(7) If there is one statement that is fundamental to the understanding of the Bible it is

this: God means what He says and has a meaning for everything He says in His

Word. If this is not so, then all search is useless and we can never be sure of what He

wishes to convey to us. To put it another way, we must approach the Bible from the

literal stand-point. This word "literal" can be ambiguous. What do we mean by it? We

can define it in this way: the customary, socially-acknowledged designation of a word is

the literal meaning of that word. If we were to put our own special meaning on words,

no one could understand us. This is surely obvious. But it does not mean that figures of

speech, symbols, allegory and type are to be ignored or taken literally. These are a study

in themselves and will be considered later on. But let it be said here that behind all

figures of speech is literality, otherwise they could convey no certain meaning to us at all.

The literal meaning of a word is the basic, customary meaning of that word, and therefore

to interpret literally is nothing more or less than interpreting words in their normal

customary and proper designation, and only in this way can divergences of opinion be

eliminated, and the authority of Scripture honoured.

When we read a book, we presume the sense is literal, for this is the only conceivable

method of communication. If we had to weigh over every word of a book to find some

other meaning than the literal, we should soon be forced to give it up in despair. If God

wishes to communicate with man, He will do it in words whose meaning men can

understand and accept, otherwise His message would never reach the human mind.

Therefore we must ever keep before us this great guiding principle: that we approach the

Scriptures literally, using that Word in the sense already explained. This cannot be

overstressed and failure to do this is largely the cause of so much division that we see all

around us in Christendom.

A large part of the Bible makes significant sense when literally interpreted. All the

great basic doctrines of God's Word rest clearly on literal exposition. The historical

books make sense only when so interpreted, and geographical terms likewise. The

opposite of this is spiritualizing or the allegorical treatment of Scripture. This is not the

same as making a spiritual application of a passage of Scripture or recognizing real

allegories therein. This is legitimate. Rather is it treating the majority or the whole of the

Bible in this way which is quite another matter. We shall have more to say about this

later on. Meanwhile, let us thank the Lord that He has been pleased to stoop down to

reveal His Truth to us in human words that we can receive and understand under the

guidance of the Holy Spirit, and in consequence rejoice in the eternal riches contained