Have you ever been asked “Do you take the Bible literally?” Before answering, you would be well-advised to pause and consider your reply. To the one asking the question it is a simple yes or no answer. If yes, then he will rightly point out verses that, if taken literally, have clearly dangerous results. Take Mark 9:42-48, which tells Christians if their hand or foot causes them to sin, they should “cut it off”, and if their eye were to cause them to sin, they should “pluck it out.” If you were to take this literally you would participate in self-mutilation. On the other hand, if you answer “No” then as a figurative book it is plain to see that any person’s interpretation is as good as anyone else’s. So then, how would you go about answering your friend’s questions?
First let us realize that the answer is not a simple “yes or no” answer; because within sacred writing there are eight forms of literary speech used. Some of these by nature would seem to exclude the possibility of figurative language; these include laws and historic writing. While other methods such as poetic and dramatic (Song of Solomon) use figurative language very frequently. So how can you give a Yes or No answer? You can’t, but you can explain the use of both Literal and Figurative writing within God’s word.
E.W. Bullinger wrote: “whenever and wherever it is possible the words of Scripture are to be understood literally.” The word of God must be translated literally if possible. If not, then move onto figurative language. When God spoke it was in real life situations not in a fairy tale, thus the Bible views itself as a non-fiction book. When the writers cite other persons in Scripture they site them as real. For example, Jesus referred to Jonah in Matthew 12:39 as a sign of His resurrection; the writer of Hebrews lists many great men and women of faith (Hebrews 11) as examples to the believer. Nowhere is the story of Moses or David seen as anything but factual, therefore one writer wrote “the Bible itself gives a witness that it should be taken at face value.” Scripture interprets scripture literally.
But as we have noted there are figurative writings in the Bible; most commonly in four forms. Metaphor, which is a comparison by direct statement, John 5:1, “I am the true vine” Jesus was not a literal vine but he could be compared to one; a Simile, which is a comparison by the use of words “like” or “as” Exodus 24:17, “The glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire…”; a Hyperbole is an exaggeration for emphasis, for example John 21:25, “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I supposed that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” And finally used most commonly in the Old Testament is the figurative writing known as Anthropomorphism, which is attributing to God human characteristics such as in 2 Chronicles 16:9. So as we see the use of figurative language we can realize that it does have its place in scripture but only when certain factors indicate that the passage in question is not meant to be interpreted literally.
Therefore the correct answer to the question presented to you should be, If possible I take the Bible to be literal, although at times where a literal translation is not possible I then turn to the figurative sense. Because both can be found in the Bible.

One of the amazing things about the great and awesome God who created the Universe is that He has chosen to speak, to communicate, with mankind.  Moses wrote to Israel in Deut. 4:12 "And the Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire.  You heard the sound of the words,..." At the baptism of Jesus, (Matt. 3:17) it was the voice of God sounding from heaven saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Of course, God has also spoken through the act of creation (Psa. 19:1) "The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork." Also the "invisible attributes" of God, such as power and glory are "understood by the things that are made," Rom. 1:20.  Then God has also spoken to various prophets both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament.  The prophet Jeremiah wrote; Jer. 1:4, "Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;...'" Yet concerning the gift of prophecy we read in I Cor. 13:8 "...But whether there are prophecies they will fail;..." We do not understand this to mean that a specific prophecy from God would fail to come to pass, but that the gift of prophecy itself would come to an end.  Today we are not looking for new prophets with new messages from God.  Yet the question remains; Does God speak to man today? In Hebrews 1:1, we read, "God , who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son..." The writer Jude in vs. 3 wrote of, "the faith which was once for all delivered..." this is past tense.  The faith was delivered.  Today we are not expecting a new gospel or a new message from God.  God has spoken to us by His Son, Jesus.
In John 1:18 we read, "...The only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him." Jesus is God's declaration of Himself to mankind.  Is God speaking to mankind today? The answer is Yes, through Jesus, and how do we learn from Jesus?  Jesus said in John 12:47, 48, "And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him;..."He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, ...the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day."
One of the things Jesus did while He was here on earth was speak with authority (Matt. 7:29, Matt. 28:18).  His words are God's message to mankind, then, now and tomorrow.  Paul, the apostle of Jesus to the Gentiles, wrote in I Cor. 14:37, "If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord." The things written in the New Testament are the commands of the Lord.  When we read the New Testament, we are reading Jesus' words to us today.  When we read the New Testament, we are hearing God speak to mankind today.  The Bible was not just for the people of the past.  The Bible is God's word for mankind today. The question is, Will we Listen?

