A Really Real Mountain?

“…this mountain.” We have a generation of Bible believers who pride themselves in taking the entire Bible literally. But one must be careful he or she does not go too far pursuing this ideal. The Jews of the Old Testament, and those of Jesus’ day, were strict literalists. Subsequently, they missed the truth God was trying to teach them on many occasions.

When discussing the New Birth with Nicodemus, this Jewish rabbi thought Jesus was referring to the physical, when it is plain He was speaking spiritually. And when Christ spoke of eating His flesh and drinking His blood, His hearers took it literally, when the context shows He was presenting a spiritual truth. Again, speaking to the disciples, He warned them to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and so they, being literalists, took it that way. They did not understand He spoke of their doctrine.

It is important to remember at all times that God is a Spirit, and that the Bible is a Spiritual Book. It is to be interpreted by a spiritual man or woman, by comparing spiritual things with spiritual. What a challenge to be Spirit-filled when coming to God’s Spiritual Book. If not, we are in danger of making certain scriptures literal and physical, when God is speaking in the spiritual sense. The carnal Christian, along with self-appointed scholars will invariably follow Jewish tradition of old. That is, taking literal many important passages of Scripture God intended to be understood as spiritual.