by Water in the Wilderness
"But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life" (John 5:38-40).
Bibliolatry: The worship of the Bible.
Are you a worshiper of the Bible or a worshiper of the God of the Bible? Do you set the Bible on par with the Lord? These are questions we must ask ourselves, for it is an easy deception to get into. Please do not get me wrong; the Bible is God's Word, and it is an awe-inspiring book. Be we should never exalt it above the Lord Himself.
An extreme example of this is the King James only sect. These people deify the King James Bible version, even going so far as to worshiping King James himself by insisting that he was a righteous man. I always wonder what the Separatists would think if they were alive! But that's what happens when our allegiance is to dogma, versions, teachers, etc. The idolatry can be so deeply rooted that it affects one's judgment. No fruit can come of this, for it is not of the Spirit, but of the letter.
"And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life" (2 Corinthians 3:4-6).
Biblical Inspiration
The Bible is, as I mentioned above, awe-inspiring! It is a beautiful book of history, poetry, song, tragedy, truth, life, love, especially God's great love for fallen mankind. Within its incredible pages, we observe God's revelation of Himself to man and learn how He personally walked with those chosen from the foundation of the world. On the other hand, it is also a book of mystery, for anyone devoid of the Holy Spirit will not be able to understand it.
"These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:13, 14).
Because of this, its reputation has suffered much as a result of mockers, false prophets, and certain individuals, apart from the Holy Spirit, who hope to shed light upon it, but do it a disservice in the end. Peter even commented on this when he referred to Paul's epistles being difficult to understand.
"...as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures" (2 Peter 3:15, 16).
Now if the Holy Spirit is the Interpreter, it logically follows that He's also the Author. In fact, the Bible tells us that the Scriptures are God-breathed meaning the Holy Spirit Himself came upon men and spoke through them. Many people fail to see the absolute magnificence in divine inspiration - how hundreds of individuals over thousands of years could all speak in complete unity and agreement. Amazing!
"And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:19-21).
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Timothy 3:16, 17).
So if the Holy Spirit is the Author and the Interpreter of the Bible, and Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith, how could we ever have the audacity to think we could work the works of God in our own strength by reading devotions and passages of Scripture and applying them to our own lives? In this respect, this practice is really no different than committing yourself to humanistic New Year's resolutions.
Please do not misunderstand what I am trying to say. Reading someone's writings or the Bible itself is not wrong; it is when we read them in a heart seeking to establish its own righteousness. You may even do this daily during your "devotions". In fact, many people remain Bible readers who faithfully do their devotions daily, yet never respond to the Lord's call of repentance unto salvation. How sad to know about the things of God and not know the Creator Himself.
It can even become habitual as you grow in the knowledge of God, while your spirit begins to hunger for the implanted Word and unbelief creeps steadily into your heart like a bandit.
"Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls" (James 1:21).
Only the inspired word (implanted Word) of the Holy Spirit can save, for how we come to God is how we remain in God. The uninspired Word, even though it is the Word, is unable to save. It can however, make us wise unto salvation.
"But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 3:14, 15).
I want to illustrate how this begins. When a person becomes born again of the Spirit, he simply responds to the Holy Spirit's quickening. He agrees with the Holy Spirit in that he is a sinner in need of God's grace and salvation. He believes what the Lord has communicated to his spirit. At that moment, the Lord regenerates his spirit and "authors" his faith. This is the implanted Word, like a seed, that is able to save. Do you see the difference? The implanted Word is Holy Spirit led. Herein is where much confusion begins.
Instead of continuing in this pattern, the newly converted lamb becomes inundated with the opinions of people (some well-meaning) about how he must find a church, watch someone's half-hour ministry show, read a book or portion of Scripture, go to a certain conference, etc.
The whole host of American Christianity is thrust upon him in a moment, along with its pressure, while his new relationship with the Lord suddenly becomes overwhelming. Sadly, instead of rejoicing and edifying him in how the Lord who saved him will continue in the same manner, via the implanted Word to shepherd him, he now feels the pressure of working his own salvation.
"Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh" (Galatians 3:3).
His newly found hunger for the Word can easily be taken captive by bibliolatry because the pressure to change his own heart to fit a certain mold becomes deafening.
This may not be your story. You may have found it difficult to hear the Lord's Voice, or are having a hard time being a doer and not just a hearer; you may always need your Bible in your "quiet time", finding it difficult to just talk with God anytime or anywhere.
Examine yourself and pray. If the Lord has shown you that this is your struggle, simply agree with Him and ask Him to reveal how this became rooted in your life. For then you'll be able to say, "I was like a sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of my soul!" (1 Peter 2:25).
