I feel certain that I have only begun to barely see the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the issue of idolatry in scripture and in my own life. As I have looked at this issue, there is one thing that becomes absolutely certain; I'm riddled with sin. I know what you're thinking, "I'm glad he has realized that". Before you stop reading, let me clarify. It is one thing to be able to say that you are sinful; it is quite another to have your heart truly believe it. There is nothing like being humbled by the scriptures to realize that one has absolutely zero chance of becoming a son of the King apart from the redemptive work of Christ. I realize this post is long, but lets be honest, there just isn't any way to silver spoon significant and life altering truths of Scripture. To learn, I have always had to dig. I'll simply start the digging for you, but there is much more digging to be done. Also, I want to say that I am a student as well. I humbly submit my thoughts to you and I do think they are in accordance with scripture. However, I leave room for error and correction as God gives me understanding.

What is Idolatry?

When people think of idolatry, they typically think of pitiful people bowing down to statues like golden calves offering the blood of chickens and goats to somehow appease the god of sun, rain, or fertility. We all probably remember reading about the Israelites worshipping the golden calf while Moses was receiving the Ten Commandments in Exodus 32.

Idolatry is not just the worshipping of statues as a god. It is the worshipping of anything as a god. Here are two definitions that are excellent:

"An idol is anything in your life that is so central to your life that you can't have a meaningful life if you lose it." - Tim Keller

"Idolatry is taking a good thing, making it a god thing and that's a bad thing." - Mark Driscoll

Idolatry is ultimately a worship issue. We were and are created to be worshippers. We will worship something. We can't fight that. The terrifying part is that our heart is inclined to worship anything other than God. We will either worship the uncreated, Sovereign, Omniscient and Holy God of the scriptures or we will worship some created thing (an idol).  There is no possibility of us worshipping nothing.

When reading Exodus 20:1-17, we learn of the Ten Commandments. Look closely at the first two commandments,

"You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath or that that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments."

The very first two commandments are about Idolatry. Think about that. The very first and most important issue closest to the heart of our Lord was for us to love nothing more than Him. Martin Luther, the reformer, argued that if you didn't break the first two commandments, then you wouldn't break the following eight commandments. He argued that Idolatry is not a sin among many sins but it is the sin that underlines all other sins. Later, Jesus would reiterate this in the New Testament in Matthew 22:36-40, and Mark 12:28-34. I find the Mark passage fascinating because Jesus says that the man answered wisely.

"28 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, "Which commandment is the most important of all?" 29 Jesus answered, "The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31 The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." 32 And the scribe said to him, "You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. 33 And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions."- Mark 12:28-34

What was so wise about this man's response to Jesus? This man understood that burnt offerings and sacrifices was not the ultimate evidence of authentic love for his Lord. He understood that they were equivalent to works-righteousness, (an effort to earn righteousness or God's acceptance through our own efforts and good works) not as a response to a gracious God from a heart that longs to obey and honor his Lord. This man sees a contrast between 'burnt offerings and sacrifice' and 'love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength . . .' He sees that to love God with ALL your heart, soul, mind and strength should have a deeper impact on us than just simply burning a sacrifice. This man seems to see that Jesus cares about receiving authentic Worship from us, not just lip-service or routine actions. Jesus seems to commend this man for seeing the difference and realizing that Idolatry is a worship issue; it is the worship of something other than God.  Often, the things we love are good things, but we must be careful that we don't begin to love these things more than God.

Ultimately, idolatry is enslavement to something we love. We love our family, friends, health, wardrobe . . . all of which is in and of itself fine. It's good things that become elevated for us to the point that they become gods. We end up giving our time, our money, or lives and love to these things, which makes us slaves to them.

Getting Practical and Painful

Typically, the way we make something an idol is we think of our fears (I'm afraid of being poor, I'm afraid of being fat, I'm afraid of being lonely, I'm afraid of being thought of as stupid or incompetent, I'm afraid of having lots of obligations and duties, I'm afraid of being unappreciated, I'm afraid of losing the respect of others) and we make those fears our 'personal hell'. In order to get out of the concept of hell you have created, you need a savior.  This savior is not Jesus. This savior is an idol, a god you create. This idol, you perceive will save you from your concept of hell, we will call a 'functional savior'. 

