I never thought that a person could actually worship the Bible, or that there was even an actual term for this. Bibliolatry can be taken by some to mean “taking following the Bible to an extreme”, but the truth of Bibliolatry is that it means “to worship the Bible in the place of God”. Now, I never would have considered myself a person that in any way worshiped the Bible, but what I have come to learn is that in a way I have.
There are many times in my Christian walk I have turned to the Bible for answers. However, I have found that at times I have used the Bible as my crutch and my oracle in order to help me understand what was happening in my life, or what would happen in the future. I want to compare the Word of God with the things in my life, yet there are so many situations and circumstances that don’t seem to be answered by Scripture alone.
There is a very specific reason for this.
The Bible was not written to be our “one size fits all” guide to life. Not every situation or circumstance in this world is going to be clearly laid out in Scripture, nor can the Bible predict future outcomes of our lives. The Bible is not our God, and cannot be treated as such. The Bible is the revelation of the love of God through Jesus Christ, and its sole purpose is to point us to Him.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John:1:14
How does a person turn their worship of God into worshiping the Bible instead? And what does that look like? It is so easy to take things that we can see and touch and turn them into an idol. People have been doing it for thousands of years. We as people long to have a personal relationship with our Creator, yet because we worship an unseen God, it sometimes causes a great struggle between our minds and our hearts.
God has made it clear that we are not to make an image of Him because we are so prone to idolatry. In ancient times, and even in our current day, we have had statues, pictures and monuments to those who we believe are great and worthy. Sometimes it has been gods, sometimes it has been man. We even have images of Christ Himself that we stare at with awe and wonder.
So to have the Bible in our hands as a manifest representation of our God makes it so easy to use it as a tool of worship. Let me be clear, I am in no way condemning those who have inadvertently used the Bible as an idol, nor am I suggesting that the Bible is not the inerrant Word of God.
You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.
John 5:39-40
Jesus Christ is the revelation of God the Father. Jesus is the Truth and the Way. The purpose of the Bible was always to reveal the truth of who Jesus Christ is. The Bible shows us our inherent need for Jesus: we cannot do this life without Him. Jesus Christ is indeed the Almighty Creator and our Life Source. It is only through Jesus Christ we find the answers to life and the guidance for our specific circumstances and questions.
It is very important we read the Word, there is no doubt about that. We will absolutely get great and divine revelation from the Word of God. We will receive deep and rich truths of God’s love, His promises, and His character and nature. However, the Bible was never meant to be our everything, and I think that sometimes we think our entire relationship with God rests only in the Good Book.
Only Jesus Christ was meant to be our everything. Everybody can have a rich and intimate relationship with Jesus. We cannot let the Bible replace a relationship with God. God gave us Jesus Christ so we could have a relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the exact representation of the Father and the image of the invisible God. To see and know Jesus Christ is to see and know the Father who sits in the heavens.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
John 14:6-7
Therefore you must strive to achieve deeper and greater levels of intimacy with God through Jesus Christ. We must read the Bible, but then we must set it down and sit with Jesus Himself. We must talk to Him, but then we must be silent and with patience listen for His reply. He will guide and direct us to the specific advice for our current situations. He will answer questions and give us divine revelation and wisdom for the deep soul-searching questions we have in these modern times.
The whole reason Jesus came is for this reason: so that we might know Him and have Him. We have his Holy Spirit implanted inside of us. That is our source and lifeline to the Father. I have had so many deep and wonderful revelations about things in my life and things that are happening in this world all from being alone with Jesus.
I have had many people ask me “Where is that in Scripture?” or “Can you tell me what verse proves that in the Bible?” But friends, brothers and sisters, it is not for me to be the one to direct and guide others lives. It is my job to show you the richness and fullness that intimacy with Jesus Christ can give you. To show you the deepness of revelation that you can achieve through Jesus Christ. To point you right back to Him, because He is the only way.
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
James 1:15
I do not have all the answers, but Jesus does. I could not know any of the secrets of the occult or mysteries of this world without God the Father speaking into my heart through Jesus Christ. Sometimes Jesus does speak through Scripture. When I am in a dark place or when I’m really struggling and I’m having a hard time hearing His voice, He uses Scripture I’ve memorized to speak to me. But over the years I’ve strengthened myself to grow in this relationship with Him, and trained myself to know and hear His voice. With practice, it has become easier for me to hear Him and know what He has to say to me.
The thing He says to me the most often, no matter the situation I’m in, no matter the questions I have is this: ‘My Daughter, I love you. You are my Beloved. You are strong and mighty. You are Mine, and I AM yours.’ First and foremost God wants to strengthen us in our identity in Him and the knowledge of His great love. Without those things, we will continue to struggle and our relationship will continue to go back to the Bible instead of using the Bible as a bridge to the Word Himself.
