What about this idea that Bible-based evangelical Christians are really worshipping The Good Book and thus committing “bibliolatry” (i.e., making an idol of the Bible).
In keeping with the example of the Berean Bible study superstars, we need to engage in vigorous, eager, careful examination of the Scriptures (the Bereans did this “daily,” and we should do the same, Acts 17:11). Receiving and proclaiming the Word of God is the way to shut down itching ears and the false teaching they crave (2 Tim 4:1-5). Flipside: failing to preach and receive the Word faithfully is a great way to unleash unsound, dangerous messages in the church. Want to mess up the body of Christ and ransack people’s souls? Then let itching ears dictate the message; preach what is popular; avoid disturbing anyone with God’s bold truth.
So does a high respect for the Bible compel Christians to commit bibliolatry? Not at all. In fact, committing bibliolatry is a sure sign that one has not taken the Bible seriously enough. Because if you read and meditate on and truly take in the message of the Scriptures, you’ll see clearly that a zeal for truth without a love for the One who speaks ultimate truth is utterly unacceptable. The only way a professing Christian could practice bibliolatry would be by failing to really know and follow what the Bible says—and that failure would be grave indeed.
Don’t get me wrong: the risk of bibliolatry is real, and the Enemy takes a certain devious delight by infecting church people with this twisted satisfaction. If we love study, ideas and possessing knowledge but don’t really love Jesus; if we savor facts but don’t revel in the company of Christ … that would be deadly. But don’t throw out the baby with the bath water! We’ll still love the Bible if we love Christ, and we’ll still love the Bible if we worship God alone! Because the Bible is the “place” the Lord speaks to us—it’s his voice! How could we possibly not long to hear from the One who has forgiven and adopted and loved us? How could we fail to cherish his Word—the lamp that lights our way (Psalm 119:105)?
Friday, September 26, 2008
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
When People Are Big...
Did you get a chance to do a little summer reading? There’s no shortage of recommended books to take to the shore—not to mention required reading for students (our kids used a lot of those hours in the van between Pennsylvania and Minnesota to make headway in their books for school). In recent weeks I read Ed Welch’s book, When People Are Big and God Is Small: Overcoming Peer Pressure, Codependency, and the Fear of Man.
Welch argues that the “fear of man” is seen everywhere: in peer pressure, over-commitment, emphasizing self-esteem, being easily embarrassed, second-guessing decisions you make, lying, blaming, manipulating, feeling like martyrs, avoiding people, excessive dieting and preoccupation with body image, anger, overachievement, jealousy, and more! The fear of man is simply part of the fabric of our human existence—we all struggle with it.
The key problem with allowing the fear of man to loom large is that it eliminates the fear of the Lord—the rightful, reverent, joyful sense of awe and admiration we ought to feel toward God. By contrast, when we as believers learn to rivet our attention on our magnificent Lord, we begin to break loose from the desperate need for human applause. Without putting it in so many words, Welch is really asking who is the Lord of your life—whom do you revere, whose approval matters to you most, who is in charge of your life?
The task God sets before us is to need people less but love them more. “Only people-lovers are not controlled by other people” (p. 41). But people are our idol of choice. Ironically, when we use people to satisfy our own desires and ambitions, it leaves us enslaved to them. But loving others in a self-forgetting way sets us free to be a blessing, and to help them, like us, look up with wonder into the face of God.
As we launch into the fall together, let’s echo Paul’s God-centered wisdom in 1 Thessalonians 2:4-6 by speaking and acting in all we do not for human applause but to please God who tests our hearts. Let’s commit together to lead lives of reverence and awe toward God, seeking to magnify his glory and thus defusing the fear of man.
Welch argues that the “fear of man” is seen everywhere: in peer pressure, over-commitment, emphasizing self-esteem, being easily embarrassed, second-guessing decisions you make, lying, blaming, manipulating, feeling like martyrs, avoiding people, excessive dieting and preoccupation with body image, anger, overachievement, jealousy, and more! The fear of man is simply part of the fabric of our human existence—we all struggle with it.
The key problem with allowing the fear of man to loom large is that it eliminates the fear of the Lord—the rightful, reverent, joyful sense of awe and admiration we ought to feel toward God. By contrast, when we as believers learn to rivet our attention on our magnificent Lord, we begin to break loose from the desperate need for human applause. Without putting it in so many words, Welch is really asking who is the Lord of your life—whom do you revere, whose approval matters to you most, who is in charge of your life?
The task God sets before us is to need people less but love them more. “Only people-lovers are not controlled by other people” (p. 41). But people are our idol of choice. Ironically, when we use people to satisfy our own desires and ambitions, it leaves us enslaved to them. But loving others in a self-forgetting way sets us free to be a blessing, and to help them, like us, look up with wonder into the face of God.
As we launch into the fall together, let’s echo Paul’s God-centered wisdom in 1 Thessalonians 2:4-6 by speaking and acting in all we do not for human applause but to please God who tests our hearts. Let’s commit together to lead lives of reverence and awe toward God, seeking to magnify his glory and thus defusing the fear of man.
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