Exodus 20:3“You shall have no other gods besides me.”
To end this series on how sin hurts, I want to focus on the sin of idolatry. All of us sin in this way by idolizing and worshipping things, goals, or people other than the One True God. And because of that, we all experience in differing degrees the pain that idol worship brings. I also wanted to finish with this sin because we often give into other sins based on what we’re idolizing. I plan on demonstrating how harmful the sin of idolatry is by digging into the warnings and commands found in Scripture.
Idolatry can be an interesting topic in our modern, western culture, because we think less of statues to bow down to and more about popstars and entertainment when we hear the word “idol.” But just because we aren’t bowing down to a statue or offering sacrifices at a temple, doesn’t mean we’re innocent of idol worship. The first two of the Ten Commandments address this common-to-all sin:
Exodus 20:3-5“You shall have no other gods besides me.
“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them…
You see, we all have a choice in who or what we worship. We can worship God or something or someone else. To worship means to give attention, glory, honor, and praise to someone or something. Another way to describe worship is to dedicate or orient your life around something, to demonstrate its importance to you, or to make something known.
The Bible teaches that God created us to worship Him. Genesis 1:24-28 explains this biblical purpose for humanity—we were created in the image of God in order to make Him known throughout the earth. Because of our sinful hearts, though, from birth we stray and desire to redefine our purpose and to worship other things. In the book of Romans, Paul describes this part of humanity:
Romans 1:18-23The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
Even though God clearly gave people the instruction to worship Him because He is God, our sinful hearts deceive us into exchanging truth for a lie. We worship created things and man-made ideals rather than the Creator. And what harm does this sin of idolatry bring? The wrath of a just God. Romans 1:28-32 goes on to say:
Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
When we choose to worship idols rather than God, we are inviting sin and pain into our hearts and lives. This passage reveals that part of God’s wrath towards sin is Him allowing us to be controlled more and more by sin when we choose idolatry. The pain that comes from “every kind of wickedness” is a consequence that affects our relationships, our worldview, and everything else in our lives.
As Christians, when we allow idols to control us, we are acting as if we are enslaved to sin again, rather than living out our freedom and identity in Christ.
Galatians 4:8-9Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?
When we struggle with idolatry, we must ask God to help us want Him more than anything else. We must ask His Spirit to renew our hearts and minds, so that we see our idolatry as evil. We must choose to seek Him in His Word, by prioritizing reading the Bible and praying earnestly to Him in all things. Our God is willing to help us and draw us nearer to Him, but we also must take the steps of faith and obedience to pursue Him.
Galatians 5:24-25Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
If you don’t think you struggle with idolatry, ask yourself the following questions:
* What is my motivation for the things I do each day?
* Who am I trying to please on a daily basis?
* What are my thoughts focused on during the day? What do I lie awake thinking about at night?
* Where am I finding my identity?
Just as I’m trying to grow in my own life, I pray you are able to reflect on these truths and seek to confess and repent of any idolatry in your life. I pray God’s Spirit will strengthen you and enable you to do so, according to the promises of His Word. As I close this series on the pain of sin, I hope it has been helpful to you to see the dangers and hurt that all sin causes. Studying this topic has helped me see areas in my life where I need to repent, and I’m so thankful our faithful God continues to sanctify those who are His. I look forward to sharing another topic with you in the coming weeks, but until then, I will leave you with the words of the Apostle John from his first letter:
1 John 5:21Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.
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