NO FAKE GODS
Heidelberg Catechism: Lord’s Day 34, Q94, 95.
Scripture Texts: Exodus 20:1-3; I John 5:21
Why is idolatry by far the single most frequently discussed problem in Scripture? Why does every prophet address it and confront it and spend so much time warning about it and preaching against it? Why does the Apostle John end his wonderful little letter of encouragement with this final word, “Beloved children, keep yourselves from idols”? (I John 5:21).
Is idolatry really that big a deal? Is it relevant today when none of us worship some foreign god and make little shrines to foreign gods? Is this just relevant for missionaries in certain cultures?
Hosea 8:4 With their silver and gold they made idols for their own destruction.
When a person or a society of persons turns away from God and toward idols, it is headed toward destruction. This is another way of saying all of our problems are religions problems. All of our problems have at their core the fundamental sin of idolatry. This is why idolatry is still a big deal, still relevant today.
To bring the problem closer to home, all of my problems and all of your problems are fundamentally religions, they are about the sin of idolatry. What do we love and what do we fear? What do we trust, what do we seek?
The most basic question the Scripture poses to the human heart is, “Has someone or something besides Jesus Christ taken primary place in your affections, loyalty, trust and desire?” Who or what controls your behavior, actions, or attitudes? Is the world, the flesh or the devil reigning on the throne of your heart? What sits at the apex of our pyramid of values and priorities?