Clarification as to what bible idolatry is and is not.

I believe the Bible is the inspired word of God. While God does, at times, speak to me directly, He also speaks to me while I read the Bible. In fact, many times He speaks to me directly while I am reading the Bible. I also have an intimate relationship with God. Reading the Bible helps me develop that relationship. Reading the Bible helps me get to know God better, after all, the Bible is His words. When I want to get to know someone better I listen to their words whether written or direct.

I have heard testimonies of people who have come into that intimate relationship with God because of the written words that they read in the Bible. The Holy Spirit was able to convict them and convince them of truths because they read the Bible. The word of God, the Bible, is powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword.

I think Acts 17:11 says it all.

"These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so."

This verse tells us that the scripture is truth. Jesus, as well as the early church, obviously believed that scripture is the infallible, inerrant word of God. This verse screams that.

We must also search the scriptures daily to see if words we are being given, whether direct words that we feel are from God, or words that man teaches us and they say are from God, we must search the scriptures to see if it is true and really of God. We must also be "more noble" in this as those people in Thessalonica who served as our example. Satan hates when we do this because it will give him less chances of deceiving us. Your post and the article that you referred to makes it all seem so good and innocent, but it is not. The arguments for Bible worship and Bible idolatry seemed so convincing. It made it sound like Christians can worship their Bibles and be fooled into thinking that they don't need a personal relationship with God, when in fact, the Bible points them to a personal relationship with Christ. The Bible helps them to get to know Christ better. It is only those with hardened hearts who are able to read the Bible as a dead book with no relationship to God. This was seen in the example you give of the Pharisees. This also happens today. Preaching Bible worship and Bible idolatry to these people will do their hardened hearts no good. It only brings damage to others who could be helped by reading the Bible, but who now are thinking that Bible reading is not important so why do it.

It is true that many read the Bible as a text book and have no relationship with God. Some have started reading it this way and ended up coming to know our Savior intimately because of reading it. Some have hearts so hardened that it never becomes more than a dead book to them. This is not a reason to start a whole doctrine on Bible worship and idolatry. This is just playing into the enemies' hands. God has given us the Bible so we can use it not only in our daily living, but to test the spirits and what we are taught.

Bible worship and Bible idolatry is false teaching and a very dangerous one. Everything inside my being, which I believe to be the Holy Spirit, is screaming this to me. Bible worship and Bible idolatry leads to other errors. It also leads people to believing that the scripture is not the infallible word of God which is another lie of satan.


You said: Why for so many does the bible seem to be the backbone of their overall "Christian experience" while the Holy Spirit is placed on the back burner, when the Holy Spirit is part of the Godhead and the bible is not?

What proof do you have for this? You cannot prove this statement. The true Christian does not place the Holy Spirit on the back burner. It is true that many think they are Christians and are not, but I doubt this is caused by them reading their Bibles. In fact, I think that if they read their Bibles more they would have their eyes opened to the truth and enter into a real relationship with Christ.

You said: An example of a statement where the bible is propped up way higher than it ought as if it were a member of the Godhead itself is: "God doesn't utilize His servants today to release the miraculous. God's children no longer walk in the gifts of the Spirit including healing, words of knowledge, prophecy, etc. This all stopped once the bible was written.

While I agree with you that it is false teaching that the gifts of the Spirit are not for today, I disagree with you that the false teaching is caused by the Bible being propped up higher than it ought. Just because people give as an argument for this false teaching that it all stopped when the Bible was written does not prove Bible worship. In fact, these poor people need to study their Bibles deeper to see if this is true. They need to be as those who were "more noble" in scripture. They need to search the scriptures to see if this false teaching is really true. They do not need to be taught Bible worship. They could really see the truth of it in scripture if they searched it out in scripture with the help of the Holy Spirit hard enough. They should not be driven away from their Bibles, but should be driven to their Bibles.