THE ESSENCE OF TRANSFORMATION
The basic truth that must be grasped for anyone who hopes to be transformed is that the law is holy and spiritual as provided in these verses:
Romans 7:12-14: So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good. 13 Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, working death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. 14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold under sin.
What we learn here is that the law is good and holy. This makes sense to our logical minds, but we find an apparent contradiction in other scriptures that say we should not want to be under the law because the letter of the law brings death. This apparent contradiction challenges us to discover what God means by “the law” because understanding appears to be the difference between life and death.
Putting it as simplistically as possible, the life and death issue hinges on whether the Bible is interpreted literally or symbolically. Or to put it another way, life and death depends on our ability to listen to God’s voice. We know that such a statement will offend both Jews and Christians because both religions have based their doctrines on literal interpretations of scripture. The way we see it, however, both religions have erred greatly in adopting such doctrines.
That is the bad news. The good news, however, is that the challenges of literal vs. symbolic interpretation are all part of God’s redemptive plan.
The symbolic interpretations are hidden in the literal words of God as mysteries, but they are not found in the literal words themselves. The written word is but a shadow of the spiritual word that is revealed only to New Covenant disciples who can hear God’s voice.
From the prophets who first recorded God’s word to the interpreters who translated from Hebrew and Greek to English and other languages, all were unable to say adequately or competently in natural words written on paper what God can say with spiritual words spoken to and written on the hearts of people.
The plain fact is that man’s ability to understand and communicate through the written and spoken word is limited. The plain fact is that God’s ability to communicate through his spirit is unlimited. The sooner people realize these facts the better off they will be.
God knows these facts, of course, and that is why his preferred method of communication is directly with man through the spirit of man. People who are willing to settle for only a little bit of God will be satisfied with the written word of God and its interpretation by mortal men. People who want to know God as fully as possible will listen for God’s voice spoken to their hearts.
It is impossible for literal translations to accurately and reliably represent truth because of the basic differences between flesh and spirit. Anything that is physical is limited in its ability to communicate. The translation will always be influenced by personal and cultural experiences and understandings. This fact opens up the very real possibility that God will be misunderstood and misrepresented. It also results in lack of agreement on what God means as mortal men use their natural languages, both written and spoken, to represent their personal views about God. This is why we have so many different versions of the Bible and so many different religions that claim to represent God. The broad disagreement on theology, liturgy and religious practices found on the religious landscape are evidence that literal interpretations will always be faulty in one way or another.
God’s solution for overcoming all of the problems and limitations of the written word has always been to have his people listen to his voice. The written words of the Bible are important introductions to God but they cannot possibly reveal the depth of a very big, very complex God and his ways. That is why he uses stories (i.e. parables) which have meanings that open the mind and spirit to meanings that go way beyond literal words. People who are satisfied with literal interpretations grasp what they can understand by using their intellect and the intellect of others. But people who know that there are deeper, spiritual meanings and who listen for God’s voice to reveal those meanings will have their eyes opened to the fullness of God and no longer be satisfied with rigid, narrow, literal interpretations.
In God’s language, literal interpretation is a key feature of Old/First Covenant religion. His remedy is New Covenant discipleship in which people listen to his voice. A disciple is one who learns, and his primary source of knowledge is God’s voice — not the literal words of the Bible and not human teachers and writers. That does not mean that a disciple never learns from another person, but is very discerning about who he/she learns from. A disciple takes God’s word about not trusting other men for instruction about God.
The only reliable way to avoid the problems of literal interpretation is to hear from God directly. His spoken word contains pure truth unencumbered by all the untruths and misinterpretations that mortal men have woven into the literal words of God since they began to record what they heard God say. We find this principle in what God says about listening to teachers compared to listening to his Spirit. Hearing God’s voice is the essence of the New Covenant.