The Doctrine of Idolatry
Christianity hinges on the exclusive worship of the one true God. Worship of anything else, whether nature, ideology, wealth, power, pleasure, or work, is called idolatry – a sin in God’s eyes. Is God selfish to demand undivided worship? God’s jealousy for our devotion rests on the fact that He alone is God and Creator. Worshipping anyone or anything other than God is a sin because only God deserves our worship. The prophet Isaiah confronted the foolishness of worshiping idols as he described a man who cuts down a tree and uses some of the wood to make a fire to warm himself and bake bread. With other pieces of the same wood, he carves an idol and prays to it. Powerless gods of our own making cannot save us or do us any good.
Idols include more than carved images. The Bible teaches that we commit idolatry when we make anything other than God our source of security, safety, or provision. God deserves nothing less than wholehearted, undivided allegiance. Sadly, sinful humans can turn almost anything, even God’s blessings, into idols. People seek fulfillment in the approval of others, sex, money, power, prestige, technology, entertainment, and many other things – failing to see that only God provides ultimate peace and satisfaction. God willingly and graciously saves us when we call on Him for salvation and worship Him alone.
The first and greatest commandment declares, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” When our inner cravings lead us anywhere but to God, we fail to recognize the reality and danger of idolatry. Loving anything more than God distorts our perspective on reality and misaligns our priorities.
On our own, we cannot love and worship God supremely. God had to love us first to save us from our sins and then enable us to love Him in return. God’s sacrifice of His own Son to save us perfectly illustrates His unfathomable love. Why would we worship anyone or anything else when God has loved us this way? The Holy Spirit enables us to love and worship God in spirit and truth. God guides our wandering hearts to grow in wholehearted devotion to Him. What do you love and seek more than God Himself ? Ask God to awaken a hunger in you that only He can satisfy. The right response to every joy, struggle, uncertainty, or loss we face in this life is to worship God. Nothing is more secure than God Himself. He deserves all our worship.
Resource: Bible Study Fellowship, People of Promise: Kingdom Divided, Lesson 16
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