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By Russell and Duenes @wordpress
Some people seem to think that there’s a real danger today of “bibliolatry”
in evangelical Christendom. In other words, we should be clear that Jesus
himself is central to our faith, and he is the one we must worship, not the
Bible, lest we be like the Pharisees, who knew every word of Scripture, but
missed Jesus himself. The words in the Bible must not be exalted above knowing
Christ. But was the Pharisees’ problem that they held the Scriptures in too high
a regard? Do we miss Jesus when we put ponder and puzzle over the Scriptures at
great length, and bank on its total truthfulness, infallibility and inerrancy?
De we commit “bibliolatry?” And then I wondered, if evangelicals can be guilty
of “bibliolatry” today, if they can somehow worship the Bible itself, would
Jesus himself be guilty of bibliolatry based on whatever criteria modern
accusers are using? I would think so. When Jesus was attempting to repel the devil, he said, “It is written…It is
written…It is written.” His answers were Scripture and only Scripture. Jesus
said that “until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the
least stroke of the pen shall by any means disappear from the Law until
everything accomplished.” Then comes the kicker: “Therefore anyone who sets
aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be
called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these
commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” When Jesus cleansed the
leper, he immediately sent him do what “Moses commanded” in the law. When John
the Baptist asks whether Jesus is the One, Jesus responds by alluding to Isaiah
61. Jesus explains who John the Baptist is by quoting Scripture. Jesus describes
his own ministry by analogy to Jonah in the fish and the Queen of Sheba coming
to hear Solomon. When Jesus is explaining the truth about marriage and divorce,
he explains it almost entirely in reference to Genesis 1. He speaks to the Rich,
Young Ruler in terms of the Ten Commandments. See "Link to External Source Article" below to read further. ----------------------------------- Did Jesus rely overmuch on the Scriptures? In both the Bible and The Urantia
Book Jesus is shown to have cited Biblical truth many times. In Jesus' day,
there were those who held these writings as sacred, holy, and inerrant. And this is
still true today; in addition, we now have the New Testament that is held as
equally inerrant by many. This may seem like a conundrum...However, Jesus
was very wise in his choice of passages with which to instruct his followers.
Consider this passage from The Urantia
Book: From "The Positive Nature of Jesus' Religion" “Create in me a clean heart, O Lord. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. “You should love your neighbor as yourself. “For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying, fear not; I
will help you. “Neither shall the nations learn war any more.” 159:5.7 And this is illustrative of the way Jesus, day by day, appropriated
the cream of the Hebrew scriptures for the instruction of his followers and for
inclusion in the teachings of the new gospel of the kingdom. Other religions had
suggested the thought of the nearness of God to man, but Jesus made the care of
God for man like the solicitude of a loving father for the welfare of his
dependent children and then made this teaching the cornerstone of his religion.
And thus did the doctrine of the fatherhood of God make imperative the practice
of the brotherhood of man. The worship of God and the service of man became the
sum and substance of his religion. Jesus took the best of the Jewish religion
and translated it to a worthy setting in the new teachings of the gospel of the
kingdom. Here is another enlightening story from The Urantia
Book
regarding Scripture: One day, the apostle Nathaniel asked Jesus point-blank: “Master, could you
trust me to know the truth about the Scriptures? I observe that you teach us
only a portion of the sacred writings—the best as I view it—and I infer that you
reject the teachings of the rabbis to the effect that the words of the law are
the very words of God, having been with God in heaven even before the times of
Abraham and Moses. What is the truth about the Scriptures?” 159:4.2 "Nathaniel, you have rightly judged; I do not regard the Scriptures
as do the rabbis. I will talk with you about this matter on condition that you
do not relate these things to your brethren, who are not all prepared to receive
this teaching. The words of the law of Moses and the teachings of the Scriptures
were not in existence before Abraham. Only in recent times have the Scriptures
been gathered together as we now have them. While they contain the best of the
higher thoughts and longings of the Jewish people, they also contain much that
is far from being representative of the character and teachings of the Father in
heaven; wherefore must I choose from among the better teachings those truths
which are to be gleaned for the gospel of the kingdom. 159:4.3 “These writings are the work of men, some of them holy men, others
not so holy. The teachings of these books represent the views and extent of
enlightenment of the time in which they had their origin. As a revelation of
truth, the last are more dependable than the first. The Scriptures are faulty
and altogether human in origin, but mistake not, they do constitute the best
collection of religious wisdom and spiritual truth to be found in all the world
at this time. 159:4.4 “Many of these books were not written by the persons whose names they
bear, but that in no way detracts from the value of the truths which they
contain. If the story of Jonah should not be a fact, even if Jonah had never
lived, still would the profound truth of this narrative, the love of God for
