Bibliolatry is what is known as worshiping the Bible as a form of idolatry. Now, I don’t know of anyone who actually worships the Bible even bowing down, singing, and praying to it. I haven’t heard of any temples or gold Bibles that people worship. “Bibliolatry” is actually used to refer to the act of worshiping God’s law rather than God or slander against Christians who follow Jesus’s example relying upon “all the Scriptures” for teaching.
“Bibliolatry” is usually used as a slanderous label for those who believe the Scriptures to be the word-for-word inspired and all-sufficient collection of writings for all Christian doctrines and practices (2 Timothy 3:16–17). The use of this label comes from those who do not accept the Scriptures as God-inspired and, or as complete revelation. If a “Bible worshiper” or a “bibliolater” is just someone who believes in the inspiration of Scriptures, then this label would be referring to the Lord, His apostles, His prophets, and the church who believe and teach the inspiration of the Bible.
Worship the Christ
Christians must worship the Word in the flesh (John 1:14), but they must not worship paper, letters of a language, or books, even leather-bound books. Truly, the faithful must not worship the Law of Christ but worship Christ trusting in the law of His grace. The Bible is the collection of inerrant inspired writings revealing the Word, so Christians, therefore, respect the Scriptures and spend a lot of time reading them for the Spirit’s revelation is there. This is not worshiping the Scriptures.
Strangely, those using the label of “bibliolatry” for slander are either missing the importance of the Word, are willingly ignorant, or more likely lack the faith to accept the Word of God as it is written. Many elaborate scenarios asserted upon a little history to assert that the Bible was collected by men, polluted by men, and inspired by the imaginations of men. The Scriptures stand because Christ stands. The Scriptures are inerrant because Christ is inerrant. As Peter preached in Acts, the predictive prophecies of Christ, Jesus’s empty tomb, and various witnesses of Jesus’s resurrection prove Jesus is the Son of God. Because Jesus is the Christ, His words given to the apostles and prophets are revealed in the Scriptures.
The Written Word
The reason to respect the saving Word is that the Word is alive and active with no need of revival or any new life to be blown into it (Hebrews 4:12). The Word gives life (John 6:63; 1 Corinthians 15:1–2). One must be born of the Spirit to enter the kingdom of Heaven, and Christians are born of the Spirit by the Word of God (1 Corinthians 4:15; 1 Peter 1:23). The Word sanctifies Christians (John 17:17). The Word comforts (1 Thessalonians 4:18). Furthermore, the Spirit guided the apostles unto all truth for the writing of the Word of God (John 16:13). The Word presents the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22; James 1:18). God’s Word also produces love (Romans 5:5; 1 John 2:5). The written Word of the Scriptures is not just another religious text or guidebook for life.
The Word and Words
The wonder of the Word does not stop here. The “words” of the “Word” of Christ will judge the world (John 12:47–48). In John 3:34, John the Baptist affirmed that Jesus has the Spirit and the words of God. Jesus stated that the words He spoke are spirit and life (John 6:63). Jesus also said that His words would never pass away (Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31, Luke 21:33).
Jesus revealed that He is ashamed of those who are ashamed of His words (Luke 9:26). Those who do not hear the words of God are not of God (John 8:47). Then Jesus stated that He had many more things to say that He would speak all things by the Holy Spirit to the apostles (John 16:12–13). The apostle Paul wrote that the apostles’ words were not by man’s wisdom but from the teaching of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 2:13). The Spirit teaches through Jude that Christians are to remember the words of the apostles (Jude 17). First Timothy 6:3–4 teaches that man’s godliness is dependent upon whether he or she follows the words of God.
Should we read these words? Yes. Where are these words? You should know. Where does everyone go to find the words of Christ? Even those who believe the Bible to be man-made come back to the Bible for the words of Christ.
