Episode 54 - Idol in my Pocket

How do we treat the Bible? Is it an ancient tome of mystical directions, a family heirloom we display in our homes, a book of reference, an object of worship, or the word of God? The manner in which the Bible is used by Christians has been called idolatrous. This month's podcast addresses some of the accusations and missuses we are accused of.

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Idol in my pocket

Introduction

Welcome to Teleios Talk I'm glad you've chosen to join us today. Today, we're talking about Bibliolatry, or the worship of a book; in this case specifically, we’re talking about the Bible. This is an accusation we as Christians find placed against us when we assign the Bible as our simple answer to every question, acting “puffed up” and arrogant. 

What do I mean by that? Consider the phrase “The Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it”. Such a statement does not track with non-Christians as a statement of faith; but instead as an uncritical, unproven, blind faith in an ancient tome which we hold up as a mystical - almost magical - good luck charm. 

The way we talk about the Scriptures does not often translate as the gospel message but as a good luck charm instead.

In October of 2021, Relevant Magazine contributor John Pavlovitz wrote, “...the Bible has become for so many believers, a fourth addition to the Trinity, something to be worshiped, rather than something to help us seek the One worthy of worship. We’ve come to treat Scripture as the destination of our spiritual journey, rather than what it was for the earliest believers: essential reading material on the way to the Promised Land. You can see this misplaced worship everywhere; on message boards, and on talk shows, and from pulpits, and in conversations over coffee. Many of us wield the Bible like an oversized power tool that we couldn't be bothered to consult the manual for.” [https://relevantmagazine.com/faith/have-we-made-bible-idol-0/]

Are we guilty of this, how the Bible been presented by Christians, and what has led us to this point? Today, we will address all these questions and more. 

Sola Scriptura

Do we treat our Bibles like an idol? How does the authority of Scripture rank against the authority of God? In addition to the statement by John Pavlovitz I read earlier, he also said this, “The only religious worldview that makes the Bible the last and only word, is that of a God who is no longer living.”
[https://relevantmagazine.com/faith/have-we-made-bible-idol-0/]

This is why we are often challenged with the question: What if the Bible is wrong?

There is a very popular phrase among most Protestant denominations known as Sola Scriptura, this comes from the Latin phrase meaning “by scripture alone”. Popular in the Lutheran and Reformed traditions the idea is that the Bible is the sole, infallible authority for Christian faith and practice, determining doctrine and tradition.

However, in the Anabaptist understanding, we follow what is known as Prima Scriptura, or “by scripture first”. We still believe that Scripture is infallible and our primary source for faith and doctrine, but the offices of the church, antiquity, councils, and extra-canonical writing can serve to inform understanding and reason which is the foundation of what we believe. Through a pre-Nicene view of Scripture, Anabaptists look at the writings of Polycarp, Irenaeus and others to inform this understanding.

Matthew C. Steeberg, professor of Theology at the University of Oxford, wrote this about Irenaeus, “For Irenaeus, ‘scripture’ is that which speaks of Christ in accordance with the typological revelation of the Old Testament, in the manner set forth by the witness of the apostolic preaching.”
[Matthew C. Steenberg, “Irenaeus on Scripture, Graphe, and the Status of Hermas,” St. Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly 53 (2009): 29–66.]

We may draw influence and context from the writings of Clement of Rome, Papias, Polycarp, and even Ignatius - individuals who knew the apostles and heard the Gospel message from the apostles themselves - but we must not replace our Scriptures with the writings of these Church Fathers, and when we come across disagreement between these writers and Scripture we turn to those with apostolic authority, we turn first to Scripture. 

In 2 Timothy 3:16 we read, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;” Some translations read “God-breathed” but what is being said by Paul is that human authors put the words to paper, through their own personal perspectives and styles. But the ultimate source of this information is not human, but divine. 

Furthermore, Peter recognizes the writings of Paul as Scripture in 2 Peter 3:15-16, when he writes, “our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which there are some things that are hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.” 

Matthew Barrett, professor of Theology, writing for the Gospel Coalition, says, “...apart from the Spirit’s superintendence, any human author would be fallible. But since it is the Spirit of God — also called the Spirit of truth (John 15:26) — that carries along these human authors (2 Peter 1:21), what they say is what God says, and no human error is mixed in with it. Surely this is not beyond God’s omnipotent abilities. If we, as Christians, believe the Son of God himself can become incarnate yet without sin in order to communicate a saving word to us as the Word (John 1:1, 14), then carrying along the biblical authors so that they speak truthfully is a small thing by comparison.” [https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/authority-inerrancy-scripture/]

Let’s consider something very briefly, history records the early church spreading out to Ethiopia in 33 AD, the Mesopotamian Diaspora in 47 AD, and what are present day Armenia and Georgia before 49 AD. This all happened before Paul’s second missionary journey through Macedonia and Greece. The journeys of Paul brought Christianity to the Greeks and Romans, but Thomas brought Christianity to India in 52 AD. 

