I am often asked, “you don’t take the Bible literally do you?”. The underlying implication behind this question is usually quite clear: I mean, how naive, suggestible and stupid are you?.
It is a common assumption in our modern culture that believing the Bible to be true requires leaving your intellect at the door. But is that actually the case? How should we approach the ancient texts of Scripture?
To answer this major question, we have to define what “biblical literalism” actually is. My response to that is based on what someone once said that I found really helpful: The Bible says that Herod is a fox, but that doesn’t mean he has pointy ears and a bushy tail. The Bible also says that Jesus is a door, but that doesn’t mean he is flat, wooden, and swinging on hinges.
Here is exactly how I define it: “So taking the Bible literally means taking it on the terms it was intended to be taken. It means taking the author’s original intention into account”.
When we understand literalism this way, it completely shapes how we read the text. If I am reading something in the Bible that is poetic or prophetic, I am reading them as such. I recognize the use of metaphors, ancient idioms, and rhetorical devices.
However, if I am reading historical narrative, I am understanding that this is an account of what happened, framed within a theological context. We must look at the literary genre of the specific book we are reading to truly grasp its meaning.
For example, if I am reading a gospel, I listen to Luke, who began his gospel by explicitly telling us why he wrote it. He said he carefully investigated everything from the beginning and that it seemed good to him to write an orderly account for someone called Theophilus, and other people by extension.
Luke is telling us that what he is writing is based on eyewitness testimony; this has been researched and scrutinised, and it is a compilation of eyewitness accounts. So, as I read it, I can take that literally. I can say, “okay, I’m dealing with eyewitness accounts”.
Now, of course, I need to weigh that then. I need to ask myself the question: are these eyewitnesses accurately reflecting what happened? Are they correctly recounting what they saw?. There are different ways that we can ask that question and test for it historically.
Ultimately, it is not naive or stupid to honour the intention of the author in their writing and to read a text on its own terms. Rather than a blind, unthinking reading, true biblical literalism requires us to engage deeply with the literature, history, and context of the scriptures.
And if that means taking it literally, I am happy to do so.
If you are looking to take these truths from your head to your heart—especially as we navigate the heavy realities of pain, trauma, and trying to live faithfully in a broken world—I want to invite you to explore my book, Forgiveness. Together, we look closely at one of the most challenging yet profoundly restorative commands of Jesus, discovering how it is possible to find healing and hope even when it feels impossible.
