THE ERROR OF ALLEGORY
January 28th | Pastor Gino
Many Christian's today commit the error of allegory when reading the Scriptures. Allegory is adding an abstract thought (one’s own idea) to a story or narrative and the message it conveys. One of the more popular stories of Scripture where this occurs is David and Goliath. People are sometimes told that they are David and are able to overcome the Goliath's in their life thru the 5 smooth stones of courage, faith, prayer, belief, and hope (or something like that).
Another popular story where this occurs is in the story of Jonah and the whale. It is allegorized in way in which people of faith will state that they had to have a ‘Jonah experience’ in order for God to get their attention and bring them around to finally make a decision about something going on in their life.
Now, there are times when we need to exercise more courage, faith, and hope to overcome difficulties in our lives. And there are season in which God brings or allows difficult circumstances to occur in our lives in order to get our attention. So what’s the problem?
The danger of allegorizing the stories of Scripture and reducing them to the moral application of things we should or shouldn’t do is that we risk missing the true nature of what God is seeking to communicate thru His Word. It’s true that these stories contain a message that goes beyond the events themselves. But our understanding of things like foreshadowing; types; metaphor; spiritual correlation; and so on, must be informed by Scripture, not our own ideas. This is the error of allegory.
In the story of David (a foreshadowing of Christ) we see God’s man destroy the enemy of God even when the task seemed insurmountable (1 Samuel 17:11). In the story of Jonah we see God change the hearts of his enemies thru a rebellious and obstinate prophet. Something that was seemingly impossible to fathom. We see in these stories, both the justice and compassion of God. His justice in taking the head of Goliath and his compassion in saving a depraved and hostile people group in Nineveh. The words of God “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and compassion on whom I have compassion” come to mind (Romans 9:15-16; Exodus 33:19) as we see God’s justice and mercy come to fruition in the story of redemption.
These truths ought to humble us and remind us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and understanding (Proverbs 9:10). They ought to remind us that God is the hero of Scripture as He moves the universe closer and closer to its restoration in the return of the King, the Lord Jesus Christ.
So, what are we to do with all this? First, stop allegorizing the Scriptures. As my youngest daughter has profoundly said, “Don’t undermine the fact that the story already has meaning.” Second, learn and grow in your understanding of how to properly interpret the Scriptures. A good study bible will go a long way in helping you to do just that. I often recommend the ESV Study Bible. Another favorite is the Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible. They’re not only good study bibles, but also contain articles to help you better understand the faith we hold so dear and The Story for which we are all involved.
It’s often said that salvation is monergistic (of God alone), but that our sanctification (growing) is synergistic (our walking with God). This is true. And, while God will do the heavy lifting of transformation in our lives, He will not do the walking of sanctification for us. This you must do for ourselves. God has much to say to us and much to teach us thru His Word. Let us be diligent in understanding it rightly so that we can adore Him, serve Him, and enjoy Him forever!
