Sunday, December 4, 2011

Beyond the Sacred Page


I just heard a person described as loving the Bible with all her heart, mind and soul. 

Commendable, I guess. 

However, the most important command of that Bible is to love the Lord, thy God with all our hearts, minds, and souls.

I love the Bible, too. But the Bible isn’t God. It isn’t a person at all.  It is a tool by which I can gain insight into the nature of God. 

Am I just splitting hairs? I don’t think so. If you worship an inanimate object, that’s called idolatry. In fact, there is a specialized term for people who worship the Bible: bibliolatry.  It leads to death, dissatisfaction, and loneliness, just like any other form of idolatry.

I hate to talk about this in an age when so few people really look at their Bibles. The Bible is important. It’s a collection of our most ancient and basic documents upon which Christianity is based. People need to know their scriptures because it’s a principle way of getting to know their God. 

But the Bible isn’t God.    

Like the song said originally: “BEYOND the sacred page, I seek thee, Lord.”