We run our website the way we wished the whole internet worked: we provide high quality original content with no ads. We are funded solely by your direct support. Please consider supporting this project.
False Gods in the Church
We often think of an idol as a statue, but an idol can be anything we use to meet the needs that only God can meet. In other words, a false god.
There is no end to the false gods we create. In Western cultures we often strive to feel worth and significance by acquiring money, possessions, and power. We bow down to the false gods of materialism and control. Some try to relieve their inner emptiness by trying to get approval for being sexy, talented, or successful. They bow down to a false god of fame. Some feed their hunger for life by convincing themselves they’re special to God because they believe all the right things and engage in all the right behaviors—in contrast to others who believe the wrong things and engage in all the wrong behaviors. These bow before the false god of religion, which is one of the ways that idols end up in the church.
When we chase after false gods, we seldom realize what we’re doing. We don’t think of it as idolatry. In fact, it’s possible to bow to false gods while believing you’re bowing to Jesus Christ. What we believe often has little to do with reality.
In the West, we tend to attach great importance to what we believe. This seems to be especially true of Christians. We treat beliefs as though they have magical power, as though merely believing something makes it so. For instance, many assume that believing Jesus is Lord of their life magically makes him Lord. This is undoubtedly why so many evangelical churches spend an exorbitant amount of energy getting people to make a one-time confession of belief.
The truth is, merely believing Jesus is Lord no more makes him Lord of my life than believing Vladimir Putin is the president of Russia makes me his follower. For Putin to be my leader, I would need to submit my life to him and become a citizen of Russia. Likewise, for Jesus to be my Lord, I need to submit my life to him and become a citizen of his Kingdom.
This does not mean that beliefs are not important. Obviously it’s impossible to surrender to Jesus unless you first believe that he is Lord. Still, the belief is not itself the surrender. Embracing a belief is something you do in your mind. Actually surrendering your life is something you can only do with your will.
The important question, then, is not what you believe. The important question is what you decide to do, moment-by-moment, on the basis of what you believe.
—Adapted from Present Perfect, pages 46-48
Photo credit: Criss! via Visual hunt / CC BY
Category: General
Tags: Belief, Religious Idolatry
Related Reading
Imaging God Wrongly: God’s Self-Portrait, Part 2
Our relationship with God depends on the way we imagine God. When we get the image of God right, the doors open for us to trust and relate to God in the ways we were created to do. But there are so many images of God that are entirely messed up. Just think about the…
Do Not Fear
We interrupt this election season to bring you the following reminder: [F]ear is a diabolic force. Its ultimate creator is Satan, and he uses it to keep us in bondage (Heb. 2:15). Throughout history, leaders have used fear to rally the masses around their causes, sometimes getting them to do things they otherwise would never…
This Week’s Sermon: Sledge Hammer Faith
Greg is feverishly working on a new book on faith and doubt and he decided to preach on this topic for a couple of weeks. He’s also been dealing with this topic on the blog as a part of fleshing out the ReKnew Manifesto. This week he asks the question: Is certainty-seeking, doubt-shunning faith idolatrous? Many…
Paul Teaches Free Will, Not Determinism: Romans 9, Part 3
In this series of posts, I am challenging the deterministic reading of Romans 9, which interprets Paul’s teaching as saying that God chooses some to be saved and others to be damned. There are six arguments that I offer to challenge this popular view. Today, I will look at the fourth. Argument #4: Paul’s Summary and…
Quotes to Chew On: Religious Violence
“The myth of religious violence promotes a dichotomy between us in the secular West who are rational and peacemaking, and them, the hordes of violent religious fanatics in the Muslim world. Their violence is religious, and therefore irrational and divisive. Our violence, on the other hand, is rational, peacemaking, and necessary. Regrettably, we find ourselves forced to bomb them into the higher rationality.” ~William Cavanaugh,…
Possibility of Love
In this video, Greg explores the core sin that stands in the way of love. You might be surprised by what it is. Video by The Work of the People