Some may think that “Thou shalt not worship idols” is an outdated concept. However, there are many today. Some are invisible and easily overlooked until you stop, look, and see where you spend most of your time focused on. Just to name some most common.
Politics, Pleasure, Comfort, Self, Material things, Angels, Celebrities, and yes, even Religion itself can become an Idol. One of the problems of us to overcome while seeking authentic faith,
“He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” 1 John 2:-6
This is the second Commandment. We need to be aware of what an Idol is and decide to change our ways.
“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?–unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” 2 Corinthians 13:5
If you do not wish to get personal, I understand. What do you think is the biggest idol today?
I think many of the examples you listed are valid insofar as they become ultimate. Politics becomes an idol when it carries our ultimate hope. Comfort becomes an idol when suffering is treated as the greatest evil. Even religion can become an idol when outward observance replaces living communion with the Triune God revealed in the cross and resurrection of Christ.
If I were to identify a dominant pattern today, I would suggest that the elevation of the autonomous self is especially pervasive. When personal preference or self-definition becomes the final authority for truth and morality, other spheres of life, including religion, are subordinated to it. In that sense, the self can function as the most subtle and powerful idol of all.
Ultimately, the solution is not merely identifying idols but reordering our loves through repentance and faith in Christ.
The call to self-examination is not meant to produce fear but to draw us back to the One who is the propitiation for our sins and who calls us to walk as He walked.
Absolutely. Not to go down another rabbit hole, but look at the original Sin, and the temptations that followed.
Satan
“You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north.” Isaiah 14:13
Satan tempting Eve and Adam,
“For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3::5
Satan tempting Jesus
“Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.” Matthew 4:8-9
Wanting to be free of and to “be like God” has been around from the beginning. Pride. Greed. A quest for power. Fame. Look at social media. How many “followers” do I have? If I get more, I can make lots of money. I can be the next big thing. I will not need to rely on anyone or anything. Sound familuar?
And you are right that the desire to be like God reaches back to the beginning. In Genesis the temptation was explicitly to be as gods, knowing good and evil, Genesis 3:5[1]. This was not merely curiosity, but a rejection of dependence upon God, an attempt to grasp autonomy rather than trust.
Scripture repeatedly identifies pride as the root of this impulse. Proverbs 16:18[2] and 1 John 2:16[3] show how pride and worldly desire draw the heart away from the Father. The quest for power and self sufficiency echoes the tower of Babel, Genesis 11:4, where men sought to make a name for themselves.
Your example of gaining followers and influence reflects the biblical warning about seeking the praise of men. John 12:43[4] and Galatians 1:10[5] make clear that the heart can shift from serving God to serving human approval. Scripture also cautions against trusting in riches or self reliance, 1 Timothy 6:17[6].
At the same time, the issue is not tools or influence themselves, but whether they become ultimate. The first commandment sets the principle, Exodus 20:3[7]. Anything that displaces God in trust or devotion becomes an idol of the heart, as Ezekiel 14:3 indicates.
Scripture redirects us from self exaltation to humility. Christ is the supreme example. Philippians 2:6 to 8[8] shows the contrast between grasping and surrender. Where Adam sought to ascend, Christ humbled Himself unto the cross. The resurrection then vindicates that obedience, Philippians 2:9[9].
So the pattern is indeed familiar. The call of Scripture is to examine ourselves, 2 Corinthians 13:5, and to seek first the kingdom of God, Matthew 6:33, receiving our identity not from followers or fame, but from union with Christ.
Good topic here brother.
J.
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. - KJV ↩︎
Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. - KJV ↩︎
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. - KJV ↩︎
For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. - KJV ↩︎
For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. - KJV ↩︎
Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; - KJV ↩︎
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. - KJV ↩︎
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: - KJV ↩︎
This is a sobering (but important!) question for sure. I would say in America, the most common idol is comfort. We have been blessed with so much compared to those in many other countries and people throughout history, and for many of us (myself included), it’s so easy to feel entitled to modern comforts. This often leads to apathy. I don’t often feel a desperate need for God because I have everything from running water to plenty of food to social media to tv shows, all the books I could want, etc., etc.
Related to this, this is why I appreciate days like Ash Wednesday when we are forced (in a good way) to reflect that we are but dust (and yet!) God loves us so much to send Jesus to ransom us.
