5 Bible Verses about Spiritual Allegories

"In most solemn truth I tell you that the man who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs over some other way, is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter opens the door, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by their names and leads them out.read more.
When he has brought out his own sheep--all of them--he walks at the head of them; and the sheep follow him, because they know his voice. But a stranger they will by no means follow, but will run away from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers." Jesus spoke to them in this figurative language, but they did not understand what He meant. Again therefore Jesus said to them, "In most solemn truth I tell you that I am the Door of the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers; but the sheep would not listen to them. I am the Door. If any one enters by me, he will find safety, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy: I have come that they may have Life, and may have it in abundance. "I am the Good Shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his very life for the sheep. The hired servant--one who is not a shepherd and does not own the sheep--no sooner sees the wolf coming than he leaves the sheep and runs away; and the wolf worries and scatters them. For he is only a hired servant and cares nothing for the sheep. "I am the Good Shepherd. And I know my sheep and my sheep know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I am laying down my life for the sheep. I have also other sheep--which do not belong to this fold. Those also I must bring, and they will listen to my voice; and they shall become one flock under one Shepherd.

Tell me--you who want to continue to be subject to Law--will you not listen to the Law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave-girl and one by the free woman. But we see that the child of the slave-girl was born in the common course of nature; but the child of the free woman in fulfilment of the promise.read more.
All this is allegorical; for the women represent two Covenants. One has its origin on Mount Sinai, and bears children destined for slavery. This is Hagar; for the name Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, which is in bondage together with her children. But the Jerusalem which is above is free, and *she* is *our* mother. For it is written, "Rejoice, thou barren woman that bearest not, break forth into a joyful cry, thou that dost not travail with child. For the desolate woman has many children--more indeed than she who has the husband." But you, brethren, like Isaac, are children born in fulfilment of a promise. Yet just as, at that time, the child born in the common course of nature persecuted the one whose birth was due to the power of the Spirit, so it is now. But what says the Scripture? "Send away the slave-girl and her son, for never shall the slave-girl's son share the inheritance with the son of the free woman." Therefore, brethren, since we are not the children of a slave-girl, but of the free woman--

For if their having been cast aside has carried with it the reconciliation of the world, what will their being accepted again be but Life out of death? Now if the firstfruits of the dough are holy, so also is the whole mass; and if the root of a tree is holy, so also are the branches. And if some of the branches have been pruned away, and you, although you were but a wild olive, have been grafted in among them and have become a sharer with others in the rich sap of the root of the olive tree,read more.
beware of glorying over the natural branches. Or if you are so glorying, do not forget that it is not you who uphold the root: the root upholds you. "Branches have been lopped off," you will say, "for the sake of my being grafted in." This is true; yet it was their unbelief that cut them off, and you only stand through your faith. Do not be puffed up with pride. Tremble rather--for if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will He spare you. Notice therefore God's kindness and God's severity. On those who have fallen His severity has descended, but upon you His kindness has come, provided that you do not cease to respond to that kindness. Otherwise you will be cut off also. Moreover, if they turn from their unbelief, they too will be grafted in. For God is powerful enough to graft them in again; and if you were cut from that which by nature is a wild olive and contrary to nature were grafted into the good olive tree, how much more certainly will these natural branches be grafted on their own olive tree?

Married women, submit to your own husbands as if to the Lord; because a husband is the Head of his wife as Christ also is the Head of the Church, being indeed the Saviour of this His Body. And just as the Church submits to Christ, so also married women should be entirely submissive to their husbands.read more.
Married men, love your wives, as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself up to death for her; in order to make her holy, cleansing her with the baptismal water by the word, that He might present the Church to Himself a glorious bride, without spot or wrinkle or any other defect, but to be holy and unblemished. So too married men ought to love their wives as much as they love themselves. He who loves his wife loves himself. For never yet has a man hated his own body. On the contrary he feeds and cherishes it, just as Christ feeds and cherishes the Church; because we are, as it were, parts of His Body. "For this reason a man is to leave his father and his mother and be united to his wife, and the two shall be as one." That is a great truth hitherto kept secret: I mean the truth concerning Christ and the Church. Yet I insist that among you also, each man is to love his own wife as much as he loves himself, and let a married woman see to it that she treats her husband with respect.

Put on the complete armour of God, so as to be able to stand firm against all the stratagems of the Devil. For ours is not a conflict with mere flesh and blood, but with the despotisms, the empires, the forces that control and govern this dark world--the spiritual hosts of evil arrayed against us in the heavenly warfare. Therefore put on the complete armour of God, so that you may be able to stand your ground on the day of battle, and, having fought to the end, to remain victors on the field.read more.
Stand therefore, first fastening round you the girdle of truth and putting on the breastplate of uprightness as well as the shoes of the Good News of peace-- a firm foundation for your feet. And besides all these take the great shield of faith, on which you will be able to quench all the flaming darts of the Wicked one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.