Literal terms are just that, literal. “A metaphor is a comparison made between two or more things using figurative or descriptive language. Metaphors serve to make difficult to understand ideas or concepts more tangible. Metaphors also infuse written text with vivid descriptions that make the text more vibrant and enjoyable to read.”
The above is a quote from the webpage “15 Famous Metaphors in The Bible”
The 15 examples of Metaphors listed include two by Isaiah.
Isaiah 64:8, “But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.”
Isaiah 5:5, “And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down:”
The other 13 Metaphors listed are Proverbs 13:14, Psalms 23:1, John 6:35, John 8:12, Revelations 19:7, Deuteronomy 32:4, Psalm 18:2, Revelations 21:6, Genesis 49:9, John 14:6, John 15:5, Corinthians 5:17 and Matthew 5:13.
So how do I discern the distinctions between metaphorical terms and literal terms? By reading the Word, discerning areas of agreement and disagreement:
Although Revelations 21:6 is included as a metaphor I believe God meant it as literal when He said, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end."
Same for John 14:6, “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”
Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” The author states that “In this example, followers of Christ are said to be “a new creation.” It is metaphorical, of course, because something already existing cannot be created.” Wrong, we are a new creation as we reject our old self.
Metaphors not mentioned in the above webpage:
John 10:7, “Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.”
John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
Surely Jesus was not saying that he was an actual door, rather that he is the way to salvation.
Matthew 23:37 and Luke 13:34 quote Jesus as saying, "how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!"
Jesus has feathers, I think not! Rather Jesus seeks to gather us up and cover us with the redemption he earned for us through His work on the cross.
Then there is twisting of Scripture which is metaphoric in nature but used as literal to promote an agenda.
Matthew 16:18, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” This has been twisted by the Roman Catholic Church to qualify the apostle Peter as the first pope establishing an unbroken line of popes since the days of Christ. The rock that Jesus speaks of is indeed Himself. The name Peter (Petros) means a small stone. This passage has been used to justify revelations by the pope as having more authority than the Word of God.
When Jesus told the disciples in Corinthians 11:24 and 25 to drink wine and eat bread in remembrance of Him it was just that, a commemoration of the gift of Jesus provided by his death on the cross. This is also been twisted by the Roman Catholic Church into the doctrine of transubstantiation, that the wine and bread actually becomes a very blood and body of Christ. When Jesus initiated this ritual he was physically in the presence of his disciples, obviously a metaphor.
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