Ultimately, and this agrees with what’s been said here, the greatest idol is pride. So much of the Bible speaks of it and so many teachers have spoken on it. It takes on many forms and even someone who comes across as a social wall flower or who lacks self confidence; the source of that can be pride. Pride because the focus is on themselves and their insecurities. Someone who’s focus is God is not prideful but confident and that confidence is in God.
We all have a measure of pride. I guess it’s part of being in the fallen human race. We live in a world that measures and compares. There will always be someone who’s smarter, more educated, wealthier, more popular and well as someone who’s not as smart, has little education, no money and no popularity, and we compare ourselves to them. Maybe not consciously, but subconsciously its going on. We categorize and fit ourselves into the world around us. We feel bad at what we lack and feel good at what we have. It’s depressing, but its good to be aware. Only by seeing it can we do anything about it. Some quotes that have helped me:
“Measure your lack of humility by your good opinion of yourself, by your habit of contrasting your own ability, efforts or accomplishments with those of others. Measure your lack of humility by how often you feel hurt and slighted, by how deeply you feel resentment and by how discouraged you become from the criticism of others.” Wesley Deuwel
“Many a man has overcome cowardice, lust or ill temper by learning to think that they are beneath his dignity-that is, by pride. The devil laughs. C.S. Lewis
For a day recently I was forced to sleep on a cold steel plank with no bedding. As I praised God for the return of my worn out 1’’ thick jailhouse mat I pondered how radically misplaced my worship was before I was placed in the refiner’s fire.
I had many idols in my former life and very little gratitude. Comfort, sex, money, fine dinng, were all my gods. how little did i realize they all paled in comparison to the joy of serving the lord. Here in my prison comfort is forbidden in all forms, this modern day concentration camp is designed to break your spirit and have you begging to be sent to prison for more comfortable life. It is very successful. In one year they acheived 3800 convictions with only 53 trials. People like myself who refuse to give up without a trial face many years of physical and mental torment, my 3 year anniversary is March 15 and I will be making my 34th court appearance without a real lawyer.
In here i face hunger, lack of basic hygeine, 23 hours a day in an overcrowded 12 ft cell, no hot water, no cold water, even pillows are forbidden. I cut my nails with an old razor, face physical assault daily, and lonliness is unreal since I have no family now except my crosswalk family.
Here’s the great news, once all your idols are ash, once you are truly hungry and thirsty, once you are totally alone, Jesus becomes all you have and then you truthfully realize Jesus was all you ever needed.
Thanks be to God who let my own sin bring me back to him.
24 “‘“The Lord bless you
and keep you;
**25 **the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
**26 **the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”’
I am so sad and so sorry you are going through all that.
Great question PeterC, I will answer it with a question…
What greater idol is there than cell phones when 70%+ of the modern world walk around all day with their heads bowed down to it in mute or not so mute subseriance, always at its beck and (puns intended) call?
Oh yeah, and @Johann, I can hardly read the text in your footnotes, if it matters. Should at least be one size bigger than the surrounding text in my humble opinion.
Ditto @d-o.o-b cellphones and those with “computer-necks” and let’s not forget the “TV idolators” right?
Time to crack open a ream of paper, pencil, you and the Ruach, and let’s do some serious studies.
.With serious and deeper study of the Scriptures[1] we can share the great doctrines of the faith here, including justification[2] sanctification[3] salvation by grace[4] the role of the Holy Spirit in teaching and renewing[5] and the church’s responsibility to contend for the faith[6] especially as Scripture warns that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils[7]
Gnosticism rampant in these last days, yes?
J.
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” - KJV ↩︎
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” - KJV ↩︎
“For this is the will of God, even your sanctification.” - KJV ↩︎
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” - KJV ↩︎
“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things.” - KJV ↩︎
“Earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” - KJV ↩︎
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” - KJV ↩︎
Excellent point. My kids are no different. My boy, 20 yo, never looks up from it. He gets ready with it in one hand. Does what I ask him with one hand because he can’t miss that next text or whatever.
@here
I wonder though, could the pursuit of knowledge, Biblcal or otherwise, become itself an idol, even though it’s not a “graven image”? And at what point? Could ideals, creeds and values also be idols?
I don’t just mean the Christian Holy Bible. There are many things that are touted as a Bible and are Biblical. (Ie., the JW’s nwt Bible, Bibles more than 66 books, etc.)
When I say Biblical, I refer to those who study ALL religions, broad theoligcal gurus, so to speak. On the whole though, I was asking about knowledge in general, in reference to our Mensa overlords, but not wanting to exclude Biblical. There is a term for it, but I forget it. lol
