Making the Bible into an Idol

A few days ago I was talking with a man about the Bible and talked about the process for choosing which books went into the Bible we have now.  He almost put his fingers in his ears! He actually said to me; “God gave us the Bible exactly as it is in the King James Authorized Bible. How can you preach the Word of God if you don’t believe that?” He did not want to hear anything else. His faith is so weak that any change in his preconceptions would shatter it.

It is scandalous for Christians if we remain content about our own ignorance and understanding of the Bible. This includes the history of how the Bible came to us and the movement of people in the Holy Land. The more I learn and understand about the scriptures the more powerful they become for me. This even includes all the human frailties that produced it. We must understand that God did not dictate word for word the Bible we have today.

For well over two thousand years over forty-four authors told their stores about their relationship with God. Some of it was passed down by word of mouth from one generation to the next before it was written down. When it was written it was in at least three different languages and has been translated into hundreds.

To accept what that man believes about the Bible is to make an idol out of the book.