Don Stewart :: Does Inerrancy Cause Worship of the Bible? (Bibliolatry)

Does Inerrancy Cause Worship of the Bible? (Bibliolatry)

Answering Bible Difficulties – Question 28

Some have objected to the doctrine of inerrancy because it supposedly makes people worship the Bible rather than the God who is behind the writing of the Bible. This worship of the Bible is known as, “bibliolatry.”

Do Christians Worship an Inerrant Bible?

The idea is that people will make the Bible the object of their worship if they believe it to be an inerrant or infallible document. Instead of worshipping the God of Scripture, people will worship the very Scripture itself. This approach has a number of weaknesses.

Would an Errant Bible Cause a Greater Desire to Worship God?

First, are we to assume that an untrustworthy, errant Bible would cause a greater desire to trust God? Would this give assurance that God and His Word could always be relied upon? Obviously it would not.

The Bible Does Not Teach Worship of Itself

Add to this, the Bible itself does not contain any passage that would remotely give one the idea to worship it rather than God. To the contrary, Scripture makes it clear that God, and He alone, should be worshipped. In the Ten Commandments we read:

You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me.” (Exodus 20:4-5 NASB)

God forbids worship of anything apart from Himself—this includes His written Word.

We Cannot Blame Scripture for the Sins of Humans

While there are people who do have a superstitious attitude toward the Bible, they do not get this from a reading of Scripture. The Bible cannot be blamed for their faults.

Christians do not worship the Bible. Rather, it is the authoritative standard that God uses to make known His truth to humanity. It is the God of the Bible whom they willingly worship.

Summary – Question 28
Does Inerrancy Cause Worship of the Bible? (Bibliolatry)

The doctrine of inerrancy supposedly makes a person worship the Bible instead of God. This, it is contended, should cause the idea of inerrancy to be abandoned. While some may place a superstitious attitude toward the writings themselves, this has nothing to do with the issue of inerrancy.

The Bible does not encourage worship of itself—it always points to the worship of the living God. The belief in inerrancy should not be abandoned because some people mistakenly worship the Book instead of the God who divinely inspired the Book.