“You shall have no other gods before Me.” Exodus 20:3
When you hear the word idolatry…what do you picture? When you hear of someone who is guilty of idolatry…what do you imagine they would be doing? Most of us would picture someone holding a little idol or figurine, perhaps praying to it, or worshiping it by bowing down to it. And this certainly would be a breaking of God’s first commandment which states, “You are to have no other gods besides Me.” In fact, God is very descriptive of this when He says, “You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them.”
Yet it isn’t just holding a figurine in your hands that breaks this commandment, it means anything that we hold in our heart with trust and belief above God. Oh what idols our hearts hold such as arrogance, hatred, greed, lust, pride, or even political alignments and ideologies. And I think one of the clearest definitions of such drifting and sin against this commandment is in the term “HUMANISM”. Humanism is a man-centered idol that places more importance on man’s thinking, reasoning, feelings, and philosophy than adherence to God’s principles of truth. And within our own ranks as Christians it is most deceptive. So many Christian follow certain parts of God’s Word while dismissing the parts that are unpopular with friends, or with culture, or with your own brand of theology. Sadly, this kind of humanism actually turns God into a little idol that we pull out to do our bidding instead of the ONE before whom we bow and surrender our lives.
In his explanation of this commandment, Martin Luther explains that God is saying, “See to it that you let me alone be your God, and never search for another…I myself, will give you what you need and help you out of every danger…do not let your heart cling to or rest in anyone else.”
This is what it means to follow Jesus, repent of all other idols, and believe in Jesus as Lord of your life.
Prayer
Dear Lord, forgive us for the things that we have placed higher than You, for the confidence that we have placed, misplaced, instead of giving it to You solely. Instead, would You grant to us a faith that looks and trust in You above all things, as we continue to follow You. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen
I want to thank you for this post. I have been very concerned at some of the polls that indicate that one of the republican candidates is more popular than their religious belief in God. I have also heard other republicans refer to this candidate as their “savior”. I have also heard that same candidate say he could break one of the commandments of killing and his followers would accept this act. To me this sounds like idolatry and it has been bothering me. I don’t understand the group calling themselves Christian Nationalist. I don’t understand the group calling themselves Evangelicals who espouse hate. I worry that we no longer understand what Christianity is and the loving example of our savior.