The word inspire has a number of different shades of meaning in the English language.  It may mean simply to influence, it may mean to motivate.  The word inspired may refer to nothing more than some extraordinary talent, as in "She is an inspired pianist. Or "Shakespeare was an inspired writer".  However, in the Bible the word inspiration (2 Timothy 3:16) is translated into English from the Greek word "Theopneustos" this word is literally translated ‘God breathed'.  This literal translation gives us the best understanding of the word inspiration in the context of the Bible.  Words are formed when we breathe out over our vocal chords.  The words of the Bible are traced back to the breathing out of God.  God is the ultimate and final source of the words of the Bible.  This great truth is taught over and over again.  In Exodus 4:12, God said to Moses "...I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say."  Moses could, very likely, already speak both Hebrew and Egyptian; God did not have to teach him a new language.  God was able to work with the raw material in Moses' mind, yet be with his mouth and teach him what to say.   A specific point is; God did not merely teach him what to think, God taught him what to say!  In 2 Samuel 23:2, David said, "The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue."  When God spoke through a prophet He put His word on the tongue of the prophet.  We note also that God worked through the agency of the Holy Spirit.  It was the "Spirit of the Lord" that spoke by David.  When God spoke to the prophet Jeremiah, He said in Jeremiah 1:9 "...I have put My words in your mouth." 
In the New Testament book of I Corinthians 2:13 we find these words, "These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches,..."  
The importance of this to us is that the Scriptures, the Bible, are the very words of God to mankind.  The answers to the great questions of life are found in the Bible, the Word of God.

In Matthew 16, Jesus said to Peter, "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (v. 18). Here the Lord promises to build His church. Furthermore, this church was to become the greatest institution on the face of the earth.

The church of Christ was not limited to one nation of people, but it was for all people of every nation who would rightfully call upon the name of the Lord. Many years before the Lord came and established His church, Isaiah the prophet recorded these words:
Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say,'Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.'For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem (2:2-3).

Another prophecy about the Lord's church is in Daniel:
You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and brokethem in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth" (2:34-35).

From these two prophecies, we see the Lord's church was to become a great body of people from all nations of the earth. These people would be those who would love and respect God, and obey His word of truth.

The Lord's church was to be a God-created church, not a man-made church. This church was to follow the truths and commands of God's word, not human doctrines and philosophies. Ephesians 3: 10-11 reads: "... that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the Heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord." The plans for the church of Christ were of eternal origin-planned by God and executed by Christ, His Son.

Our salvation is the reason Christ came to this world. If mankind had notbeen hopelessly lost in sin, Jesus would not have come; He came to seek and save that which was lost (Matthew 1:2 1; Luke 19: 10; 1 Timothy 1:15). Because Jesus was put to death on the cross, He arose from the dead for our justification (Romans 4:25) and returned to God the Father. He had prepared the apostles for the great work of converting the world, but this work was to be done through His church. Paul writes in I Timothy 3:15, "...1 write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." It is the duty of the church to uphold the Lord's truth to the lost. Those who obey the truth, according to Acts 2:47, are added to the church. While the church does not save by itself-it is Christ who saves-salvation is in the Lord's body or church. To the Ephesians Paul writes, "Christ is the head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body" (5:23; cf. Ephesians 1:22-23). To be "in Christ" (I Timothy 2:10; Galatians 3:26-27) is to be in His church. If any of us are saved, we must be in the Lord's church.