It wasn't until after the sacking of Jerusalem by Titus in 70 AD, that Christianity was established in northern Turkey along the Black Sea. After the Jewish-Roman War from 132-135 AD, Christianity spread out to places like Portugal in 140 AD, the British Isles in 156 AD, Austria in 174 AD, northern Africa by 197 AD, and Switzerland and Belgium in 200 AD. 

During the next 100 years, by 300 AD, Christianity had spread to the Iranian plateau along the borders of modern day Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. The Bible was available in 10 different languages to over 1 million believers, and Christianity was becoming the national religion of Armenia and Albania.

The challenge of the Bible is that through its many translations it is accused of losing its perfection - in other words, through translational errors the Bible we read today is wrong - it does not follow the original text. And if this is true then of what use is it to us other than that of an idol, an effigy, or fetish resembling only what we think God says.

But the message of Scripture does not change; yes, it is difficult to communicate the nuance of the original language, but the meaning remains unchanged. Even in the New Testament, the writers quoted parts of the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Old Testament, and we are still able to see the truth of God conveyed in the texts.

Don Stewart, writing for Blue Letter Bible says, “Is it error free? The evidence says it is. It is a Biblical idea to call translation of the Bible Scripture.” [https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/stewart_don/faq/bible-difficulties/question31-how-can-we-speak-of-an-inerrant-bible.cfm]

Language & Translation

So what happens when Christians begin to worship the Bible and turn their eyes away from God? What happens when the Bible becomes an idol. Since 1930, modern western Christianity has seen a rise of this problem across the Protestant spectrum; from Methodists, Baptists, and Anglo-Catholics, to even Conservative Anabaptists, we are being seduced into the King James Only movement

I’m not talking about personal preference here, instead, what is happening is the King James Version is being hailed as divinely Inspired, supernaturally preserved, and representing a new revelation from God.

Author Mark Ward, wrote in Credo Magazine, “So what do we talk about with our KJV-Only brothers and sisters? We talk about the thing even lay people should know, in the moral sense of should:” “Four centuries does a lot to a language. We just don’t say besom, chambering, or emerod; we say “broom,” “immorality,” and “tumor.” [https://credomag.com/2020/10/how-to-rescue-people-from-the-trap-of-kjv-onlyism/]

1 Corinthians 14:9 says, “unless you produce intelligible speech by the tongue, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will just be talking to the air.” In other words, edification requires intelligibility, and the English of the KJV is no longer fully intelligible.

Whatever the argument for being a follower of the KJV Only movement, there are two criticisms which speak to the intention of its adherents: First, a disproportionate number of those in this camp are known for one thing above all; they are jerks. They are jerks online, they are jerks when you try to have a conversation with them, and they are jerks in any forum where they feel the need to point out their warped sense of textual criticism. Second, they forget to love their brothers and proudly wear the badges of malice and contention, blind, in perpetuity, to the sins we are warned against in 1 Peter 2:1, and Galatians 5:20 respectively.

How does God view the use of language and translation? The answer to this is clearly recorded in Scripture. Jewish tradition, recorded in the Talmud, says that Moses learned every single future interpretation of Torah that would ever exist. Megillah 19b.5 of Talmud Bavli reads, “What is the meaning of that which is written: “And the Lord delivered to me two tablets of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words which the Lord spoke with you in the mountain” (Deuteronomy 9:10)? This teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, showed Moses on the mountain all the inferences that can be derived from the words of the Torah; and all the inferences that can be derived from the words of the Scribes, the early Sages; and also all the new halakhot that the Scribes were destined to introduce in the future in addition to the laws of the Torah.”

In addition to this, all Jewish and Messianic believers are taught that Exodus 20:18, teaches the Law of God was given to them when they saw it in the thunder. This is an important statement, the interpretation of this verse explicitly says that the Hebrew people saw the word of God. Several Jewish Rabbinical teachers, like Rashi say that this was a one-time, never-again miracle which is impossible under normal circumstances. The Midrash Shemot Rabbah 5:9expands on this saying, “As it is stated: “The Lord came from Sinai and shone to them from Seir” (Deuteronomy 33:2), and it is written: “God came from the south” (Habakkuk 3:3), and it says: “All the people were seeing the voices” (Exodus 20:15).Voice is not written here, but “voices.” Rabbi Yoḥanan said: he voice would emerge and divide into seventy voices for seventy languages, so that all the nations could understand. Each and every nation would hear a voice in the language of that nation, and their souls departed. But Israel heard and they were not harmed.” [https://www.sefaria.org/Shemot_Rabbah.5.9?lang=bi]

Interestingly, Exodus 20:19 records the Jews begging Moses to act as an intermediary, saying,  “Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but do not have God speak to us, or we will die!”