The Bible is a wonderful tool, but it is not the Way; Jesus Christ is. So I implore you, brothers and sisters, if you have questions about any of the things I say or anything anyone has ever said, then sit down with Jesus. Quiet yourself. Meditate on His love and grace and mercy. Meditate on His wonderful works. Meditate on creation because it is a testimony of His power and love. Then wait. Be silent and be still and know that He is God. Trust that if God can part the Red Sea to bring the Israelite’s to freedom, and create the heaven’s and the earth, then He can certainly talk to you.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
Psalm 46:10
When we hear personal revelation from Jesus, we test that revelation against the truths of the Bible. Jesus will never contradict His Words in Scripture because the Word of God is inerrant and unchanging. Even though we may not find a relevant verse for what Jesus is saying to us, we can still test it against God’s truths to confirm we are indeed hearing from the Living God. Jesus will reveal Himself in the most personal way for each one of us, so we can understand His voice and continue to grow in intimacy.
As you sit and meditate and expectantly wait for that word from God, relax and have faith. Know that He will speak to you. If you can’t hear Him the first time, then keep trying, again and again. That is what I did, and that is how I have gotten to where I am now; building myself up in the Word of God and then sitting in the presence of a Holy God. If Moses can come before God as a burning bush, then we can certainly sit in the privacy of our own home and be in His presence.
Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
Psalm 139:7-8
Let Jesus Christ be your guide and your everything. He loves you. He wants you. He sees you. And He says ‘You are good. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Do not be faint-hearted but come my children, come to me and let me love you.’
I know there are many struggles and obstacles and oppression in the way that try to keep us from God. That is exactly what we need to expect and fight against. That is how you become an overcomer. I have not overcome all these terrible obstacles in my life by lying down and giving up. I have had my moments where I have done so many times, but I always pick myself up, dust myself off and stand up again and say “I believe in you, God. I follow you, Jesus.” You can too.
So together, my brothers and sisters, we will fight. We will stand firm and fight, and we will kneel before a Holy God and wait to hear His instruction and guidance. We will trust His presence is always there and rest in His love, because it will last for all of eternity.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
Revelation 3:20
Marie
There’s the Bible which is called the “Word of God” and Jesus himself is called the “Word of God”, then there is the interpretation. The devil quoted the Bible out of context to tempt Jesus; the words can be twisted or misapplied. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments… “The one who loves me will be loved by my Father and I will love him and reveal myself to him.” (John 14:23) Trying to keep his commandments out of love for him will cause him to reveal himself so we can love him more and more. When we love him more, the Bible makes more sense and we can obey better which brings more revelations, and so on….
Sanles
Thank you so much for this post I know of people who have made the Bible their everything and the priests in their church the ones who have all the answers to their individual problems. I can see that they need to have something to touch and see and talk to so that their faith in God is tangible. They put these things before their invisible faith. These people fill text messages and emails with more passages from the bible than actual words of contact to the receiver – ‘spreading the word’. They grow their lives into a little segregated world with their own people and they see everything in life as black and white with ‘new age’ spiritualists working against God and bordering on the demonic. It is hard to be a friend of someone like this.
Ian - howmuchtimeisleft
It is good that you are pointing people to Jesus HImself. As I was readin through your letter. I was reminded of where Jesus is presently seated in His majesty and full resurretced glory – in Heaven at the right of the Father.
Psalm 110:1 – “A Psalm of David. A declaration of Jehovah to my Lord: Sit at My right hand, until I place Your enemies as Your footstool.”
It is primarily by FAITH that we know Jesus, not by sight. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen – Heb 11.
Jesus Christ is seated at the right of the Father until all His enemies are a footstool for His feet. And soon we weill see Him revealed as the King of Glory – the Son of Man – Son of God.
It is also helpful for God’s people to remember Paul’s words – “2Co 5:16 So as we now know no one according to flesh, but even if we have known Christ according to flesh, yet now we no longer know Him so.”
We now can know Jesus by the help of the Holy Spirit in His life giving Spirit function – “1Co 15:45 So also it has been written, “The” first “man”, Adam, “became a living soul;” the last Adam a life-giving Spirit.”
It is also important to keep in mind brothers and sisters that we are not to imagine – picture what Jesus looks like. This has been encouraged by too many preachers or teachers of the Word. To do so is to make an image of God in your mind – which is idolatry.
What the Scriptures have to say about Jesus is the only thing we need to meditate on as we seek to know our God and Saviour more and more. In His time He will reveal Himself to us in one way or another. But as the sister says, we must always, always measure our (subjective) experience against the (objective) word of God.