Literally

I’m figuratively afraid that many people literally do not know what literally means. Many of those wrong on its meaning think it’s some means of intensifying. “I could drink an ocean” means “I’m thirsty.” “I could literally drink an ocean” is literally false but typically is intended to communicate “I’m very, very thirsty,” which could certainly be true.

There is, however, a whole other branch of people who don’t understand what the word means- those who, for whatever, reason, want to affirm they believe the Bible but who literally don’t believe the Bible. They say, “I believe the Bible is God’s Word, but you can’t take it literally.” Here literally means, “as if it were true” or, to put it another way, “as if it were God’s Word.”

Can we take the Bible literally? That depends on what literally literally means. If it means, “as true” not only can we do so but we would be foolish not to. If it means intensifying our belief, so that saying, “I literally believe the Bible is true” once again we’d be foolish not to. What literally literally means, however, is “in the literary form it is intended.” That is, to understand the Bible literally is to understand it as it was written. We treat the differing genres the Bible uses in light of those genres. Metaphors we understand as metaphors. Historical accounts we understand as historical accounts. Commands we understand as commands. To interpret metaphors as history is not to interpret literally but to fail to do so. When Jesus says, “I am the door” (John 10:7) we’d be misunderstanding Him if we thought His body included hinges.

When, however, God says “For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person nor covetous man who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God” (Ephesians 5:5) and someone says we should not take this “literally” then they are literally guilty of the next verse, “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience” (5:6). The world, and the church is filled with people who are willing to tip their hat to the Word of God, to seek to borrow from its credibility, until it steps on their toes. Suddenly it becomes an old book that’s been translated a million times that shouldn’t be taken literally.

We must not let people set up camp in this make believe world. With both firmness and gentleness our call is prophetic, to call on such to choose this day what they will believe. Either God’s Word is God’s Word or Baal’s word is God’s word. We must also flee ourselves from such folly. We mustn’t nuance away the parts of the Bible that expose our sins, nor the sins of those we fear might be offended. To do such is literally to be a fool. To stand on God’s Word is figuratively to build your house upon the Rock.