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IDOLATRY
The greatest opposition to right worship is idolatry. While idolatry, in most
people’s minds, consists of an indigenous tribe worshiping a statue (and
certainly, that is idolatry), the practice lands closer to the home of the
heart than people comprehend.
In the Bible there is no more serious charge than that of
idolatry. Idolatry called for the strictest punishment, elicited the most
disdainful polemic, prompted the most extreme measures of avoidance and was
regarded as the chief identifying characteristic of those who were
the very antithesis of the people of God, namely the gentiles.[1]
In Scripture, idolators were commanded to be executed (Exod
32:25-29). The apparent conclusion then is that God takes idolatry seriously,
for he is jealous of the worship of his people (Exod 34:14). Where anything or
anyone else takes s greater level of attention than that of the triune God, he
rightly demands that such a focus be severed.
For Christians to severe the root of idolatry in their
lives, however, it should be understood what is meant by idolatry. This
chapter, thus, is meant to define idolatry and includes a call to action. There
subsist manifold definitions of idolatry. Suffice it to say that an idol is
love of the world.[2]
Therefore, severing the root of idolatry requires the believer to live within
the new nature found in Christ in such a manner that love of the world is
virtually nonexistent. To improve individual worship, a daily process of dying
to self and living to new life in Christ must permeate Christian lives. It is a
war and indeed a war against the flesh.
There are three aspects to understanding idolatry I would
like to cover, which land close to the home of the human heart. Comprehending
these truths of idolatry should aid in fighting it and severing its insidious
root.
Idolatry Begins in the Heart
Idolatry begins in the heart. If sin, in its simplest form, is idolatry, the
facilitator of sin is temptation, which James makes clear begins in the human
heart (Jas 1:14-15). Christian worship leaves no room for idolatry. Thus, to
approach God appropriately in worship, one must remove all remnants of
idolatry.[3] As
idolatry begins in the heart, it is the seed of sin rather than the fruit.
Cutting idolatry out of life requires an in-depth examination of life including
the roots of all evil. This may only be accomplished by the Lord, in the words
of David, searching and revealing and unclean thing within the heart (Ps
139:23-24).
In the Old Testament, worship of images or idols was banned (Exod 20:4-6,
23, Lev 19:4, 26:1, Deut 4:15-19, 25, 5:8-10). Such practices, however, are
merely surface level, for the core of idolatry occurs before roots are
developed. Prior to reaching the root stage, the Christian must discover, in
his or her own heart, the nature of evil. Consider the most heinous act imaginable.
Likely, most people would attest that they would never do such a thing.
Nonetheless, everyone is capable of the most unthinkable thing they could
imagine: the effect of idolatry. While idolatry begins in the heart, it does
not cease there.
Astonishing is the fact that Christians rightly know that God alone is
Lord, that no power (earthly or spiritual) may stand against him, and yet allow
love of the world to overtake their thoughts and actions. While certainly (at
least in Western culture) it is likely uncommon to find people worshiping statues
and graven images, the sinister nucleus of idolatry exists within the human
heart and is often realized when it is too late (i.e. idolatry’s effects have
taken shape and grown to overtake the heart: the core of a person.
To succeed in the fight against idolatry, one must realize its application
on a level that exists closer to the unapologetic worship of statues and
images. Anything that satisfies the human heart more than Jesus Christ and
anything that one enjoys and desires more than God is an idol. Until the root
of idolatry is severed in the heart, worship will, at best, be a feeble attempt
at expressing the otherwise insatiable satisfaction Christ offers, and indeed,
it will be a lie.
For such a state of the heart to be realized, the believer must obey the
Holy Spirit’s leading in his or her own life and trust God’s process of pruning
(John 15:2), as painful as the process may be. Idolatry is a spiritual matter.
Without the triune work of God in heart, there is no repairing the issue; at
best, there are only feeble attempts to manage sin.
Christian worship must never lose sight of the (often) unseen roots of
idolatry, for it creeps within humanity and could even sit dormant for lengthy
periods of time but then at the moment it so desires, it makes its attack
without notice. In modern Christianity, idolatry is played out in a plurality
of ways not the least of which hold a covering of seemingly good intentions.
Even a pastor could be an idol. A common problem, for example, is that one’s
desire to grow and be faithful to the cause of Christ could spur an
overemphasis or disproportionate trust in a servant of God (i.e. a pastor).
