Literally True Versus Carrying Truths
I was reading about the definition of parables on wikipedia just now. It says" A parable is a brief, succinct story, in prose or verse, that illustrates a moral or religious lesson" and apparently they formed one third of Jesus' teachings in the New Testament or thereabouts...
And so, according to a recent Alpha session, in the Bible although stories such as the Parable of the Good Samaritan may not literally be true, they carry truths within them to teach and instruct. This is, when looking at Genesis and the fall of man, a source of great relief to me... I have always struggled with the literal existence of the Garden of Eden, the serpent, and the tree of knowledge.
But Genesis chaps 2 and 3 don't need to be taken literally to instruct. Here you see that man is given a free will, because God does not want him to have free will, man decides he wants it his own way and distances himself from God through his behaviour - something that happens a lot today if you think about it - the tendency to want complete control over our lives and what we do and our actions which distances us from God, but at the same time wanting God to stop all bad things from happening and questioning why he doesn't get involved more...
And so, according to a recent Alpha session, in the Bible although stories such as the Parable of the Good Samaritan may not literally be true, they carry truths within them to teach and instruct. This is, when looking at Genesis and the fall of man, a source of great relief to me... I have always struggled with the literal existence of the Garden of Eden, the serpent, and the tree of knowledge.
But Genesis chaps 2 and 3 don't need to be taken literally to instruct. Here you see that man is given a free will, because God does not want him to have free will, man decides he wants it his own way and distances himself from God through his behaviour - something that happens a lot today if you think about it - the tendency to want complete control over our lives and what we do and our actions which distances us from God, but at the same time wanting God to stop all bad things from happening and questioning why he doesn't get involved more...
Comments
Post a Comment