Unregistered

Drake

Answer: The reason I keep emphasizing to understand the Bible LITERALLY, is because due to my ignorance of not knowing anything about “Hermeneutics” or method of interpretation I got deceived, for many years, by the erroneous teaching of W. Lee who “allegorizes” the Bible in his interpretation. As I mentioned earlier: “allegorization is the license for inventing doctrine”, through allegorization, anyone can say what they want by making it fit with the verses.

ALLEGORICAL-------------------HERMENEUTICS-----------------LITERAL

In the chart from above (I am using a dear brother’s chart) you can see the more you go to the “right” (Literal), the better you understand what the Bible is trying to tell us. The more you go to the “left” (allegory), the more you can say whatever you want to say. Having said what is above, it is important to understand that the Bible tells us when the Bible is using “allegory” (example: Gal 4:24), or when the Bible is using “metaphors” (example: 2Cor 3:18, mirror), or when the Bible is using “similes” (example: 1Thes 5:2, “like” a thief), another simile: Mt 10:16 (“as” sheep). There are over 200 literary figures of speech in the Bible that we need to seriously pay attention to: like, as, appearance, look like, resembles, etc, etc, etc,….

Using Mt 5:29, 30. We need to understand in the “context” of the Bible, meaning according to the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). If we “literally” pluck our right eye, we will still want to watch those things that we shouldn’t be watching, because the eye is ONLY a vehicle to watch things we shouldn’t be watching. So, what is the real problem? It is not the eye, but what is in our heart, what is in our mind. The Lord Jesus Himself said: Mt 15:17-20. 17“Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? 18“But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. 19 “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. 20“These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.” In this case, we realize that the Bible is telling us don’t pluck out your eye “literally”. But in MOST of the Bible, the meaning is LITERAL, because “the Bible says what it means and means what it says” except when the Bible tells us otherwise. This is the reason why we need to look at the Bible with magnifying glasses paying attention to ALL the details of the Bible (Mt 5:17,18) ACCORDING to the WHOLE counsel of God (Acts 20:27).

Also in Mt 23: 37. 37“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. This verse doesn’t mean that the Lord Jesus is a “hen”.

I hope this explanation helps some, I don’t claim to know everything, but I try to do my homework and I ask “what does it mean?” to our dear Lord, since He is the Author of the Bible. Also, the goal is to learn from one another because “nobody” knows everything.

I would like to mention what I said at the beginning: “Don't believe anything I say, check it out for yourselves and come to your own conclusions, this is "TOO" important to trust somebody else with your spiritual destiny”.

A lover of Jesus and His Word.