For example:

- If your hell is being fat and ugly: Your functional savior is a personal trainer, a gym, a diet, a treadmill, and spending hours of time, money and energy to counting calories . . . because you'll be happy if you're thin and beautiful.

- If the fear of losing God's acceptance is my hell, then religion becomes your functional savior. If I read my bible more, If I don't smoke, if I don't cuss, if I am a good person, if I stop drinking, if I don't lie, if I don't watch bad movies . . . then God will love me and He will save me.

Remember, Idolatry is taking a good thing, making it a god thing and that's a bad thing. These things can be good things. However, when they are worshipped as god things . . . then they become bad things.

Mark Driscoll, says this about Sports:

"Sporting events are idol gatherings. The stadium is a temple. Great sacrifices have been made to create that temple. Those that come in are nothing short of gods. We wear their names on the back of our shirts. We cheer for them. Their photos are larger than life. That's idolatry. It's wrong to worship someone or something other than God."

Remember, sports isn't bad, it's the worship of sports that's bad. How many guys do you know who sacrifice their time and money to engage for hours determining a roster for a fantasy sports football league? How many times have you seen people scream obscenities at a television with rage in their eyes over a missed call or a decision by an official that person didn't like. When people mess with our gods, we don't like it.

Bands: People dress and act like their favorite bands. They make sacrifices to go to their shows and purchase their products. They follow them from city to city. They raise their hands and praise them as they sing.

Idolatry is taking a good thing, making it a god thing and that's a bad thing.

In 2009, Michael Jackson's funeral was held in Staples Arena in Los Angeles with thousands of people. Millions more were watching via television around the world. NBC's Brian Williams estimated that the memorial would be viewed "in part or in all" by between 750 million to one billion people around the world. His death is literally the death of an idol to many. Occasionally the camera cut to a location and you could see people crying and raising their hands in grief. Chants of, 'Michael, Michael, Michael' would occur between the different celebrities who would take the stage and offer their worship to Michael. Those that spoke would say things like, 'I will always love you. You will always live in my heart. God must have needed you. You are the King. You were the greatest entertainer that ever lived. You were a genius. You helped me through aspects of my life.' The only thing that wasn't said was. 'You are a god.' Clips of his music videos were played and people would scream and reach out for the screen. People would cry out for him. In the live concert video's that were shown Michael would stretch out his arms as the song would end and he would enjoy the screaming fans throwing their worship to him. Make no mistake. Michael was an idol. He was worshipped like a god and he loved it. There is no King other than Jesus Christ the King. He alone is worthy of our worship.

Idolatry is taking a good thing, making it a god thing and that's a bad thing.

Mark Driscoll does an excellent job explaining the next few examples:

Marriage: Single men and women who are terrified of being lonely are constantly searching for a savior . . . a boy/girl friend . . . a spouse or a pet that will save them from their loneliness. Because once they have someone to love them, then they will be happy.

"Guys, if you want to hurt the women you say you love in your marriages or your dating relationships, it is very simple and easy to do. Simply deify her {make her like a god}, make her give you joy, value, meaning, significance, purpose, and encouragement. Put all of that divine responsibility on her and watch her crumble under the weight of your unmet expectations. Idolatry destroys the people we love the most." - Mark Driscoll

Idolatry is taking a good thing, making it a god thing and that's a bad thing.

Sex:

"Sex is the number one religion in the world. We spend more money on pornography than we do foreign aid in the United States. Just as Christianity has three major denominational streams, Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox; there are three major denominations in sexual sin idolatry: Gay, Straight and Bi. It is their identity, they are evangelists for their causes recruiting others to participate in their pagan worship acts of nudity and sexuality. That's why when two people are dating and they go to bed together that bed becomes an alter on which they are offering their bodies as living sacrifices. People say, "We're just having sex, what's the big deal?" That bed is an alter. That room is a temple. You are an idolater worshiping created things rather than the creator God." - Mark Driscoll

Idolatry is taking a good thing, making it a god thing and that's a bad thing.

