No Idols!

How does the second commandment relate to us today? “You shall make no carved images…(to) bow down to them or serve them.” How should we be warned or exhorted from this commandment? I hope none of us have idols in our homes. No images made of stone, wood, metal, or any other material that we kneel before and worship. But remember, the commandments are aimed at our hearts, not our knees. What are some modern idols that we must remove whenever we find them? Martin Luther said the heart is an idol factory. And he said, “Whatever your hearts clings to and confides in, that is really your God and your functional savior.” An idol is anything that captures our heart and our affections and draws us away from God. To put it another way, an idol is anything we are willing to sin to get, or willing to sin to keep from losing. 

Hey, it is good to enjoy life, to have good friends, to have teams that you pull for, recreational activities that you pursue, a wife or husband and children that you love. It is good to enjoy a meal or a vacation or a nap! But let’s keep everything in perspective and examine our hearts in three areas. In his first letter, John wrote, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.” I think in this word God is giving us a test to see if there are any idols living in our heart chambers. 

Desires of the flesh: Paul talks about these in Galatians, the works of the flesh that we can so easily substitute for our pursuit of the Lord and His ways. Sexual immorality and drunkenness are mentioned by Paul in a list that is descriptive but not exhaustive. Anything we are doing to satisfy our sin nature will also weaken our heart for God. 

Desires of the eyes. Paul mentions jealousy and envy in the same passage. We look at what others have and it can breed discontentment in what God has provided for us. Or we can develop a guilty pleasure in judging others. That critical spirit begins to color everything we see. The ditch on the other side of the road is to be caught in the pit of self-condemnation; all we can see are the ways we fall short. Many in this ditch cannot accept that God loves them and that He offers them abundant joy. 

Pride of life. Paul mentions fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, and divisions. Jake Daghe wrote that this is “thinking we are stronger, smarter, better, or holier than others and even God. One of the most common modern-day idols is our elevation of self and our own merits and abilities.” These three, desires of the flesh, desires of the eyes, and pride of life can easily take up residence in our hearts. 

Call them idols or call them strongholds. Call them anything you want. But do all that you can in the power of the Spirit to tear them down! 

As John wrote to close his first letter, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”