GOUGE OUT MY EYE? REALLY?
"When
He was alone, the Twelve and the others around Him asked Him about the
parables. He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given
to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so
that they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but
never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!" - Mark 4:10-12
Have you ever heard anyone
say, “I believe everything in the Bible, literally?” Well, if you have,
that person is probably misguided. Why is that? There is a big
difference in saying that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God and
saying that every word should be taken literally. Take a look at the
teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount: Jesus said, “If your
right eye makes you stumble, tear it out, and throw it from you; for
it’s better for you to lose one of the parts of your body than for your
whole body to be thrown into hell.” Jesus was not actually urging us to
pluck our eyes out. He was talking about the seriousness of sin, and how
we must repent of sin, lest we wind up in hell. But, if every word
Jesus uttered is taken literally, every one of us must immediately gouge
out both eyes!
Remember that Jesus taught
in parables, metaphors and allegories. He used these devices to make the
broader spiritual point. Does that water down Scripture? Absolutely
not. Jesus was simply using memorable illustrations to communicate
perfect truth. And that’s where the guidance of the Holy Spirit comes in
to play; to help us distinguish between literal truth and a parable,
thereby allowing us to understand the rich truths of our faith.
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