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Answer. Not only can we take the Bible literally, but we must take the Bible literally. This is the only way to determine what God really is trying to communicate to us. When we read any piece of literature, but especially the Bible, we must determine what the author intended to communicate.
The most significant challenge to literal interpretation of the Bible is the Bible itself. Our Scriptures frequently cite, comment upon, and otherwise interpret texts from elsewhere in the canon in ways that are not “literal.” One example may be found in Galatians 4:22-31.
Biblical literalists believe that, unless a passage is clearly intended by the writer as allegory, poetry, or some other genre, the Bible should be interpreted as literal statements by the author. Critics argue that allegorical intent can be ambiguous.
literal interpretation, in hermeneutics, the assertion that a biblical text is to be interpreted according to the “plain meaning” conveyed by its grammatical construction and historical context. The literal meaning is held to correspond to the intention of the authors.
The most basic rule of biblical interpretation that we can follow is that we should interpret the Bible literally. What does this mean? Essentially, we are not to treat Scripture like a secret code book; rather, we are to read the Bible as we would read any other work of literature.
Should we always interpret the Bible literally--even the poetic passages with their rich symbolism? Today, R.C. Sproul explains what it really means to take God at His Word and to interpret Scripture literally.
When the Bible says God created Adam on the sixth day, a literal interpretation accepts that as historical and factual, while a metaphoric interpretation would likely see the whole creation account as unhistorical.
Principle 1: Interpretation must be based on the author’s intention of meaning and not the reader. This means we must get into the author’s context, historically, grammatically, culturally and the literary forms and conventions the author was working in.
Biblical hermeneutics is the method of interpreting Scripture so we can bridge the gaps between modern-day readers of the Bible, its original audiences, and God as its ultimate author. Hermeneutics is foundational to theological study.
Literal Interpretation. This approach seeks out the “plain meaning” of a biblical text. This is not to imply that every passage of Scripture should be interpreted literally, but rather the plain meaning be accepted as truth.