Loving Christ and His Words
Christ’s words are not just symbols written on paper. His words are spirit and life (John 6:63). Can anyone else say the same thing about their words? Upon these words, the faithful must live. By these words, Christians know Christ to worship and love Him. We may have a general love for strangers lost and saved, but to really love someone, one has to know that person. No one can love Christ without knowing Him and the more we know Him, then the more we’ll love Him. The sole verbal source to get to know Christ is the written Word and all other sources learn from the Bible. I wonder how many people who label Bible followers as “bibliolaters” are themselves biblically illiterate, worshiping their own imaginations of God, their own lusts of the flesh, lusts of the eyes, or their own life’s pride. Most don’t know the Scriptures and just rely on their own philosophy and the traditions of men.
No one should be accused of the horrible sin of idolatry because they submit to Christ’s words presented in the Scriptures. The Bible is not just laws, but it is also not just a love letter. The Bible is so much more than what people can summarize. We must love the principles and ideals that Christ presents for the church, which He has built and bought with His own blood. My heart aches to know that so many are changing to their own version of Christianity because they think of the Scriptures as cold pages disconnected from knowing and loving God and His Son. However, the faithful love God by obeying Jesus’s commands (1 John 5:3; 2 John 9). Where are Christ’s promises and commands written? His promises and commands are in the book for which some would like to think is an idol of worship.
The Breath of God 
1. Where are these records? Universities and museums. Check the webpages for any museum with a biology section, like the Smithsonian (Creationist theme parks are not museums)
2. DNA Comparison? Check the Smithsonian. Or the works of Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling.
3. What new viruses? HIV and new HIV strands for starters. New H1N1 strands. And yes,evolution IS adaptation. Where do you think viruses come from? From RNA.Not some other kind of virus. Viruses don’t become a fish or chicken. I think you mean to talk about Speciation (Look it up and tell me if that you are referring to)
4.Once again. You cannot talk about adaptation without talking about evolution.
5.What organism did it evolve into? LOL. This is not pokemon. ;) I think that you simply misunderstand what evolution is.
No These are not assertions. These are provable premises. If you call these assertions you must also call the crucifixion of Christ an assertion. Where are the witnesses?
Now the Genesis account.
Genesis 2:19 Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. (Beasts after man)
Genesis 1:24 (God makes living creatures for the land and then man)
Also Moses did not write Genesis. Why do you think these two accounts differ and why Genesis 1 refers to God as “God” and Genesis 2 as “Lord God”? Different authors point of view of a single account. We also see it in the story of Noah, Crucifixion etc. Remember that these where oral traditions later put to paper. Can you guess how many animals of each Noah was to put in the Ark?
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I believe in adaption of God’s animals and you believe in invention of evolution.
1. You can’t even give two or three witnesses. C14 in fossil fuels proves all your false records wrong. I’ve given the source. Btw, should I go to a Creation Museum?
2. What about the DNA would prove what you are saying? You want me to consider that a billions bits data with this biological code accidentally formed itself?
3. Now, you are redefining evolution into adaption and claiming that because virus adapts into another kind of virus, then I should conclude that people came from primordial slime or that a bird came from a lizard. You do see how unreasonable that is?
4. You have no primary witnesses of your claims.
5. Exactly, for Ebola to evolve it would have to become another organism other than a virus.
The witnesses of the crucifixion are written: 1 Corinthians 15, John 19, 1 John 1:1-4, Luke 1:1-3, i.e. Matthew & Mark). Many witnesses are even hostile (cf. Matt. 28:11-15). Where did you think the need for primary sources came from?
Now you are prejudice against Moses writing Genesis? You cannot pick up a book with someone’s name on it and claim that he didn’t write it without proof. Such false accusation is slander. That is prejudging. This shows that you are bias and cannot make a fair judgment. Don’t spew this Graf-Wellhausen fabrication. Everyone knows that this is speculation used to justify their other conjectures. Certainly, your teachers told you that they made this up and that there are no primary witnesses to verify their claims, and therefore it stands in contrast to the delivered tradition. This is the very definition of prejudice. Is this what you practice? By the way, neither “now” nor “then” is in the beginning of the Hebrew text of Genesis 2:19 and “formed” is past tense in contrast to constant use of the present tense. You just hung your argument on a word that isn’t even there. It is just a filler word to aid the flow of reading. As for Moses, the Hebrew of Deuteronomy 31:9 says that Moses wrote the Torah (cf. Lev. 26:46, Deut. 4:44). Or can you even believe Jesus who said, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled” (Luke 24:44) and “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He [Jesus] interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:27)? Moses said, “For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day” (Exo. 20:11).
