rigid literal interpretations of the law. And we know very well what God did through Saul, as a new creation called Paul, after he stopped resisting God and started listening to his voice.

The way we see it, Saul’s story is our story. In other words, God is pricking/goading everyone to turn from rigid, literal interpretations of the law to hearing his voice. Until that happens, we are blind to the deep, symbolic interpretations of the law which are the words of eternal life spoken by Jesus.

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