Can the Bible become an idol?

Upvote:-1

From the tone of your question and the fact that you are aware of risks if any, you are very unlikely to commit idolatry with the Bible. You may quite properly regard it as inspired writing and as a guide to God's expectation of you, but then it is God you are worshipping, not the Bible.

You could be worshipping the Bible if you attribute to it what you have been taught to attribute to God alone. For example, you have been taught that God is infallible. If you insist that the Bible itself is infallible and that any evidence to the contrary must be reinterpreted in order to eliminate the error or contradiction, you could arguably be committing bibliolatry, "immoderate attachment or devotion to [the Bible]."

You ask, in comment, what if Christians cause disunity among Christians because of Bible; doesn't that make the Bible to be a subject to idolatry? If two groups or denominations interpret the Bible differently and agree to disagree on their interpretations, no harm is done. If each side insists that the Bible, and therefore their interpretations of the Bible, are infallible, they may argue intemperately and could become guilty of immoderate devotion to what is only a physical thing. I would ask, have they never heard of prayer?

Upvote:0

I believe the Bible itself tells us the "letter killeth" but the "spirit" giveth life. If our physical nature (carnal mind) only sees the physical letters and carnal interpretations, then idolatry is in the making. If we look back into the Old Covenant which has been fulfilled in purpose, and we continue to not see Jesus as the Messiah ushering in his Kingdom. If we refuse the teachings of Grace and continue in the carnal Law. If we, like "Lots Wife" look back at the old city which is under judgment, we too are at risk of drying up from the inside out. If the image we form in our minds from the words of the Bible have more physical characteristics than spiritual, then we are guilty of "missing the mark." For these reasons and more I believe we can make the Bible an Idol in subtle ways. Remember, the Serpent is more subtle...

Upvote:5

The term for this tendency to "over-elevate" Scripture is bibliolatry. It is typically a perjorative term in which one identifies oneself as having overemphasized the letter of the law over the Spirit.

Typically the most common usage adheres to evangelicals and Protestants. This article from Westminster, for example, questions whether or not bibliolatry is possible. Its conclusion states:

No, what some may call bibliolatry is not always- indeed, is rarely such. Let us truly love the Lord our God with all our hearts and worship him only. But "to reverently esteem" the Book, "the heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, the majesty of the style, the consent of all the parts, the scope of the whole...is to give all glory to God."

John Piper, a prominent evangelical, says much the same in this video. He says:

I'm a Calvinist, and I'm not going to go there, because I believe I got my Calvinism from the Bible. If I didn't get it from the Bible, then I don't want people to be Calvinists. So it seems better to say, "Hold fast to the Bible. Base everything on the Bible. If you are going to criticize somebody, criticize them from the Bible. If you are going to affirm somebody, affirm them from the Bible. If you are going to do a strategy, do it from the Bible. Be a Bible saturated people." That's what will make for long term staying power for the gospel.

I know this is going to be called bibliolatry, and people will say, "You worship the Bible, not God." Bologna on that. People who reject the Bible for God become idolaters.

Both of these seem to be admissions that the perception of idolatry is real, but adherents have good reasons if they have fallen into the error.

Generally speaking, most tenets of Christianity rely on spiritual tension, a concept not unrelated to the via media or golden mean. Even a good thing, held too closely, can be bad. Its just that people falling into the error usually think they have the right balance.

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