Proof for evolution? Like I posted earlier. Let me break them down in case you skipped over what I wrote.
1.The fossil record.
2.Recent DNA comparison from frozen fossils. (Less than 2 years ago)
3. New viruses.
4. Different human and animal characteristics by geographical location. (ever seen a Kangoroo in Africa? How about an African man born from a purely Japanese couple?)
5.The evolution of the ebola witnessed in laboratories.
Now How about you show proof that Genesis is an actual historical account. Read the first two chapters and tell me if man came before beast, or plants came before man. If you can give me a “clear and concise account” you win.
1. What about the fossil record? Where are these records?
2. Where is these comparisons of DNA?
3. What do new viruses prove until they evolve into something other than a virus? This is just adaption and genetic drift.
4. How does this prove anything? People will adapt and those characteristics will be passed on. There are no witnesses of a man or animal changing from its own kind.
5. What other organism did the ebola evolve into? – What are witnesses for all 5 points? These are only assertions.
Genesis 1 says that plants were created, then beasts, and then man. Genesis 2 says in verse 5 that there was no water for plants to grow, and then verse 6 says that a mist watered the ground for the plants to grow. After this, verse 7 says that Adam was formed and brought to life. Genesis 2:19 shows that before man named the animals that God made them from dust, and yet Genesis 2:19 does not specify whether these animals were formed before or after man while Genesis 1 does reveal when. In Genesis 2:18, God spoke of making woman so that man is not alone. Therefore, Moses set the context in verse 19-20 before addressing the formation of woman.
I said that people whom do not accept evolution, and simply do it because the bible says otherwise are bible idolaters.
How is that judging Christ? He didn’t write Genesis, Nor any of the books in the bible. Do you even know how and when the books whee canonized?
Now if you are going to further prove my point by using the bible to prove itself I’d rather end this discussion here, because we will not get anywhere.
You say that Jesus was wrong to refer to the Genesis account as fact. I’m going with Jesus and with real science as I presented before.
Christ’s Spirit guided the NT and OT (2 Pet. 1:16-21). The Apostles canonized the NT in the 1st c.
Why haven’t you presented your evidence for evolution?
Why do you judge Jesus Christ?
You are absolutely right. What was I thinking? Even though I have read the bible in two languages and am taking theology classes I am so wrong about it’s history and contents. Of course different race characteristics due to geographical location, new viruses and the DNA analysis of fossils is no evidence at all. All the museums got it wrong. After all, that’s not what the bible says. What do scientists know about biology right? I don’t need science if I have a bible.
Thank you for your time. Good bye.
I am sorry. But I do not understand how understanding biology goes against the teachings of Jesus. He never said to believe in the old writings. On the contrary, Remember the woman he saved from being stoned? And the man he saved whom was working on the sabbath? He saved them from men following the written laws. Men who idolized writings, instead of the miracle in front of them.
I don’t see either how evolution is racist? Wouldn’t that mean that we all come from the same place hence we are all related? Brothers? And isn’t race proof enough for evolution? We would all look the same, like siblings if there was no change over time since we came from two people. How about DNA evidence? The fossil record? All the new viruses that arise? But don’t believe me, nor Darwin, Dawkins or even Creationists. Go some museums. See for yourself.
Thank you for keeping this discussion civil.
Since you present no evidence and no premise to consider, I will continue.
Biology does not go against Jesus’ teachings rather evolution does. Evolution contradicts the laws of biology just as spontaneous generation does. Evolution is spontaneous generation in gradual steps where each step is spontaneous in change.
The old writings must be true since they predict Jesus even from the garden in Genesis 3:15 unto the NT. Jesus said that He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets (Matt. 5:17-18). He also spoke of Himself from the Law, the Psalms and the Prophets (Luke 24:44). By this the gospel was spread throughout the world (Rom. 16:25-27). Jesus spoke of the history of the OT as fact throughout His ministry. Jesus’ Spirit revealed that the old writings revealed examples for Christians (1 Cor. 10:6, 11, Rom. 15:4). Yet, the OT is dead to Christians in law (2 Cor. 3, Gal. 3-5, Rom. 7:1-7, Heb. 8:13, etc.). Jesus lived under the Law and revealed Himself. He did no unlawful work on the Sabbath, but that is what He was accused (John 5, 8). Jesus did not judge the woman accused of adultery because she was not accused. There were no witnesses, and yet there were sinners. The witnesses were to cast the first stone according to the old law.
