What are you worshiping?
- Tony Vance
- Feb 17, 2016
- 6 min read
What are idols? We often get in our mind the little stone or wood figure, gathered around by natives with various outfits of undress, head-coverings with feathers and/or bones, and painted faces and bodies. The Bible treats the idea of idols much different, as it is something that we place in God’s place. Idols are often not physically manifested like the old Baal statues or Buddha, to be sacrificed to and bowed before. No, in today’s world our idols take a different ‘form’ and are often in our heads, or better said, in our hearts. An idol is anything our heart has affection for, that takes God’s place in our devotion, respect, and, yes, love. John Piper said, “Most of us realize that enjoying anything other than God, from the best gift to the basest pleasure, can become idolatry,” (http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/discerning-idolatry-in-desire).
To help us understand the significance of idols, I think Paul cuts to the heart of idolatry in this passage, Colossians 3:5c (KJV) “…covetousness, which is idolatry.” We understand that covetousness is the desire to have what is someone else’s or what we should not have. Paul tells us that it is in reality- simply- idolatry. We desire the things that God has given us for the right reasons and desired them for the wrong. Tim Keller gives us a good definition, “An idol is whatever you look at and say, in your heart of hearts, “If I have that, then I’ll feel my life has meaning, then I‘ll know I have value, then I’ll feel significant and secure.” There are many ways to describe that kind of relationship to something, but perhaps the best one is worship.” (Tim Keller, Penguin Books; Reprint edition (October 4, 2011) ‘Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters’). What are you devoted to, dedicated to, and have affection for, this is what you worship, this is your idol, if it isn’t God.
Paul deals with idols in the first chapter of Romans in a way we can learn much from. We need to understand where our heart is, and what our heart has craved for, what may be our idol. The Bible clearly warns in 1 Corinthians 10:14 (KJV) “Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.” We must understand what it is, and how we are subject to it, for us to be free of it. Paul said, Romans 1:25 (HCSB) “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served something created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen.” God is transcendent, meaning everything is outside Him, He is the source of all. A better definition is here:
“To transcend means “to exist above and independent from; to rise above, surpass, succeed.” By this definition, God is the only truly transcendent Being. The “LORD God Almighty” (in Hebrew, El Shaddai) created all things on the earth, beneath the earth and in the heavens above, yet He exists above and independent from them. All things are upheld by His mighty power (Hebrews 1:3), yet He is upheld by Himself alone. The whole universe exists in Him and for Him that He may receive glory, honor and praise.” (http://www.gotquestions.org/God-transcendent.html)
When something is worshipped, other than God, we have chosen a part of creation and forsook the Creator. Paul said, Romans 1:21 (NLT) “Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.” Paul describes the depths that Man goes when idolatry is rampant. In our society today we are seeing the results of idol worship, as men worship science, reason, and materialism. Sadly, most people I meet are worshipping the saddest of all idols, themselves. Paul, again in Romans 1, said, (1:23 -KJV) “And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.” Are we, that is to say ourselves, prone to failure? I dare say we worship, for those who choose to worship themselves, the saddest of all idols, as Paul describes, we are “corruptible” and prone to mistakes and failures.
Look into your heart and see what has been enthroned there, is it something other than God? Romans 1:18 (HCSB) “For God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth,” Paul warns that the suppression of the truth of who God is carries the wrath of God with it. Again, he said, Romans 1:20 (NLT) “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” We are inexcusable in our rejection of the true God, it is clearly demonstrated that God exist, and if God exist, we are to worship Him as such. It is evident that man worships something, it is seen in every person. Whether you are the scientist who says, “there is no god,” and trusts that science has all the answers, or the person who is caught up in New Age pantheism, everyone worships something that they fall back to.
As Christians we must be careful to not be caught up in the things that are competing for our allegiance to God. Nancy Pearcey said it so well, “Do you know you are in a fight? Worldviews do not come neatly labeled. They do not ask permission before invading our mental space. Do you have the tools to detect the ideas competing for your allegiance in movies, school textbooks, news broadcasts, and even Saturday morning cartoons? Are you equipped to teach your children, students, and colleagues to recognize the most powerful worldviews of our age? Or are you an “easy mark”?” (Nancy Pearcey, ‘Saving Leonardo: A Call to Resist the Secular Assault on Mind, Morals, and Meaning’ B&H Publishing. Kindle Edition). Paul warns, 2 Corinthians 13:5 (KJV) “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” How do we do this?
It is a heart issue, where does your affection, devotion, and dedication lie?
AFFECTION
Colossians 3:2 (KJV) “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” Paul directs us to put our affection in the right direction, vertical not horizontal. The distinction should be made, we are talking of ultimate affection, not our duties to wife, children, etc. What is your heart most longing for, is it the Lord or have you an idol that has gained your affection?
DEVOTION
Romans 12:1 (NLT) “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” In searching our heart, what has gained our devotion, our fervor? Jeremiah spoke of the thing within him he could not shake (Jeremiah 20:9), a devotion to God. Look into your heart now, is it devoted to Him?
DEDICATION
2 Corinthians 8:5 (HCSB) “and not just as we had hoped. Instead, they gave themselves especially to the Lord, then to us by God’s will.” Dedication is an enthusiasm about something, are you excited about God? We read of many instances of people turning from idols, 1 Thessalonians 1:9 (KJV) “For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” Dedication is serving, who do you ultimately serve?
So this simple three part test, not exhaustive by any means, can help. I don’t want anyone to think this is the only test for idols in our lives, but this is a good starting point. Again, 2 Corinthians 13:5 (NLT) “Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.” We must be on guard and make sure we have not allowed an idol to set up in our lives.