Believing Is Seeing: The Principle and Patterns of Vision in the Scriptures

The Lord's language in the scriptures is replete with images and parables-poetic and historical-revealing a vision of eternal life, while testifying that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. The importance of images and parables in the scriptures is, on the one hand, that, when searched deeply, they reveal line upon line of truths, sometimes called mysteries, that can help one refine his or her discipleship, helping them become more effective ministers in the kingdom of God. On the other hand, by pondering and placing the Lord's images squarely on the center stage of our imagination, they form a shield of faith that deflects the rapacious imagery assaulting the imagination daily, images on the internet, in advertising, and elsewhere, images that would dissuade disciples from following in the Savior's footsteps. In order to gain confidence in working with the Lord's language, it's not important to necessarily know the technical terms associated with scriptural images and parables; rather it's understanding how they work, how they release a portion of the vision of "things as they really are," the Lord's vision of reality, to mentor and motivate us in becoming "perfect . . . unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." And that is the main thrust of Believing is Seeing, which includes discussions of how images work as well as examples: the three degrees of vision, the encounter of David and Goliath, the parable of the Good Samaritan, and the Lord's vision of beauty.