Our society’s handling of truth in everyday life is a disappointment. All around us are examples of dishonesty and relativism. Being casual with the truth is now acceptable behavior by coworkers, politicians, and characters on television. However, as Christians, we women must agree on the fact that the Bible and the accounts therein are absolute truth, and we must agree to present them in children’s Bible classes as truth. And we must tell these stories in a way that shows that we really believe them—with enthusiasm, accuracy, and conviction. Young people of all ages quickly notice when these elements are missing in a classroom.

First of all, how do we know that the stories told in the pages of the Bible are literal truth? As an example, let’s consider the story of the prophet Jonah, who, the Bible tells us, was swallowed by a great fish (Jonah 1:17). Jesus Himself referred to this event, treating it as something that really happened (Matthew 12:40). Our Lord thought this was the true account of a man who was literally swallowed by a great fish and remained within the fish for three days, and He related the story to His own coming death. Is there anything in Jesus’ statement to indicate that He was using the story of Jonah simply as an allegory or a symbol for something? Was He referring to this story in a tongue-in-cheek way, as though He knew it wasn’t really true? No, it is obvious that Jesus considered the account of Jonah’s experiences to be historically valid—should we do less?

On another occasion, Jesus referred (John 3:14) to the time that Moses, following God’s command, erected a bronze serpent in the wilderness in order to cure the dying Israelites of snake bite (Numbers 21:6-9). Peter (II Peter 2:4-11) cited both Noah’s experience during the flood and Lot’s escape from Sodom in describing God’s saving of the righteous and His destruction of the wicked. These stories involve a worldwide flood (Genesis 7:20) and a city leveled by “brimstone and fire” from heaven (Genesis 19:24-25, 28). When these and other events are referred to after the fact, they are not treated as mere fables, but with the respect and seriousness that they, as factual matters, are due.

Second, we should keep in mind the passages throughout the New Testament that refer to the historical accounts contained in the Bible as being worthy of belief and study. Paul wrote, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope” (Romans 15:4). In I Corinthians 10:1-11, Paul listed numerous miraculous events from the Old Testament, stating that “all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition . . .” Paul touched on this theme again, in II Timothy 3:16-17, when he wrote that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Paul was not telling us that we should analyze the Biblical account of, for example, the serpent in the Garden of Eden for symbolic meaning, with the skeptical eye of the modernist. We are told to believe and learn from these stories, and we must teach them just as they appear in the Bible. To twist the stories, to say or imply that they are not literally true, or to add new meanings to them would be to counteract God’s purposes for including them in the Bible.

Third, those who would like us to consider some of the Old Testament stories as simply fables or allegories must resolve the problem of where to draw the line. If Eve was not literally approached by a serpent in the Garden of Eden, if Noah and his family were not literally saved from the flood by building an ark, and if Moses’ raised arms did not literally part the waters of the Red Sea, how can we then rely on anything presented to us in the pages of the Bible as being literally true? What are the guidelines for choosing which stories of the Bible are literally true and which ones are symbolic? What about Daniel in the lion’s den? The battle of Jericho? How about the widow’s jar of oil that never ran out? And what about the resurrection of Jesus Christ—is that account literally true?

As teachers of children, we have a glorious and intensely important opportunity to teach young students of the Bible correctly when they are just beginning to form their impressions of God’s holy word. Sadly, we have forces working against us in this endeavor. Too many of today’s “children’s Bibles” omit or whitewash stories that are thought too violent or graphic to be helpful and meaningful to children. Too many workbooks feature lessons on, for example, the importance of sharing, rather than God’s greatness and might, casting classic Bible stories in a humanistic light. And certain editions of the Bible feature comic book-like cartoons, which trivialize the dramatic, deeply significant events and characters of the Bible.

Let’s try to avoid misrepresenting the stories found in the Scriptures, but instead present them respectfully and fully, with the expectation that they will be believed by our young listeners. If we fail to convince our young students of the literal truth of the most basic Bible stories, how can we hope to help them build up their faith so that they later will, as adults, be able to believe and appreciate the more complex doctrinal matters? Yes, the Bible contains symbolic language in many places. But on the whole, accepting the premise that some Bible stories are symbolic rather than literal leaves us open to the idea that perhaps there are other parts of the Bible that may not be true, either. Going in that direction may be intellectually stimulating for some, but it is dangerous.

Fellow women working in Bible classrooms, we have a vital role to play in helping future Christians develop a “simple, trusting [yet unshakable] faith,” as the song goes, so let’s take that role seriously. May God help us to teach “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”

Lydia [Humphries] Casey is a homemaker with three small daughters. Her husband, Evan, preaches for the Crestwood church of Christ in Crestwood, Kentucky. Before her marriage she worked in radio broadcasting and teaching, both in the US and abroad. She graduated from Western Kentucky University with a B.A. in English and Allied Language Arts. She was Evan’s “help meet” in Hungary for two years (1999-2001) while he was preaching and teaching the gospel there. Their residence was in Budapest. You can communicate with her at LHCasey@bellsouth.net.