Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. (Psalm 119:89, ESV)

Read The Bible; Pray, And The Do What It Says

The sad fact today is that the evangelical community is in growing rebellion against Sola Scriptura in favor of subjective experience in Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism masquerading as Spiritual Formation. And one of the tragic results is there are many following man-pleasing men like double-minded Purpose Driven pope Rick Warren and quasi-Christian rabbi wannabe Rob Bell along the broad road of the pragmatic Purpose Driven Church and the postliberal cult the Emergent Church. And quite often they will accuse as being guilty of “Bibliolatry” those of us Christians who insist that we must only preach the Gospel the way the Bible teaches us to. 

You should know that by this slur they mean we supposedly worship the Book of God instead of the God of the Book. But years ago Dr. Walter Martin (1928-1989) put it very well when he said, “No one has a right to call themselves a Christian and not have the same view of Holy Scripture that the Master Himself did.” And Jesus was quite clear when He told — “If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me will not obey My teaching. These words you hear are not My Own; they belong to the Father Who sent Me” (John 14:23-24).

And interestingly enough you are about to see from Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) in his teaching below, which is called Scoff Not At The Book, that the cries of Bibliolatry by these new hipster sinner sensitive emerging Christ-followers…well, look at that; it turns out this accusation is really not so new after all:

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. (Matthew 5:17-18, KJV)

Let me call your attention to the fact that when Jesus had risen from the dead, He was just as tender of Scripture as He was before His decease. He told them that “all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the Law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning Me. Then He opened their understanding that they might understand the Scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and this it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead” (Luke 24:44-46, KJV).

Find Jesus where you may, He is the antagonist of those who would lessen the authority of Holy Scripture. “It is written” is His weapon against Satan, His argument against wicked men. The learned of this hour scoff at the Book and accuse of Bibliolatry those of us who reverence the Divine Word; but in this they derive no assistance from the teaching or example of Jesus.

Not a word derogatory of Scripture ever fell from the lips of Jesus Christ; but evermore He manifested the most reverent regard for every jot and tittle of the inspired Volume. Since our Savior, not only before His death, but after it, took care to commend the Scriptures to us, let us avoid with all our hearts all teaching in which Holy Scripture is put into the background. (At the Master’s Feet, January 30)