Jesus said, "I will build My church" (Matthew 16:18). The church belongs to Christ. If the church belongs to Christ, why do we have so many different religious bodies in the world? The answer is simple: Somebody has been building churches when they had no right to do so! Many religious organizations owe their existence to common men and women, not to the Son of God. Many religious organizations teach doctrines that are foreign and contradictory to the gospel of Christ. These religious organizations are not honoring Jesus as the builder of the church.

Some have mistakenly taught that John the Baptist built the church. This assertion cannot be true for several reasons. First of all, John the Baptist referred to Jesus Christ as "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). Matthew 14:10 records that John the Baptist was beheaded. Later, in Matthew 16:18 Jesus declared His intention to build His church. If John the Baptist was dead when Jesus made this statement, clearly John the Baptist could not have built the church. Also, John the Baptist said of Jesus Christ, "He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:29-30). Jesus, the bridegroom, is married to the church, and He must increase. John, the friend of the bridegroom, was to decrease. John the Baptist did not build the church, and so it should not wear his name. Please note that the phrase "the Baptist" given to John is a description applied to John because he baptized, or immersed, people in water. The angel said to Zacharias, his father, "you shall call his name John" (Luke 1: 13).

No less important than the building is the foundation of the church. No building is stronger than its foundation. What then is the foundation of the church? I Corinthians 3:11 tells us: "For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." In Matthew 16:18 Jesus says, "on this rock I will build My church." What is the "rock"? Whatever it is, upon it the church was built by Christ. In order to get the complete picture of the text, notice verse 16: "Simon Peter answered and said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."' Then in verse 17, the Lord blesses Peter for the confession which he had made, and in verse 18, the Lord promises to build His church. It is clear from the text that Christ planned to build His church upon the truth of Peter's confession: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 

Some have mistakenly interpreted this passage to mean that Christ built His church on Peter's authority. However, a closer look at the wording will show this meaning is not, and cannot be, true. When Jesus said "I also say to you, That you are Peter...," He used the Greek word for Peter which is petros, meaning a stone, a rock, or a small pebble. But when Jesus said "upon this rock...," He used the Greek word petra meaning a huge mass or ]edge of rock. The two words are different in meaning and are used to show a contrast. The church is therefore founded upon the fact that Jesus is the Christ, God's infallible Son, and not upon Peter, a fallible, erring human being.

Isaiah makes a prophecy which reads: "Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: 'Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; whoever believes will not act hastily"' (28:16). In Matthew 21:42, Jesus applies this prophecy to Himself. "Jesus said to them, 'Have you never read in the scriptures: 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?` Later, in Acts 4:11 the apostle Peter, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, applies this same prophecy to Jesus: "This is the ,stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone."' Jesus, and not Peter, is the head of the church, as well as its foundation. The apostle Paul also writes in Ephesians 2:20: "having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone." The "chief corner stone" is the basic, essential, and most important part of a building-it is the foundation.

It is important to note that the church Christ built is based upon a divine rather than a human foundation. Christ is deity: eternal and immortal. In John 1: 1, the apostle tells us of Christ: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God." The apostle Paul says of Christ: "Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God" (Philippians 2:6).

Therefore, as the foundation of the Church, Christ will endure forever. Death anddecay cannot harm the church, for Christ who is its builder, head, and foundation shall live forever! 

All success--business, personal, and spiritual--comes only after a person has first set a goal. Earl Nightingale said, "People with goals succeed because they know where they're going. If we fail to set goals, then, we do not have direction in our lives; and we do not have a basis for measuring our level of achievement. The question we must answer, therefore, is "What should be our goal as Christians?"
The Christian 's goal: become Christ-like

Paul describes the Christian's goal to the Galatian church in this way: "My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you" (Galatians 4:19). Paul explains that his work was to help Christ to be "formed" within the Galatian Christians so that Christ could live "in" them (Galatians 2:20), i.e., they would be more Christ-like. Our desire, then, is to be like Christ, to make decisions in the way He made them, to be dedicated fully to Pleasing our Father in Heaven as Christ was (John 6:38). We are to "... reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13, NIV). What a noble aspiration! But how could we hope to reach such a lofty goal?
Although we can never fully become like Christ, we must strive to do so. This challenge should not exasperate us, but rather we should "... run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus" (Hebrews 12:1-2, NASB). As we persist, we mature and find ourselves"... being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory" (2 Corinthians 3:18, NIV).