Mindful of the fact that ministers of the Lord are also comprised of fallen
human flesh as everyone else, believers should be careful to lower such a
person from the spiritual pedestal on which they have placed them, for only God
is worthy to be trusted in such a manner.
The Prophet Isaiah begins chapter 6 of his letter with, “In the year that
King Uziah died… ” (Is 6:1). The significance of such a statement is often
overlooked. Why would the death of a king matter? 2 Chronicles 26 offers the
great accomplishments of King Uzziah, and indeed, they were great.
Understanding the setting of Isaiah’s vision in Isaiah 6, perhaps, the people
of God in Judah had (even unknowingly) fostered a misplaced trust in a leader
rather than the God who had blessed them with strength and power. A warning
subsists here to not falsely link success to a particular person but to
attribute it only to whom it belongs: God alone. How often do Christians give
credit to a singular person above God? How often do believers wrongly declare
the greatness of a leader or politician over and above the God they serve? Such
an act is idolatrous.
Moreover, staunchly linked to idolatry is fear. Numerous times in
Scripture, God’s people are told not to fear. The implication then is that
disobedience to such a command is sin. While the sin of fear might be justified
perhaps among the most seemingly justified of sins, the explicit command is to
not partake in fear, for God has not given his people a spirit of fear (2 Tim
1:7). The only person believers are explicitly commanded to fear is God
himself. Whether fear of belonging, fear of the future, fear of another person,
or fear of uncontrollable circumstances, perhaps, the reason Christians are
told not to fear is because God is the only one worthy of fear so fear of
anyone or anything else is falsely giving that person or object or situation
what rightly belongs to God. In such a case, fear is certainly an idol, for it
causes a misplaced offering of what should be God’s on something or someone
else.
To understand and consummately pull the root of idolatry out of life, a
proper understanding of its origin is necessary. The human heart is evil and
deceptive (Jer 17:9-10), which is why some of the worst advice is that of
following or trusting the heart. Idolatry begins in the heart, often without
even a realization of its presence there. When God’s people understand this
truth, the war against the greatest hindrance to uninhibited worship may be
endeavored. God is capable of anything including removing the root of idolatry
in the human heart. Thus, believers should not consider the battle futile. In
fact, God alone is the solution. When Christians understand such a truth,
worship of the living God may persist in spirit and truth (i.e. the words
expressed in worship will be congruent with the believer’s heart).
Human Nature Is Naturalized Idolatry
A foremost difficulty in the fight against idolatry is that human nature
and naturalized idolatry are synonymous (i.e. people are idolators by nature). “Since
Adam, all humans are idolators.”[4] What
Christians should recognize is idolatry does not enter the human heart, for indeed,
idolatry is already present in the heart from conception (Ps 51:5). What is
meant by naturalized is that the sinful heart is tantamount to human nature.
Thus, the battle against idolatry comprises a violent fight against what is
instilled in humanity from conception.
The reason idols are exceedingly dangerous is the wrath of God is coming
upon idolators and “nothing is more
dangerous than the wrath of an omnipotent, all-righteous God.”[5] The
wrath of God is a serious matter because it proceeds from the Lord’s righteous
jealousy. God alone is worthy to be jealous. Jealousy enacted by anyone else is
sin; it is prideful. When God is jealous, however, it is righteous because
God’s jealousy is fueled by stealing glory. “God’s jealousy is not only
righteous — that is, he deserves our deepest and strongest affections and
admiration — but it is loving”[6] (i.e.
God’s jealousy is founded upon a desire for righteousness: God’s people
honoring him out of satisfaction in him).
Humankind
was created to find the greatest joy in God alone. Thus, when such joy is
sought in other places, a violation of God’s original design has been endorsed.
Worship is born out of such satisfaction in the Creator, for surely, people
live life the way God has designed and intended when they find such joy in the
Lord—this is worship.
As
natural idolators, only God’s people understand the serious nature of idolatry;
only God’s people have been called out of darkness and blindness into a place
of holy justification to serve God. Without such an awakening, any attempt at
righteous living is feeble and futile. To convalesce Christian worship, the
overarching opposition to its practice, namely idolatry, must be corrected.
Further, such a correction may not occur until God’s people realize the natural
state of humanity as idolators. God is jealous and pours his matchless wrath on
the wickedness and idolatry of humankind (i.e. all who have not been changed by
a relationship with Jesus Christ). When understood, the war waged against
idolatry is better prepared, more decisive and intentional, and more effective,
as it succeeds in severing the root of sin in the human heart. In that cause,
the quest for doxology (right worship) yields a greater path.
