--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are not to make the Torah into God…" description: "\"We are not to make the Torah into God Himself, nor the Bible into a \"paper pope.\" The Bible is only the result of the Word of God. We can experience th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/621/jacques-ellul-4407_bible_we-are-not-to-make-the-torah-into-god-hi_1216838.jpg" --- # We are not to make the Torah into God Himself, nor the… ![“We are not to make the Torah into God Himself, nor the Bible into a "paper pope." The Bible is only the result of the Word of God. We can experience the return of the Word of God in the here and now, the perpetual return of the actual, living, indisputable Word of God that makes possible the act…” quote by Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/621/jacques-ellul-4407_bible_we-are-not-to-make-the-torah-into-god-hi_1216838.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/621/jacques-ellul-4407_bible_we-are-not-to-make-the-torah-into-god-hi_1216838.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/621/jacques-ellul-4407_bible_we-are-not-to-make-the-torah-into-god-hi_1216838.jpg) > “We are not to make the Torah into God Himself, nor the Bible into a "paper pope." The Bible is only the result of the Word of God. We can experience the return of the Word of God in the here and now, the perpetual return of the actual, living, indisputable Word of God that makes possible the act of witnessing, but we should never think of the Bible as any sort of talisman or oracle constantly at our disposal that we need only open and read to be in relation to the Word of God and God Himself.” [Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The Bible is a conduit of God's Word, not a deity itself; it points to the living Word active in us now. **In simple terms:** Bible points to God's Word, not God itself. Key Takeaway Seek the living Word, not a talisman. Themes theology interpretation spirituality Mood reverent thoughtful Type theological reflective When to use this quote - personal prayer - sermon preparation - Bible study groups - spiritual formation Key Concepts Divine revelation mediated experience faith practice Questions to Reflect On - How do you distinguish the Word from the text? - Can the Bible be both guide and living Word? A Different Perspective Treating the Bible as a magical object can hinder genuine relationship with God. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) [Bible Result](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible-result-3711727/) [Biblical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biblical/) [Here and now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/here-and-now/) [Make Torah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-torah-3711728/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Oracles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oracles/) [Paper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paper/) [Perpetual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perpetual/) [Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pope/) [Relation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relation/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/results/) [Return](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/return/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Talismans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talismans/) [Think Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-bible-943638/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Torah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/torah/) [Witnessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/witnessing/) [Word of god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/word-of-god/) ## Related quotes > [“Make your Torah study a permanent fixture of your life. Say little and do much. And receive every man with a pleasant countenance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yosef-marcus/make-your-torah-study-a-permanent-fixture-of-your-life-say-little-and/) [Yosef Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yosef-marcus/) > [I think of the Bible as an unauthorized biography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-prine/i-think-of-the-bible-as-an-unauthorized-biography/) [John Prine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-prine/) > [I know many of you would say "What about the Bible?" The Bible says this, the Bible says that, the Bible is the inspired…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlton-pearson/i-know-many-of-you-would-say-what-about-the-bible-the-bible-says-this/) [Carlton Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlton-pearson/) > [Many people think that the Bible is the authentic word of God and they worship the Bible, making it an idol...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/many-people-think-that-the-bible-is-the-authentic-word-of-god-and/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [I really think the Bible is a baseline where all stories come from. All of the zillion stories in the Bible provide inspiration for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-chriqui/i-really-think-the-bible-is-a-baseline-where-all-stories-come-from/) [Emmanuelle Chriqui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-chriqui/) > [Lots of the time, we just think of the Bible as history or life lessons or poetry or - unfortunately - a collection of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-rothschild/lots-of-the-time-we-just-think-of-the-bible-as-history-or-life/) [Jennifer Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-rothschild/) > [Many people think of the Bible as a book of moral teachings with stories sprinkled through to illustrate the teachings. But it's a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/many-people-think-of-the-bible-as-a-book-of-moral-teachings-with/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [I think that the Bible as a system of moral guidance in the 21st century is insufficient, to put it mildly. I feel quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-thompson/i-think-that-the-bible-as-a-system-of-moral-guidance-in-the-21st/) [Emma Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-thompson/) > [“You're a witch. Don't you think Bible quotes are a bit hypocritical?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-schulte/you-re-a-witch-don-t-you-think-bible-quotes-are-a-bit-hypocritical/) [Liz Schulte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-schulte/) > [Why do you think the Bible has survived thousands of years of tumultuous history Why is it still here Is it because its stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/why-do-you-think-the-bible-has-survived-thousands-of-years-of/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [“I don’t think Bible verses were meant to be thrown like grenades at each other. They were meant for us to use to point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-goff/i-don-t-think-bible-verses-were-meant-to-be-thrown-like-grenades-at/) [Bob Goff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-goff/) > [One problem with how we think about the Bible is that people tend to jam it into narrower categories, when in fact it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-plotz/one-problem-with-how-we-think-about-the-bible-is-that-people-tend-to/) [David Plotz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-plotz/) > [I think the Bible is completely inspired by God in its overall messages. But, for the people of those days to know what was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/i-think-the-bible-is-completely-inspired-by-god-in-its-overall/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [I think that the Bible as literature should be a compulsory part of the national curriculum.. you can't understand English literature and culture