Food:

"I recently saw an advertisement on the food network. It said, "coming up next a whole show on comfort food." When you're hurting you don't go to the Bible and pursue God, you go to the fridge. Some women put their finger down their throat to throw it all up because they worship the god of appearance and the god of food and those two gods are at odds with each other." - Mark Driscoll

Idolatry is taking a good thing, making it a god thing and that's a bad thing.

So, How do I fight Idol Worship in my Life?

1. Recognize Idols: We must see and name our idols. If you can't see idols in your life, then you aren't looking very hard. John Calvin, the theologian said, "The human heart is an idol factory." Our heart cannot be trusted. We need to recognize there is a sickness in us. Ask yourself the following questions to help you see where the idols are in your life.

The following are questions to help you uncover your functional saviors:

1.    What am I most afraid of?

2.    What do I long for most passionately?

3.    Where do I run for comfort?

4.    What do I complain about most?

5.    What angers me most?

6.    What makes me happiest?

7.    How do I explain myself to others? 

8.    What has caused me to be angry with God?

9.    What do I brag about?

10. What do I want to have more than anything else?

11. Who do I sacrifice the most for in my life?

12. If I could change one thing in my life what would it be?

13. Whose approval am I seeking?

14. What do I want to control/master?

15. What comfort do I treasure the most?

Remember! Idols tend to be good things that turn into god things, which makes them bad things.

2. Repent: Confess to Jesus your false gods and break them. Acknowledge the idolatry in your life. Our hearts need to change. Repentance is not just something you preach it is first what you practice. The first requirement of the Gospel is repentance. Anyone who doesn't repent doesn't know the Gospel. Pray and ask God to forgive you of your idolatry. Be broken by your sin.

Our heart must be one that desires to be worshipers of God, NOT to be one that only desires to modify and change our behaviors. We need to displace sinful affections with deeper greater affections. We need to enjoy Christ, treasure Christ, and be satisfied in Christ . . . alone.

3. Replace: We have to replace our idol worship with authentic worship of Jesus. Everyone is a worshipper. The only question is who or what god will you worship? For a believer in Christ, Jesus alone is our Savior. He alone can save us. If we truly worship Him above all other gods, then we have our love, stability and significance in Jesus and not in other gods. We don't need 'functional saviors' because we have the real savior in Jesus. We can cast our fears on Him. Psalm 55:22 says,  "Cast your cares on the LORD 
and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall." 1 Peter 5: 6-7 says, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." When our heart worships Jesus and we are no longer worshipping things, people, places, emotions . . . idols; only then can we be free to enjoy life and bare fruit in all aspects of our lives as worship to God. We give Jesus our idols and in return we receive something worthy of worship, something that can truly fulfill the desire our hearts have for worshipping something . . . He gives us Himself.

4. Rejoice: Through Jesus, idols are exchanged for the real God, and works-righteousness is replaced with transforming grace, thereby enabling us to worship as God created us to.

In closing, I think it is important to see our idolatry as God sees it. How wicked would it be to prefer a photograph of your spouse to having the real flesh and blood person of your spouse? How insulted and wounded would he/she be to know that a photograph or an idea of him/her is what you truly love? How wicked would it be to honor the achievements and architecture at the hands of men and malign the beauty of all creation at the hands of the one true God? How wicked would it be to worship something created (things, people, places, emotions) by God rather than God himself? God paints this idea beautifully in Isaiah 40:18-26,

"18 To whom then will you liken God,
or what likeness compare with him?
19 An idol! A craftsman casts it,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
and casts for it silver chains.
20 He who is too impoverished for an offering
chooses wood that will not rot;
he seeks out a skillful craftsman
to set up an idol that will not move.21 Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,
and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;
who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;
23 who brings princes to nothing,
   and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness. 24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
when he blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble. 25 To whom then will you compare me,
 that I should be like him? says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high and see:
who created these?
 He who brings out their host by number,
calling them all by name,
by the greatness of his might,
and because he is strong in power
not one is missing."

It is my prayer that we will be men and women who repent and truly love our Lord. I hope these thoughts help you process this important truth in Scripture.

Sincerely,

Craig

For further study I highly recommend:

"Counterfeit Gods" by Tim Keller and a talk given by Mark Driscoll here.