The Holy Bible?

I've been accused on more than one occasion of worshiping the Bible. I suppose you might be able to see why. I believe "If it's in there, it's true." I believe "If it's in there, it is authoritative." Conversely, I believe, "If it contradicts the Bible, it's not true." See? I worship the Bible ... right?

Well, no, not quite. Here's why. There are some religions in the world that consist of "people of the book." That is, they have Scriptures with a capital "S" that define for them their own beliefs. Some are more so than others. The two most extensive versions are Islam and Christianity. In Islam, the Qu'ran is a holy book. The book itself is holy. It is an offense to tear out a page or harm the book in any way. The book is holy. The same is not true in Christianity. Our Bible claims that Scripture is God-breathed (2 Tim 3:16-17). We refer to it as "God's Word." That's the idea.

As Christians we have one God who is the one Authority on all matters of truth (that which corresponds to reality), faith, and practice. If we take that claim seriously, we would reject as authoritative any other source that contradicts that single Authority. Since the Bible claims to be "God-breathed" (not merely "inspired") and since we claim to be subservient to God, we would need to be under God's written Word. As God speaks, we are to listen and follow. So God is our Authority, and God has given us His written Word to tell us what is true, what to do, and how to think. It is, then, God whom we worship and not the book of His Word. Those pages aren't sacred. Those words aren't holy. The message they convey, coming from God, is holy as coming from the One who is Holy, Holy, Holy.

Look, I get it. "Did God really say ...?" has been a question practically from the very beginning. And I understand that there is, even between serious and dedicated believers, disagreement about the meanings of this particular passage or that. The point is not that the Bible is to be worshiped. The point is that God is to be worshiped and you can't say that you're doing that if you reject what He has to say. The point, then, is to be serious about determining what He has said rather than rejecting it because of "other authorities" ... like "cultural perception," "public opinion," current popular views, or "in my experience" types of approaches. We don't worship the Bible. We do worship the God who breathed it and, so, we take it seriously. We don't take too seriously those who don't take His Word seriously because, seriously, that's clearly a proclamation that they don't take God seriously.