Christians Must Realize the Battle Between the
Spirit and the Flesh
The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, deeply discusses the
battle between the flesh and the spirit (Gal 5:15-26). In his letter to the
Romans, the Apostle confesses to doing the things he does not want to do and
not doing the things he wants to do (Rom 7:15-20). He then elaborates his
understanding of what is taking place by admitting to he has the desire to do
what is right but not the ability (Rom 7:18). Paul offers the key to the
struggle against idolatry. “But I say, walk by the Spirit and you will not
gratify the desires of the flesh” (Gal 5:16). The Spirit to which Paul refers
here is the Spirit of God: the third person of the triune Godhead.
Admittedly, there exists a battle between the eternally spiritual nature of
humankind and the desires of the flesh (the world), but the way to overcome the
desires of the flesh is to walk by the Spirit (i.e. pursue the things of God).
Believers know the way of righteousness (Prob 12:28) because the word is near
to the heart in the text of Scripture. Therefore, the church has been given
everything needed for life and for godliness in the Bible (2 Pet 1:3, Heb
4:12). In Christian worship, the oracles of the one living God exist in the
Bible, which is why Scripture must permeate worship gatherings. The Bible is
the written authority of Christianity because it centers around Christ.[7]
Scripture is plain enough in all doctrines necessary to salvation when
rightly read and interpreted, and that the illumination of the Spirit adds no
new revelation to that which is objectively given in the written word.[8]
In the Armor of God (Eph 6:13-17), the Bible is the only offensive weapon.
Undeniably, I come from a tradition that prides itself in being a people of the
book. Nonetheless, it was not until seminary that I developed an appreciation
for traditions other than my own in which Scripture permeates the worship
gatherings. In a liturgical traditions, each week, when utilizing a common
lectionary, attendees will hear a Gospel, a Prophet, a Psalm, and an Epistle,
and throughout a three-year course, the entire Bible will be read in worship
gatherings. I had previously considered such traditions not to take their faith
seriously and to take the Bible liberally. I experienced exactly the opposite,
however, during my seminary studies.
Jesus
gave the example of how to fight the desires of the flesh (Matt 4:1-11) with
Scripture. Satan is the Great Deceiver and comes with a greater expanse of
experience at perverting Scripture than the common believer possesses with
employing it as a weapon. Therefore, it is imperative for Christians, in the
fight against idolatry, to know Scripture.
Realizing the battle between the spirit and the flesh is necessary to
overcome idolatry. The flesh is the natural desire for humankind. The spirit is
the new desire for believers. When such a truth is realized, Christians should
not take lightly the war that is waged between good and evil. In response then,
believers should internalize and meditate upon the only offensive weapon God
has provided: Scripture. Then worshipers of God may walk in the Spirit, not
gratify the desires of the flesh, and cultivate a new heart of worship that God
perpetually transforms.
Idolatry: The Greatest Adversary to Worship
[1] Brian S. Rosner, “The Concept of Idolatry,”
Themelios, 24.3 (May 1999): 22.
[2] John Piper, “What Is Idolatry?” Desiring
God. August 19, 2014,
https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/what-is-idolatry.
[3] Related to progressive sanctification (2 Cor
3:8, Phil 1:6), one might ponder how believers are to fully remove idolatry
from their lives when God’s people are not yet glorified, but such a
predicament must not dissuade Christians from allowing God to work in such a
way that the process of sanctification includes a comprehensive approach to
canceling idolatry. In other words, abstraction of idolatry is, in fact, key to
sanctification (i.e. as one grows in Christ, he or she develops a pattern of
righteousness and a decrease of the old nature: the pattern of the world).
[4] Elisabeth Bloechl, “Little Children, Keep Yourselves from Idols,” Modern
Reformation. December 9, 2022,
https://www.modernreformation.org/resources/articles/little-children-keep-yourselves-from-idols.
[5] Piper, “What Is Idolatry?”
[6] Piper, “What Is Idolatry?”
[7] The life of Christ (that which Christian worship
proclaims) is not derived from Scripture; rather, Scripture is derived from
Christ.
[8] Richard A. Muller and Rowland S. Ward, Scripture
and Worship: Biblical Interpretation and the Directory for Worship
(Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing Co., 2007), 35.
