I love analogies- often times I don't remember whole sermons or messages, but I remember the analogies, verbal & visual, that paint the picture of the message for me. However, as a learner & occasional teacher, I must beware of the accuracy of analogies.
First, analogies are meant primarily to illustrate the truth explained. But the truth must be shown to be true, scriptural, etc. Consider the following example (off the top of my head!)
"Imagine water. When water runs down a hill, or my driveway, it takes the path of least resistance. If something is in its way, it simply changes course, follows gravity, and ends up at the bottom of the hill, as far as it can go. In the same way, God wants you and me to take the path of least resistance..."
Now is what I said about water true? Yes. But when compared with God's message it does not explain the truth of how God wants us to live. The Bible tells us to be like Jesus, who endured the cross. Therefore, though my example is true in real life, it does not accurately connect to a truth about God.
While my example was drastic and obvious, many others are less so. What's my point? When you learn from the great teachers God has given you, make sure your head is down, fixed on and learning from your Bible and not simply an ornate analogy. Make sure that the truth of the Bible is explained and understood, and the analogy is a super-sidekick that colors the truth, not distorts it. And when you teach, do not rely on analogy alone to explain- make sure that the God-given tool of analogy fits the truth of Scripture, instead of morphing Scripture into your clever analogy.
Analogically speaking, just some "food" for thought...
Wow, this is good stuff.
ReplyDeleteIt seems, like any tool God gives us,
it can be used to help or hinder our view
of Him.
Keep writing that stuff that comes "off the top of your head." It's like the cream from cow's milk that rises to the top and contains most of the nutrients. Likewise, only what is on the top of your head should be considered valid...j/k.
:)
Amen.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things i love about the old puritan writers is the constant analogies and word pictures. God's sovereignty has secured innumerable lessons for us in nature, but like you said, do the work to make sure they work.
Well Ryan, in the very same way that a hobo will run straightaway for a discarded ham sandwich, abandoning aluminum cans, cardboard boxes and any other "treasures" in his possession, in hopes of devouring said sandwich, I immediately leave whatever I am doing, be it Facebook, my own blog, or buying bladed weapons on Amazon.com, to devour your blog when I see that you have posted something new.
ReplyDeleteNow there's an analogy that works!