Nineveh and the so-called heathen, be none the less precious in the eyes of all
those who love their fellow men. The Scriptures are sacred because they present
the thoughts and acts of men who were searching for God, and who in these
writings left on record their highest concepts of righteousness, truth, and
holiness. The Scriptures contain much that is true, very much, but in the light
of your present teaching, you know that these writings also contain much that is
misrepresentative of the Father in heaven, the loving God I have come to reveal
to all the worlds. 159:4.5 "Nathaniel, never permit yourself for one moment to believe the
Scripture records which tell you that the God of love directed your forefathers
to go forth in battle to slay all their enemies—men, women, and children. Such
records are the words of men, not very holy men, and they are not the word of
God. The Scriptures always have, and always will, reflect the intellectual,
moral, and spiritual status of those who create them. Have you not noted that
the concepts of Yahweh grow in beauty and glory as the prophets make their
records from Samuel to Isaiah? And you should remember that the Scriptures are
intended for religious instruction and spiritual guidance. They are not the
works of either historians or philosophers. 159:4.6 “The thing most deplorable is not merely this erroneous idea of the
absolute perfection of the Scripture record and the infallibility of its
teachings, but rather the confusing misinterpretation of these sacred writings
by the tradition-enslaved scribes and Pharisees at Jerusalem. And now will they
employ both the doctrine of the inspiration of the Scriptures and their
misinterpretations thereof in their determined effort to withstand these newer
teachings of the gospel of the kingdom. Nathaniel, never forget, the Father does
not limit the revelation of truth to any one generation or to any one people.
Many earnest seekers after the truth have been, and will continue to be,
confused and disheartened by these doctrines of the perfection of the
Scriptures. 159:4.7 “The authority of truth is the very spirit that indwells its living
manifestations, and not the dead words of the less illuminated and supposedly
inspired men of another generation. And even if these holy men of old lived
inspired and spirit-filled lives, that does not mean that their words were
similarly spiritually inspired. Today we make no record of the teachings of this
gospel of the kingdom lest, when I have gone, you speedily become divided up
into sundry groups of truth contenders as a result of the diversity of your
interpretation of my teachings. For this generation it is best that we live
these truths while we shun the making of records. 159:4.8 “Mark you well my words, Nathaniel, nothing which human nature has
touched can be regarded as infallible. Through the mind of man divine truth may
indeed shine forth, but always of relative purity and partial divinity. The
creature may crave infallibility, but only the Creators possess it. 159:4.9 “But the greatest error of the teaching about the Scripture is the
doctrine of their being sealed books of mystery and wisdom which only the wise
minds of the nation dare to interpret. The revelations of divine truth are not
sealed except by human ignorance, bigotry, and narrow-minded intolerance. The
light of the Scriptures is only dimmed by prejudice and darkened by
superstition. A false fear of sacredness has prevented religion from being
safeguarded by common sense. The fear of the authority of the sacred writings of
the past effectively prevents the honest souls of today from accepting the new
light of the gospel, the light which these very God-knowing men of another
generation so intensely longed to see. 159:4.10 “But the saddest feature of all is the fact that some of the
teachers of the sanctity of this traditionalism know this very truth. They more
or less fully understand these limitations of Scripture, but they are moral
cowards, intellectually dishonest. They know the truth regarding the sacred
writings, but they prefer to withhold such disturbing facts from the people. And
thus do they pervert and distort the Scriptures, making them the guide to
slavish details of the daily life and an authority in things nonspiritual
instead of appealing to the sacred writings as the repository of the moral
wisdom, religious inspiration, and the spiritual teaching of the God-knowing men
of other generations.” 159:4.11 Nathaniel was enlightened, and shocked, by the Master’s
pronouncement. He long pondered this talk in the depths of his soul, but he told
no man concerning this conference until after Jesus’ ascension; and even then he
feared to impart the full story of the Master’s instruction. The revelation about Jesus' life and teachings from The Urantia
Book is so valuable a resource to us modern-day people. What Jesus says here is so
sensible, so logical, and so believable. Jesus had a remarkable discernment when
it came to recognizing and utilizing truth, no matter from where he found it. We
could do no worse than to follow his lead in this, as well as in all other
aspects of living a successful spiritual life.159:5.1 At Philadelphia, where James was working, Jesus taught the disciples
about the positive nature of the gospel of the kingdom. When, in the course of
his remarks, he intimated that some parts of the Scripture were more
truth-containing than others and admonished his hearers to feed their souls upon
the best of the spiritual food, James interrupted the Master, asking: “Would you
be good enough, Master, to suggest to us how we may choose the better passages
from the Scriptures for our personal edification?” And Jesus replied: “Yes,
James, when you read the Scriptures look for those eternally true and divinely
beautiful teachings, such as:
When Jesus heard the question of his bewildered apostle, he answered: