By Tom Walker
Idolatry is a term we often associate with the worship of statues of carved rock or wood or of cast metal. And, the Old Testament is full of examples of straying Israelites who forsook God to worship idols.
But idolatry is more than that. AN IDOL IS ANYTHING WE PLACE AS MORE IMPORTANT THAN GOD. That could include money, material possessions, our political persuasion, and, oddly, our favorite religious teachings.
If we have God take the back seat to something that is more important or concerning to us, that is idolatry. The bible repeatedly admonishes believers to put God first, for too often believers fall short.
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: … and greed, which is idolatry.
(Colossians 3:5)
For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.
(1 Peter 4:3)
And,
Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.
(1 Corinthians 10:14)
The Pharisees were guilty of putting their religious teachings (though they were merely human rules) ahead of God while they gave God lip service.
“‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’”
(Matthew 15:8-9)
Nationalism (and fear of losing one’s country) often is placed ahead of God. That, too, is idolatry. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.
“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man [Jesus] performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our
(John 11:47-48)
temple and our nation.”
The pursuit of a political objective can have us sacrificing the truth (and God is truth).
The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward.
(Matthew 26:59-60a)
Is there something in our life that concerns us more than God? Would we run over the poor or unfortunate to get it? The drive for money and wealth have many doing that. Is there a political motive that drives us “to spin” the truth to gain our objective? Many do that every campaign year. God is put
in the back seat in the hearts of many who honor him with their lips. Money, political goals, wealth, or social power is what many worship. Putting any concern or falsehood ahead of God is idolatry.
Whatever we do, DO NOT SACRIFICE HONESTY OR INTEGRITY. If God is foremost in our lives, we will let his Spirit lead us to do what is truthful and right in all things every time. Stay with Jesus, the Way and the Truth and the Life, and trust him to guide you. (What an adventure!) Resorting to any concern or behavior that puts God in the back seat is, well, idolatry and ungodly.
Jesus answered,
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”x
(Matthew 26:59-60a)
Tom Walker holds an MA and an MDiv from Abilene Christian University. Most recently he has served several years as a hospice chaplain. He can be reached at caddoraccoon@gmail.com