This act of God is commemorated during the celebration of Shavuot and, very interestingly, is connected closely to the miracle of Pentecost mentioned in Acts 2. What are the parallels? 

1) The children of God were gathered in one place. 
Sinai/Jerusalem 
2) God produced an intermediary. 
Moses/Holy Spirit
3) God communicated in every language known. 
Lightning/tongues of fire

In both instances, God spoke to every nation of the earth, revealing the truth by which all must live. Acts 2:3-4 says, “And tongues that looked like fire appeared to them, distributing themselves, and a tongue rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with different tongues, as the Spirit was giving them the ability to speak out.”

Language in Scripture is a very important theme. Two places in Genesis stand out. The first, in Genesis 10:5, says, “From these the people of the coastlands of the nations were separated into their lands, every one according to his language, according to their families, into their nations.” Second we have the story of the tower of Babel where God divided the people through the confusion of language. Genesis 11:7 says, “Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” And it is here that we find out why the division of people through language was so important. God says in Genesis 11:6, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they have started to do, and now nothing which they plan to do will be impossible for them.”

What are we capable of if we are all equipped with one voice? Consider the words of Jesus, in Matthew 17:20, “truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”

What is not being said is that man can do the same things as an infinite God. We can see what is done in society today, where English has become a type of international language. We can create and combine our intellectual powers like never before. Look at the impact the internet  has had on society and we are instantly aware of the good and evil which is raised with this type of common communication. But Jesus refines the meaning by saying that our true strength is in our faith. If we as Christians pursue faith and truth, the Spirit working through us will enable the impossible to happen.

Language brings together and it separates
Language gives clarity and it confuses
Language supports and it tears down.

God has a plan for the whole world and that plan includes a united people, through Jesus we see how that plan is to play out; not through a common language but a common Logos. Edward L. Greenstein, professor of the Bible at Bar-Ilan University writes, “The story of language and the need for translation is riddled by the fact of its incompletion. The multiplication of languages and the phenomenon of translation would seem to be good in God’s eyes”
[https://www.thetorah.com/article/language-is-baffling-the-story-of-the-tower-of-babel]

The Bible never tells us how to reconcile variants among Biblical manuscripts; but it does tell us in 1 Corinthians 14 that if we want to build people up, we have to use words they can understand. In my Library I have about 60 Bibles: 

All the most popular translations and paraphrases, NASB, ESV, NIV, KJV, NKJV, NLV, Good News, and Living Bible; 
Weymouth's Modern Speech New Testament, a Wuest New Testament, Luther Bibles in English, German, and Russian; 
a Tyndale Bible, a Modern Greek Bible, a copy of the Septuagint, a New Jerusalem Bible, and Catholic Bibles which include the Apocrypha and Deuterocanonicals; 
a Torah in Hebrew with English interlinear, a Messianic Bible written in Hebrew, a Chinese Bible, a Japanese Bible, an Ojibway Bible; 
Interlinear Bibles, a Dead Sea Scroll Bible, and a Chronological Bible; 
Abridged Bibles, Amplified Bibles, Study Bibles, Student Bibles, Children's Bibles, Picture Bibles, even a Manga Bible;
and I even have a few heretical Bibles like the New World Translation, the Message, and the Passion Bible.

A handful of my Bibles are over 100 years old; and one, written in 1798, is more than 200 years old. Do you hear what I’m saying? The Bible is for all people in a language they understand. That isn’t man’s idea, it’s God’s 

Inerrancy

The elephant in the room is the argument regarding Biblical infallibility and inerrancy. Is our view of the Bible orthodoxy or idolatry? Let's take a look at two verses in the New Testament. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work.” Here Paul is exhorting Timothy to use the Scriptures as a tool to strengthen the believers; and he is encouraging Timothy to continue in confidence in the Scriptures as being inspired by God.

Let’s look at the second verse, John 5:39-40; it reads, “You examine the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is those very Scriptures that testify about Me; and yet you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.” In this verse Jesus is addressing the religious leaders who had accused Him of breaking many of their laws, including breaking the sabbath; and He replies to them by addressing their use of the Scriptures. They have turned away from God as their redeemer and now focus on the Scriptures alone for their eternal rescue. The scriptures have become a superstitious object and placeholder which work only to support their own ideas. This verse should speak very loudly to us because the church today flirts with the same idolatry Jesus accused these leaders of. 

