Helpful Analogies

[GrinningDwarf]

I like using analogies to help illustrate difficult themes or concepts. At the same time, however, I also keep in mind CS Lewis' words on analogies:

1. If you stretch any analogy too far, it breaks down and becomes more of a hindrance than a help.

2. If you don't understand an analogy, just don't worry about figuring it out because understanding the analogy is not the important thing...understanding the concept the analogy was attempting to illustrate is the important thing.

With these two caveats about analogies in mind, I'd like to post a couple of analogies I've thought of recently. I have two reasons for this:

1. I'd like to know if any of you think they don't really help to illustrate the point and would be more of a hindrance than a help to people.

2. If they do work, I'd like to share them with others

Thanks. The analogies to follow.

 

[GrinningDwarf]

I've frequently read, and used to believe myself, that if TULIP is true (especially the L), then God's offer of grace to everyone is a fraud. It makes sense to the carnal mind that if an unregenerate person cannot choose God, then all of the calls in the Bible to choose God cannot be real choices and the offer is inherently false.

I've thought of this way to explain the Reformed position. Let me know if you think it really helps explain the issue or not:

Imagine a 1930's gangster...maybe Machine Gun Kelly...is holed up in a farmhouse somewhere. The place is surrounded by G-men. There is no chance of escape for Machine Gun Kelly. The police make the inevitable offer "Come out with your hands up!"

Now, the cops have made a sincere offer. If he comes out with his hands up, nobody is going to get hurt. However...everybody knows that Machine Gun Kelly is only coming out of that building one way...with lead flying! Machine Gun Kelly is excercising his free will, but the outcome has already been determined.

 

[GrinningDwarf]

I've been reading Scripture Alone...both of them!! I was amused to find that James White and RC Sproul have books out with the same title, although Sproul's does have a subtitle, The Evangelical Doctrine.

While reading the concept that the church does not determine canonicity, but that Scripture is received by the church, I thought of this analogy:

Suppose you find a lump of yellow rock. You have no idea what it is, so you take it to an expert. Upon examination, by comparing your rock to known physical properties, you are told by the assayer that you have a gold nugget.

Now, you certainly did not decide that this was a gold nugget on your own. The assayer did not turn this rock into gold. It was gold before you knew what it was, and it was gold because of what it is, not what somebody decided it was.

 

[edie19]

I like them both, thanks for sharing.

When we studied the canons at church I remember my pastor saying something to the effect of - the early church knew what Scripture consisted of, the only time there was discussion about it was when one church (i.e. Ephasus) wasn't familiar with a particular book/letter. But they accepted it on the basis of another church's (i.e. Corinth) recognition.

edie

 

[Paleoconservatarian]

I think it's wise to be very cautious with analogies, especially trinitarian analogies. I have not yet heard an analogy for the Trinity that did not teach heresy if you think about it. That's just my opinion on analogies in general. Moving along.

I've thought of this way to explain the Reformed position. Let me know if you think it really helps explain the issue or not:

Imagine a 1930's gangster...maybe Machine Gun Kelly...is holed up in a farmhouse somewhere. The place is surrounded by G-men. There is no chance of escape for Machine Gun Kelly. The police make the inevitable offer "Come out with your hands up!"

Now, the cops have made a sincere offer. If he comes out with his hands up, nobody is going to get hurt. However...everybody knows that Machine Gun Kelly is only coming out of that building one way...with lead flying! Machine Gun Kelly is excercising his free will, but the outcome has already been determined.

I suppose this might help to work out some free will/depravity issues, but it's easy to look at that analogy and say, the cops didn't predestine Machine Gun Kelly to show them the chopper. I dunno, I guess I usually fail when I use analogies because they end up dying the death of a thousand qualifications, but if it helps someone to grasp some of the concepts we're trying to get across, go for it.

Suppose you find a lump of yellow rock. You have no idea what it is, so you take it to an expert. Upon examination, by comparing your rock to known physical properties, you are told by the assayer that you have a gold nugget.

Now, you certainly did not decide that this was a gold nugget on your own. The assayer did not turn this rock into gold. It was gold before you knew what it was, and it was gold because of what it is, not what somebody decided it was.

I like this one. Might actually steal it sometime.

 

[heymikey80]

The second illustration is great.

I think with the first analogy you'll get into, "Well nobody can be completely sure what Kelly would do 'til he decides to do it on his own."

The illustration will get you into a wider question, where the analogy doesn't help.

Does God just "know" what's going to happen and reacts to it (though before it happens)? Or does God also intend all of history to happen and He's built it beforehand so it glorifies Him the way it does? Calvinists side with the latter.

The only analogies I know of for that are the potter & clay (Rom 9).

 

[frumanchu]

They say a faulty analogy is like a leaky screwdriver.....