without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-think-that-the-bible-as-literature-should-be-a-compulsory-part-of/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“Q: But what do you think that the Bible, itself, says? Don't you know how it was arrived at? A: I never made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scopes-trial/q-but-what-do-you-think-that-the-bible-itself-says-don-t-you-know-how/) [Scopes Trial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scopes-trial/) ## More by Jacques Ellul > [The individual, by means of the discipline imposed on him by sport, not only plays and finds relaxation from the various compulsions to which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ellul/the-individual-by-means-of-the-discipline-imposed-on-him-by-sport-not/) [Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/) > [Propaganda begins when dialogue ends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ellul/propaganda-begins-when-dialogue-ends/) [Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/) > [Christians were never meant to be normal. We’ve always been holy troublemakers, we’ve always been creators of uncertainty, agents of dimension that’s incompatible with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ellul/christians-were-never-meant-to-be-normal-we-ve-always-been-holy/) [Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/) > [It is inconceivable that the God who gives Himself in His Son to save us, should have created some people ordained to evil and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ellul/it-is-inconceivable-that-the-god-who-gives-himself-in-his-son-to-save/) [Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/) > [Technological society leads to increasing numbers of people who cannot adapt to the inhuman rhythm of modern life with its emphasis on specialization. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ellul/technological-society-leads-to-increasing-numbers-of-people-who/) [Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/) > [It is the multiplication of men who are exluded from working which provokes war. We ought at least to bear this in mind when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ellul/it-is-the-multiplication-of-men-who-are-exluded-from-working-which/) [Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/) > [The orchestration of press, radio and television to create a continuous, lasting and total environment renders the influence of propaganda virtually unnoticed precisely because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ellul/the-orchestration-of-press-radio-and-television-to-create-a/) [Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/) > [“No society can last in conditions of anarchy. This is self-evident and I am in full agreement. But my aim is not the establishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ellul/no-society-can-last-in-conditions-of-anarchy-this-is-self-evident-and/) [Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/) > [The qualities which technique requires for its advance are precisely those characteristics of a technical order which do not represent indivisual intelligence...The individual, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ellul/the-qualities-which-technique-requires-for-its-advance-are-precisely/) [Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/) > [Education no longer has a humanist end or any value in itself; it has only one goal, to create technicians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ellul/education-no-longer-has-a-humanist-end-or-any-value-in-itself-it-has/) [Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/) > [The goal of modern propaganda is no longer to transform opinion but to arouse an active and mythical belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ellul/the-goal-of-modern-propaganda-is-no-longer-to-transform-opinion-but/) [Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/) > [Freedom is completely without meaning unless it is related to necessity, unless it represents victory over necessity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ellul/freedom-is-completely-without-meaning-unless-it-is-related-to/) [Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/) > [When there is propaganda, we are no longer able to evaluate certain questions, or even to discuss them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ellul/when-there-is-propaganda-we-are-no-longer-able-to-evaluate-certain/) [Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/) > [True technique will know how to maintain the illusion of liberty, choice, and individuality; but these will have been carefully calculated so that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ellul/true-technique-will-know-how-to-maintain-the-illusion-of-liberty/) [Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/) > [No one knows where we are going, the aim of life has been forgotten, the end has been left behind. Man has set out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ellul/no-one-knows-where-we-are-going-the-aim-of-life-has-been-forgotten/) [Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/) [Explore all 106 Jacques Ellul quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/) ## More Bible quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [“God hates Hell. He hates the idea of people going there. He hates it so much that He was willing to take on human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-minton/god-hates-hell-he-hates-the-idea-of-people-going-there-he-hates-it-so/) [Evan Minton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-minton/) > [“The Devil can cite Scripture for his purpose, Sergeant,’ Anthony Payne replied. ‘That is from The Merchant of Venice, but it holds great truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-arnold/the-devil-can-cite-scripture-for-his-purpose-sergeant-anthony-payne/) [Michael Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-arnold/) > [When you put your hand on the Bible, you are saying something much stronger than just telling your peers that you're going to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-greenwood/when-you-put-your-hand-on-the-bible-you-are-saying-something-much/) [Lee Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-greenwood/) > [“Scripture also teaches that human beings are morally responsible creatures”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-peterson/scripture-also-teaches-that-human-beings-are-morally-responsible/) [Robert A. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-peterson/) > [“The wife of a junior officer cooped up in a horrible canvas partition in steerage for five months wrote: "I had enjoyed much peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-taylor/the-wife-of-a-junior-officer-cooped-up-in-a-horrible-canvas-partition/) [Stephen Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-taylor/) > [O Word of God incarnate . . . 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The Bible is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abel-ferrara/where-i-come-from-you-re-not-raised-to-think-on-your-own-it-s-not/) [Abel Ferrara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abel-ferrara/) > [“I felt like praying or something, when I was in bed, but I couldn't do it. I can't always pray when I feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-felt-like-praying-or-something-when-i-was-in-bed-but-i-couldn-t-do/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [What comes to mind when you think of heaven? 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They came together the first day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/the-definition-of-a-church-is-crystal-clear-in-the-new-testament-we/) [John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/) [Browse all 8,465 Bible quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We are not to make the Torah into God Himself, nor the Bible into a \"paper pope.\" The Bible is only the result of the Word of God. 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