If we were to make a case for the infallibility of Scripture, it would proceed along two propositions of reason: deductive and inductive. In a process of reasoning which has been used for centuries we see how these propositions move from the premise of general trustworthiness to the conclusion of infallibility. I’m using an outline adapted by Tim Challies on his website.
[https://www.challies.com/articles/the-inerrancy-of-scripture-part-3/]

Let’s take a look at it closer:

Premise A – The Bible is a basically reliable and trustworthy document.
Premise B – On the basis of this reliable document we have sufficient evidence to believe confidently that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Premise C – Jesus Christ being the Son of God is an infallible authority.
Premise D – Jesus Christ teaches that the Bible is more than generally trustworthy; it is the very Word of God.
Premise E – The word, in that it comes from God, is utterly trustworthy because God is utterly trustworthy.
Conclusion – On the basis of the infallible authority of Jesus Christ, the church believes the Bible to be utterly trustworthy, i.e., infallible.

It is important to note that this progression does not involve circular reasoning. Circular reasoning occurs when the conclusion is already present in the first premise. Instead, this method follows the linear pattern of development used in analytical reasoning.

I’m going to stick with Tim Challies for a bit. He writes in his article “The Inerrancy of Scripture (Part 3)” , “First, if we deny inerrancy, we make God a liar. If there are errors in the original manuscripts, that were breathed out by God, one of two things must be true: either God purposely lied or he mistakenly lied. This indicates that God is capable of making errors or of producing errors. We might conclude from this that we are likewise able to intentionally lie, even if only in small matters.

Second, if we deny inerrancy we lose trust in God. If there are errors in Scripture, even if in the smallest detail, and these were placed there intentionally by God, how are we to maintain trust that He did not lie in other matters? When we lose trust in the Scriptures, we lose trust in God Himself and we may consequently lose our desire to be obedient to Him.

Third, if we deny the clear testimony of Scripture that it is inerrant, we make our minds a higher standard of Truth than the Bible.” I feel a concern towards those who deny inerrancy when they indicate that the doctrine does not “feel right.  “But nowhere does the Bible appeal to our feelings or our reason for its authority or inerrancy. We must submit to the Word, for it will not submit to us. Fourth, if we deny inerrancy, and indicate that small details are incorrect, we cannot consistently argue that all the doctrine the Bible contains is correct. Admitting error in even the smallest historical detail is the thin edge of the wedge, for we then allow the possibility that there may be error in doctrine as well.”
[https://www.challies.com/articles/the-inerrancy-of-scripture-part-3/]

Let’s reexamine the notion of sola scriptura, does it deny the infallibility of Scripture and project the idolization of Scripture instead? In Catholicism, Ephesians 4 is pointed to as a guide to using tradition, prophecy, and pastoral teaching to preserve the doctrinal unity of Scripture. But are these to be considered a divine authority?

Scripture must be our primary authority; we can look to creeds, catechisms, councils, confessions, and customs to inform our application but not to guide it. Therefore, when we engage in the priesthood of believers as described in 1 Peter 2:4-5,9, we look to God through our intercessor, the Holy Spirit, to read, interpret, and apply the teachings of the Bible. We must be like the Bereans who examined the Scriptures daily, receiving the Word eagerly, willing to listen to instruction for the growth of their faith.

Tradition is a tool to lead and teach but it can also be fallible, it can lose its salt when we forget why it was a tradition in the first place or its purpose. Furthermore, the Bible becomes like an idol in our pocket when we treat it like a talisman or object of superstition. If we don’t read it, study it, and apply it but instead turn it into a weapon of accusation and affiliation, of what use is it? 

All people know the truth of God, it is written on their hearts; His Word refines, shapes, teaches, and corrects our understanding of that truth. Where we falter is when unbelievers encounter Christians who are very knowledgeable of Scripture but are “puffed up” and do not show love for Christ or others. Is your study of the Bible bearing the fruit of the Spirit or arrogance? Is your study of Scripture strictly a practice of gaining head-knowledge or does it lead you into a deeper love for God? 

Conclusion

The assertion that the Bible is inerrant, infallible, and authoritative is not bibliolatry, it is simply the belief that what the Bible says is true. The Bible is a book which contains the Word of God, but is not God itself. As such, the Bible, as an object, is not worthy of our worship. We are encouraged as believers to reason out what we believe discerning if what the Bible says about itself and God is true. Diligent study should always point us to Christ, every book, chapter, verse, and word; are signposts to guide us. If what makes us feel okay with God is our confidence in the correctness of our beliefs, then our confidence in our beliefs is, in effect, our god.

Let me close with a quote from Darrell Lackey “A person could memorize the entire Bible. They could quote a Scripture verse for every problem, argument, or issue at hand. One could study the Bible deeply every day, for a lifetime. One could do all this and never know the God of whom it speaks. One could do this and be a mean, angry, and selfish person. One could do this and never lift a finger for another human being. One could do this and be nothing more than a judgment machine, handing out judgments, opinions, and confident assertions about the world and everyone else.”
https://unfundamentalists.com/2017/11/christian-bible-idol/

Whether it’s a theological position, political view, or translation preference —nothing in our lives must be given authority over the Bible, rather, the Bible must have authority over them.