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Biblical Literalism

Perhaps the greatest harm Christians do to themselves is to make or accept intellectual assessments of the bible. These often include seeing the bible in part or whole as metaphorical. allegorical, or otherwise non-literal. There can be problems with various translation choices, but having access to the original languages helps overcome these. The biggest problem is setting ourselves up as judges of what God meant.

1. Contradictions. Some use contradictions in the bible to assert that it is unreliable. Proverbs has two adjacent verses that say that one should and should not answer a fool according to his folly. However, one verse says not to if you are in danger of getting sucked in and the other says to go ahead if you think you can help him. Other verses make claims such as Jesus telling his disciples “greater things you will do” not as a promise to all Christians today but in reference to what they can expect to do in the kingdom once it is established.

Those of Israel are told to persevere while Christians are assured that they already have salvation. This is because there are two different gospels (Gal 2:7). Many contradictions can be explained by considering who is being told what under which circumstances.

2. Prophecies. Many who profess themselves to be wise can see no way that the future could be foretold. As a result they try to explain the fulfilled prophecies by Daniel by asserting that Daniel was written after many of the predictions had already occurred. While God is all-knowing, one should have expected that anyone like the Messiah appearing would be a threat to an established group of religion administrators who would take whatever actions the could to protect their positions. That this death also served God’s purpose was not revealed before hand (1Cor 2:7-8).

3. The Supernatural. Intellectuals do not like to think that there is anything they do not understand. As a result, things like the supernatural are often reflexively dismissed as the assumptions of less able minds. They can see in the recounting of an historical event that includes a supernatural event as in need to be explained away.

4. So-called Science. A biblical skeptic once scoffed at the idea of a world wide flood because there is not enough water to cover the whole earth to the height of Mt. Everest. He simply assumed the Mt. Everest has always been that tall an did not consider that crustal displacement may have been a result of the flood. These also cannot see how the world could be created in six days. However, one might ask what would be impossible for an all powerful God.

Perhaps the singular disadvantage of the intellectual is pride. This is a sort of blindness that can lead one to disparage both God and his word.

Rom 3:4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

Joh 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

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