Those who have read Darwin know that he is a racist. He sees the “races” of men as the result of evolution where some races are greater than others and some races are closer to their primitive state and are more ape. I’m sure that you can find these quotes. There are a some among Origin of Species.
There is change in men as God has made us to adapt and therefore there is genetic drift, but there are no beneficial mutations that have formed anyone animal into another. As according to the Law of Biogenesis, all animals produce after their own kind. This is what observable science has shown. Should we consider viruses adapted or did they evolve from proteins? Should we consider the billion of bits of data that make up the most basic DNA in single cell organisms as an accident? Has a code ever formed by accident eve among 20 variables? Who wrote the words in the museums and presumed these studies? Why does the fossil record show fossil fuels containing C14? Why do the fossil records rely on faulty dating from Potassium-Argon dating and C14? All that is “prehistoric” is conjecture and speculation. With reliable dating, evolution has no basis and cannot stand.
I hope that you seriously reconsider these things. I am not ignorant of their claims and I’d rather believe Jesus on these matters. He is verified. He is proved.
Omar is right, By using the bible ti justify your claims you are just proving his point. Be honest, the only reason you don’t believe in evolution is because of the biblical account of creation. I bet you don’t believe in how the world developed their own languages because of what’s said in the BabeI Tower story. I would also suggest going to a museum or reading a biology book.
And you are dismissing Christ. I dismiss speculation and stand by science. God could have produced life through evolution, but He didn’t. I know that if there was evidence for evolution, then I would become a philosophical theist or even deist. I studied evolution and I was indoctrinated in it. The holes are huge and the evidence presumptuous. When it comes to believing in Jesus or in the racist Darwin? I choose Jesus.
Why is it that the Bible bears its burden of proof through Jesus and yet the evolution bears none? I challenge you to bear witness. Show the evidence that proves evolution. Certainly, you can do this since you believe in it. And certainly, the science is not so complex the common man cannot see the evidence since this is would not be a matter elitism. According to the Bible, all you need to prove is 2 or 3 witnesses. Where are your primary sources?
Thank you for you openness and kindness in such discussion.
Have you ever heard a Christian say that the Theory of Evolution is false “because the Bible says …” THAT is Bible worship. How can you go against any type of evidence on we came into being just because it says otherwise in a book? I think God’s work goes over any material human creation.
I hope you’ll reconsider you position and let me challenge you on that presumption.
The Theory of Evolution is false. Jesus taught God’s Creation from Genesis (Matt. 19:4ff). Here’s my recent article on that: My Top 10 Reasons Why Evolution is False.
Believing Jesus and God’s Word is not Bible worship. Creation only goes so far to reveal the Creator and it is limited in revealing all (Rom. 1:20ff). Life and the conscience only present a portion of the moral light (Rom. 2:14-15) while Jesus’ words reveal the whole.
See? You are dismissing all we know about biology (Medicine, Genetics-DNA, Archeology, Anthropology, Geology, etc) just because “The Bible” says otherwise. No disrespect, but you just proved my point.
I think if God felt like making life on earth through evolution, he could. . Who are we to say otherwise when all the evidence points towards it? That just actually means that his creation is more mind boggling than we think. If he is everlasting, why would he be not ever-creating?
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Thank you.
“Your thoughts are prejudice. You cannot know Jesus outside of His words and actions You said, “You cannot know Jesus outside of His words and actions in the Bible, and you can’t know and affirm not one witness of any word or action claimed to Jesus outside of the Bible. ”
Do you believe that Jesus/the Spirit of Jesus/the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit indwells a believer; literally. We say, “I asked Jesus into my heart.” Is this a metaphor, or is it something real, not naturally real, rather superanaturally real?