A Literal Truth.

One thing often stated about the Bible is that it is taken too literally. That much of what is said is in hubris or emphasis or some other writing style on behalf of the writer. Because of this, they often take the Bible to be open to interpretation. That God does not literally mean condemnation for specific acts or groups, or that the world was created in seven days. Even miracles are put into doubt.

But the Bible is not open to every single interpretation under the sun. Quite frankly, many of the present ones are very wrong. The Bible is not being facetious when it says the world was created with a word, or that Jesus rose from the dead. It is taken literally because the events described are literal. They display the glory and power of God through the story of creation and the miracles that follow. The plagues on Egypt were not of fancy. The impossible victories were, in fact, won. Yes man can not reproduce these things, yes he can not explain them in a lab. God is not a man. God has the power and splendor to perform these feats. It only serves to further illustrate the difference between creator and creation, as well as the glory of the creator. Perhaps most important, the message of the Bible comes from taking certain things literally.

God is not exaggerating about hell and sin. He is not exaggerating when he says that man is hopeless and evil and that there are things we must not do. Those rules are real and definitive. They are not simply colored by the morals of that time. By taking away the literal message of God's word, you also take away the impact and importance of the Message therein. There is power in the act of the Son of Man's death on the cross. There is power in his sacrifice and suffering, and his resurrection from the dead. It was not figurative suffering. It was not an ideal, or a concept for Christians. Christ literally died. He literally bore our punishment and sins. He was literally cut off from God. And he certainly rose from death in victory. Scripture states a fundamental message about the glory and righteousness of God, the depravity of man, and the Messiah. It states explicitly many things that would have no meaning if they were merely a story. There are things that are not to be discounted in this world. Things that are constant and objective and absolute. You can not change that by denying them.

-BlackFox

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