A weekly dialogue of ideas on matters of a religious nature.

If you have a question or a subject you need an answer to, put it to our local ministers for their ideas.

Click Here

"Which things are an Allegory."
-- God's Greater Realities--

In an extensive discussion of The Law, as it related to the New Testament church, the Apostle Paul wrote in the book of Galatians 4, that the Law and the two sons Paul talked about were not as real as one would imagine. Instead, although their existence was real as we attribute reality today and during his time, there was a greater reality that was at work.

In Galatians 4, Paul said that Abraham had two sons, and those two sons represented two covenants--a son by Hagar and a son by Sarah. These two sons generated a degree of friction between Sarah, Abraham's wife, Hagar, Abraham's servant and the mother one of his sons, Ishmael, and between Abraham and Sarah. So they were real enough for Abraham, but compared to their real purpose for existing in the plan of God, they were almost unreal as individuals. God had a plan, and He used the two children as metaphors for a greater reality than themselves. They represented covenants God would make with Abraham and the Gentiles. In this representation, one can see that God uses individuals to stand for something else He has determined is more important than the individuals. This metaphorical pattern is shown throughout Scriptures and is part of the key to understanding the Scriptures.

After explaining the sons of the Sarah and Hagar, Paul said in the 24th verse, "Which [these] things were an allegory." Isaac and Ishmael did not know that they were an allegory, but they were. They were metaphors of two covenants to be made with man. Therefore, God caused them to be begotten to show the direction He was moving in.

Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus, in Ephesians 5, and discussed the marriage union, but after extensive delineation of the partners' roles in marriage, he stated in the 32nd verse, "...But I speak concerning the church." In short, Paul was saying that the marriage union is a metaphor for the church. It is to be a mirror of the church of God, which is the Bride of Christ. It is written that a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and the twain shall be one flesh; this action is, in fact, an earthly allegory for a spiritual reality. God is showing the nature of the church to Christ. After Paul discusses the relation of the wife to the husband, he then tells us at the end of that discussion that he was actually talking about Christ and the church.

This pattern is repeatedly  seen in the Scriptures; it is a pattern of God's use of humans and earthly objects metaphorically to speak, showing his directions and thoughts. 

In Romans 1, Paul [the major scholar and writer of New Testament Scriptures] states that the invisible [spiritual] things of God are clearly manifested [made visible or known] by the things that appear. The things that are knowable and clearly seen are things, which speak to God's intent and thought. That is, the things He has made and not allowed Satan to corrupt are standing to aid us in divining his intent. 

To understand the pattern of his physical creation is to understand the pattern and organization of God's spiritual reality. And the spiritual reality is the sum of his most important work--God is a spirit.  Also, if we understand His physical creation and organization, we can understand the dynamics of faith.

Both the Roman Centurion and the Syrophinician woman understood the above principle of God [which is a principle of faith and of understanding the will and directions of God] so well that they bent the paradigm under which Jesus was operating and made Him respond to them.

That paradigm was this: Jesus was sent to the Jews first--both the Roman Centurion and the Syrophenician woman were Gentiles. He had not gone to Calvary, therefore, He had not completed his mission to the Jews. When the woman asked Jesus to heal her daughter, Jesus said that it was not right that He would service her because He was sent to the Jews first. Using a metaphor, He said: "...Let the children first be filled; for it is not right to take the children's, and to cast it unto the dogs." This woman understood this greater reality and she also understood the metaphors of life. Her response was this: "...Yes, Lord; yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs." She took the metaphor, saw its reality and understood that God had built an exception into His paradigm of the Jews first. She applied for that exception and got it! Jesus responded: "...For this saying, go your way; it's done as you requested." (Mark 7)

This pattern is repeatedly seen in the Scriptures. The Roman Centurion wanted Jesus to heal his servant; Jesus said that He would go with the Centurion and heal him. But the man replied: I am a man under authority. I speak and men come or go according to my word. All you have to do is likewise speak, and my servant will be healed.

Jesus turned and looked at the man, seeing that he understood the metaphors God has placed in His creation, which can guide and instruct us in faith and an understanding of His will. The Scripture records that Jesus marveled and said, "...I have not found so greater faith, no, not in Israel." That Roman Centurion, as the Syrophinician woman, saw the exception to the paradigm Jesus was operating under and applied for it. And Jesus granted it. (Luke 7)

Although Jesus was taking the children's bread and casting it to dogs, it was the exception in the plan of God. But only if one could break the code of ignorance and see what God was saying. The Centurion had broken the code and understood that he was a man who gave orders on an earthly realm to his soldiers, and they carried those orders out without hesitation--they were soldiers. He understood this universal, natural-realm truth and  reasoned that Jesus was operating on a spiritual realm and could do the same to his charges--angels; he understood that the natural order was only a reflection of the spiritual order. He understood that truth before Paul had written in Romans 1 about understanding the spiritual by understanding the natural. He knew that if Jesus was a king not of this world but of a spiritual world, unseen but real and present, he only needed to do as a commander does and his soldiers into action. Jesus marveled at his knowledge, labeling it faith, and gave the order, and the servant was healed that same hour.

The Centurion saw the natural order as a metaphor for God's spiritual order. He understood that the invisible things of God by clearly seeing the things that do appear. Now we know that the worlds were framed by the Word of God--the consistent Word of God. And, as David said, the very heavens declare the glory of God (Psalms 19). The things that God made were made on an order scheme He repeats through his creation. If one looks at and carefully observes those things that can be seen, one can decipher the invisible things of God, because God has made them all in the same order. Because of that truth, David spoke elsewhere and said, there is no speech nor language where God's voice is not heard. (Psalms 19) This is a key to understanding some important principles of the Word of God.