How to become more Christ-like
This process of becoming more Christ-like does not happen by accident, nor does it happen by force. God does not take away our free will and force us to change; rather, we must turn toward Him and seek the mind of Christ (I Corinthians 2:16). Our God-given spiritual disciplines are designed to help us in this pursuit. Through prayer, study, worship, and service, we constantly reevaluate our choices with regard to our priorities.
One of the most essential elements in being more like Christ is knowledge. Paul writes in Colossians 3:9- 10, "You have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator" (NIV). He gives similar instructions in Ephesians 4:22-24: "Put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds, and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness" (NIV). Finally, Paul tells us to"be transformed by the renewing of our minds" (Romans 12:2). In other words, our minds are to be focused on emulating the spiritual character of Christ, not on how to conform to this world (2 Corinthians 3:18). Through knowledge, we consciously put off ungodly ways and replace them with the ways of Christ.
As we study the inspired word (2 Timothy 3:16-17), our minds are renewed in the knowledge of Christ (Colossians 3: 10) because it is through the scriptures that we learn the manner in which He lived His life. He left us an example so that we could follow His steps (I Peter 2:2 1). Our goal is a complete spiritual transformation, allowing ourselves to be shaped into what He wants us to be, using the abilities He has given us to do the work He has set out for us, serving as "instruments of righteousness" (Romans 6:13) as we submit our lives to Him. This is the lifelong Christian occupation. Our life must become centered on Jesus, who not only shows us the Father (John 14:8-9), but also shows us daily how amazing, beautiful, and meaningful a life can be when we follow Him.
A Christ-like mission
As Christ-like people, we have a Christ-like mission. Jesus told His disciples, "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20). We are to teach the things He taught, to do the things He commanded, and to believe the things He said. This is our assigned task, our occupation, our life.
Our work begins on a personal level where we learn what Jesus taught and begin to obey Him in our homes. Most of us will carry out our spiritual work around our homes, with our families and friends in our neighborhoods. Although it is not possible for every Christian to go into the entire world and preach the gospel, we must each share the "good news" with everyone in "our" world. We are not to restrict our work to specific ethnic groups, social classes, or genders (Galatians 3:28). 

Next, we need to teach new believers what Jesus taught, not just in words, but also through our actions. We need to imitate Christ through our compassion, worship, and service. We need to "be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us..." (Ephesians 5:1-2, NASB; note also I John 3:16-18). A Christ-like person is the salt of the earth, the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-15), ready to give an answer (I Peter 3:15), ready to make disciples. A Christlike person teaches and obeys Jesus'commands, loves others, prays for others, helps others, and in so doing, is living proof that he follows Jesus Christ (John 13:34-35). We will, through single-minded devotion (James 4:8), become like our Master teacher. Luke records, "A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher" (Luke 6:40). When we are "fully trained" in the ways of Christ, we will be like Him.
A Christ-like ordeal
Beware! When we become Christ-like, trials will also come (John 15:18-20), some of them hidden in the seemingly random circumstances of daily life and others caused by persecutors. Still others will be allowed by God Himself, who chastens every child He loves (Hebrews 12:6). Since Jesus had to endure difficulties, we should not be surprised when we find our commitment challenged through difficult circumstances. At least we can be confident that God will turn it all for good (Romans 8:28). Our trials will inevitably produce the "peaceable fruit of righteousness" (Hebrews 12:11).

A Christ-like challenge
Let Christ be formed in you, and labor so He may be formed in the whole church. Let us be up and about our Father's business, seeking His will in every aspect of our lives. Let His image transform us for His purpose, and our glory will be His glory. Let there be no discrepancy between His image and ours, for we wear His name.