When we think of idolatry we think of images of people or animals of gold or silver or stone which are seen as having power over life today and are worthy of worship. That is not something that is part of our culture, so we think we never break the command to not have idols. We say that maybe in some parts of Africa or India they worship idols but not in civilized countries. We think Christians are especially immune to this temptation. But clearly the apostle John didn’t think so. He warned his readers, “Little children, keep from idols” (1 John 5:21). He knew they weren’t worshipping images of wood or stone, so there must have been other kinds of idols they worshipped. And if they did back then, the same must be true today. Idolatry extends beyond the worship of images and false gods. It is a matter of the heart, associated with pride, self-centeredness, greed, gluttony (Philippians 3:19) and love of possessions (Matt 6:24 ).
As Tim Keller states in his book Counterfeit Gods, an idol is “anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, and anything that you seek to give you what only God can give.” Essentially, an idol can be anything that takes the place of God as the most important focus and priority in our life. The Bible condemns any form of idolatry (Exodus 20:3-4; Deuteronomy 5:7; Psalm 135:15-17; Habakkuk 2:18; Isaiah 37:19; Leviticus 26:1; Hebrews 13:5; Jonah 2:8). What are some ‘idols’ we worship today?
MYSELF. We are naturally self-centered people who think about ourselves and our needs before anything else. We look out for ourselves first of all. We are born that way. Self is a very prominent idol today. We want to make sure our needs are quickly met. I am my first priority and everything revolves on what I want to do, how something will affect me and what makes me feel good. What about you, whom do you think about more, God or yourself?
SECURITY. It’s natural to want security, but God reminds us that it is only found in Him. Yet we look for it in finances, possessions, significance, popularity, career, insurance, relationships or many other ways. These all fail to bring us real security, for that is only found in Jesus. He never fails. When we place our security in Him, we remain strong and unshakable, no matter what chaos we encounter. To find freedom from the idol of security, we simply need to lean deeper into Christ. As we do, we discover He is strong and present enough to carry us through whatever we’ll face. Ask God to show you where you place your security.
ACCEPTANCE. As social beings, wanting approval from others is natural. There’s nothing wrong with having approval. The problem arises when we place our desire to be liked above our relationship with God. Whenever we fail to obey when prompted, whether that means speaking truth or reaching out to those in need, for fear of what others might think, we’ve fallen into the trap of idolatry. In valuing man’s approval more than God’s, we demonstrate where our true loyalties lie. But “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other” (Matthew 6:24). How importance is acceptance and approval of others to you? Can you live without it? How much does it bother you when someone disapproves of something you say or do?
RELATIONSHIPS. These, too, are OK and God-given, but if we need them to feel good about ourselves or use them to affirm our worth, they are an idol. Only God can truly meet these needs. Do you depend on your relationships with others to meet needs that God should be meeting?
SUCCESS. This, too, is good by itself but when it becomes too important to us it becomes an idol. When our time and energy focuses on it and we value ourselves as a person by it, it is an idol. Our identity must be found in Jesus alone. How important is success to you? Do you think less of yourself as a person when you aren’t as successful as you want to be?
MONEY. Our culture bombards us with the importance of wealth, investments, stocks, etc. Advertising constantly reminds us of our need to spend more money so we can have a better life. Credit cards and online shopping make it easy to get anything we want almost instantly. Idols aren’t just images of gold or silver. They can be gold and silver itself. While we laugh at people in the Bible for worshipping images of men or animals, they would laugh at us for worshipping nothing but the metal itself!
Jesus tells a story of a rich ruler who had everything one might want yet felt incomplete. Upon seeing Jesus, the ache within drew him to the Savior with such urgency that he broke out into a run and fell to his knees before Jesus. “Good Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17). In love, Jesus replied, “Sell all you have and give it to the poor, then follow Me” (Mark 10:21, paraphrased). Jesus didn’t say this because He needed the man’s money, but rather because He wanted his heart. He saw clearly this ruler’s need and the idol that enslaved him. Generosity would be the man’s key to freedom. The same holds true for each of us who find ourselves entrapped by materialistic idolatry. How often do you think of your savings or investments? How much does it bother you when they decrease instead of increasing? How hard is it for you to give money to those in need?
At first it may not seem that we are idolatrous people, but when we realize that anything that comes before God or anything that meets a need God should be meeting is an idol, we cannot help but conclude that idolatry is a problem today. It’s a subtle temptation from our flesh and from Satan which traps many Christians today. (This topic will be continued and concluded next week.)
Little children, keep yourselves from idols. 1John 5:21
Which of these false idols are more tempting for you?
Are there other things in your life that can become an idol for you? If so, what are they?
What do you need to do to keep them from being an idol? Come up with a plan, write it down and keep it handy.
cto Rev. Dr. JERRY SCHMOYER
Christian Training Organization
Jerry@ChristianTrainingOrganization.org
ChristianTrainingOnline.org
(India & Africa & Spanish Outreach, Spiritual Warfare, Family Ministries, Counseling, World View)
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