Avoiding Idolatry

How do we tell when something in our life becomes idolatry? Now I am not talking about obviously bad things. I am not even primarily talking about the blatantly addicting things, such as alcohol, smoking, drugs, gambling, and pornography. (It is not part of my purpose here to ask if any of these are acceptable in moderation. But their dangers as potential addictive agents are well known.) But anything can be an idol if we let it take first place in our lives. And these things can be subtle, even insidious, so we have to ask, how do we protect ourselves from something taking the place of God in our lives?

Now God has given us good things to enjoy (1 Timothy 4:3-5; Titus 1:15; James 1:17). But we also need to realize that anything that we put above God is an idol (Colossians 3:5; 1:18; Exodus 20:3). It is well known that money and possessions can fall into this category. But so can other good things, like entertainment, recreation, family, friends, country, and church family. All these things are good in the right perspective, but wrong if made central. Now the solution is not to hide in a cave and not enjoy any of the good things God has given. But we do need to be aware of the potential danger involved. 

For those who have put their faith in Christ, we need to remember our sins are forgiven (Romans 8:33,34; 3:21-26; Ephesians 1:7). But we need to see this, not as an excuse to live as we wish, but a motivation to live for God (Galatians 5:13,14; Titus 2:11-14; Romans 12:1,2). We need to avoid both complacency and discouragement. This is particularly necessary because growth in Christ is a process that leads us forward one step at a time (Philippians 3:12-16; 1 Timothy 4:7,8; Hebrews 5:12-14). Now God is at work in us to change us (2 Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 2:13; 2 Peter 1:3), but we need to intentionally respond to these things by choosing to follow Christ (Galatians 5:18; Ephesians 5:18; Romans 6:12-14). And we need to trust God to show us what things in us need to change (Proverbs 3:5,6; Psalms 127:1,2; Isaiah 40:31).

 

However, we also need to recognize we are weak and have the real potential of falling (1 Corinthians 10:12,13; 1 Peter 5:8-10; 2 Corinthians 11:1-5).  There may even be some cases where we need to take drastic action (Matthew 5:29,30; 1 Timothy 6:11; 2 Timothy 2:22). But we must remember that the dangers are very individual. And what can be a problem for one person may not be a problem for another. But we need to trust God to show us what we need to do, and also be open to His direction as to what we need to change (Psalms 139:23,24; 19:12-14; Proverbs 28:13). We must do this, realizing that God loves us and forgives us and is at work in our lives to lead us in the right way.

Friendship

It is good to have friends who support us. But this too can become an idol. Our culture exalts relationships, but frequently we totally lack them. People, in general, live closer to one another than at any time in human history. And people, in general, are more isolated and lonely than at any time in human history. We can watch TV, listen to music, surf the Internet, even, ironically, be involved in social media, without really forming any deep connections with anyone. We can be busy doing a multitude of things, whether at work or at play, without stopping long enough to get to know the people around us. To get past that requires a deliberate effort. But it is an effort worth making. 

The first friend we need is God (John 15:13-15; Proverbs 18:24; Philippians 3:7-11). And I am convinced that one of the reasons for the noise and isolation of modern life is to avoid meeting God. As C. S. Lewis points out, the best way to avoid God is to be perpetually busy or to have something continually entertaining us to avoid any time of silent contemplation. I think, even as believers, we can develop some of this attitude. We can be afraid of God becoming too real. And this is a tragedy. God wants to save us (Ephesians 2:8,9; Romans 3:23-28; Colossians 2:9-15), He wants to transform us (2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 12:1,2; Philippians 2:13), He wants to help us through the storms of life (John 16:33; Romans 8:37; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10). But we can keep Him keep Him at arm’s length because we want to run our own lives and tip our hats to God occasionally but have Him there to rescue us if we really need it.

But there is another danger. As Christians, we can sometimes get the concept of, me and God, and we do not need anyone else. But God says He has put us as part of a spiritual body, and we are to build one another up (1 Corinthians 12:12-25; Ephesians 4:11-16; Romans 12:3-8). We need one another to sympathize with in times of joy and adversity (1 Corinthians 12:26; Romans 12:15; Proverbs 17:17). We need one another to build each other up and encourage each other to do what is right (Hebrews 10:24,25; Proverbs 27:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:11). We need others to correct us when we are going the wrong way (Proverbs 27:6; Hebrews 12:12,13; Galatians 6:1). And God designed it that way. There is a dangerous conceit in the idea that I can go it alone, I do not need anybody but God. God has deliberately made us so that we need one another. So even though it is hard, especially in our present culture, we need to put in the effort to be connected to other believers. For it is how God meant for us to live.   

The Idol of Sex

The major idol of our time is money and the things money can buy. But if there is a clear competitor, it would be sex.  Now the Biblical teaching is clear that the ideal is one man and one woman for life and that the only acceptable alternative is abstention (Proverbs 5:3-17; Matthew 19:3-12; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8). (Obviously, there are special cases, such as when a spouse dies, but the ideal remains.) But we are constantly bombarded by the opposite message that if it feels good, we should do it and who cares about the consequences. 

Sometimes, as Christians, we can jump to the other extreme. We can vilify sex and make sexual sin one of the greatest of all evils. Further, we can erect our own idol, an idol of family to compete with it. If we only have a prefect family and a perfect marital relationship, we will not be tempted in this area. But who has a perfect marital relationship? Or we can take the other tack and simply drift with the culture and accept more and more compromises. And some may justify this on the grounds that we do not have the perfect marital relationship. Now I do believe a good marital sexual relationship can be helpful in dealing with this situation (1 Corinthians 7:1-5; Proverbs 5:18-20; Ecclesiastes 9:9). And it is clear that sex is a good thing, originally given by God (Genesis 2:21-25; 1 Timothy 4:3-5; Deuteronomy 24:5). Further, this is necessary to say because, in reaction to the idea that sex is all right in any context, we can decide that sex is evil in any context.  But this idea can be blown out of proportion to the point that someone can feel that if they do not have a perfect sex life in their marriage, they are doomed.

What, then, do we do about this? We need to start by getting it clear in our minds that God forgives sin (Ephesians 1:7; Romans 8:33,34; 1 John 1:9) but does not condone it (Titus 2:13-14; Romans 13:11-14; Galatians 6:1). This is often a tough course to follow. Especially on a hot button issue like this one. If you offer forgiveness, there are those who will say you are soft on sin. If you correct someone, there are those who will see you as too narrow and bigoted. But we must uphold both sides of God’s truth. However, more than that, we need to put this issue in perspective. There is only one God, and He has no real competitors (Isaiah 43:10-13; Psalms 97:1-9; 1 Corinthians 8:4-6). Therefore, to exalt something as too greatly, either as a good thing or an evil thing, denies the greatness of God. Therefore, I would suggest looking at sex from a more reasonable viewpoint, as a good thing of God that can be abused, but should not be blown out of proportion either way.