"HOW TO UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE" 
HE SPEAKS OUR LANGUAGE
as published in Toms River Church of Christ bulletin

          In speaking to man God used human language, the language rnan employs in everyday life. This includes literal fact to figurative statement, purpose to poetry, story to sermon, history to prophecy and law to example. Each has its own purpose and method of understanding.
       Literal language is used in the Bible simply to state facts, name persons and places, relate incidents, issue commandments and warnings, or draw conclusions. A great area of communication is best expressed in plain, literal facts both in our daily conversation and in the Bible. To search for hidden meanings and deep, spiritual understanding is never intended. Interpret God's simple statements just as they are. A good portion of your Bible is plain, literal language.
      Frequently God expresses a truth by use of a symbol, a story or other more descriptive means   (this is figurative). The twenty-third Psalm is an example.  To understand the literal and the figurative, we must use the same common  sense we apply to human literature and daily speech. Simply stated, consider every passage as literal with the following exceptions:
1. When it involves an impossibility or an absurdity, it would be figurative. Jesus said in Luke 9:60 "Let the dead bury their dead."
2. When it involves a contradiction or inconsistency, bviously its figurative. Study John 11:5-26. If this is all literal, Jesus is contradicting Himself.
3. When it involves an immoral conclusion its figurative. Matthew 18:8-9 Jesus commands us to cut off our hand or foot or pluck out our eye if it causes one to stumble. It's a sin to mutilate the body.
4. When it is otherwise stated. John 2:18-21 Jesus speaks of "destroying this temple" but V21 states "he spake of the temple of his body".
5. When it is otherwise implied by the context of the passage. After reading the entire section one can ascertain from the general sense whether  it is to be taken as literal or figurative.
6. Remember, always apply common sense.