Lesser Discussed Sins Series - 05 - Haters of God

In our last article, we focused on Romans 1:28-32, in which the Apostle Paul included a rather extensive list of sins and actions that are manifested through the rejection of God.  There are a lot of rather distasteful activities associated with such a rejection; fornication, envy, murder, strife, inventors of evil things, and the list goes on.  Sadly, a brief look at modern culture proves that the words of Paul are true and applicable throughout every time period and culture.  We see hatred being spewed by those who have rejected God and many of the actions that Paul describes in Romans 1 are easily seen simply by watching the news each evening.  The foundation for Paul’s description of society is the rejection of God, which can often come through one of the problems that is contained in Paul’s list: “haters of God” (1:30).  In our own culture, we’ve seen this concept at work; society has come to hate God and therefore reject Him, His commands/word, and His followers.  But what does it mean to hate God? How does one come to hate God?

Recently, there was a video online in which an individual was offered a Bible for free and was told that she could do with it as she chose.  Her response was to take the Bible (multiple Bibles, actually) and then say that she would burn them.  Instead of burning them, however, she proceeded to walk outside and start throwing the Bibles against the outside of the building.  Where does such hatred come from? Does she even understand what she purports to hate? Often, “haters of God” become such simply because they do not understand Him, nor do they care to understand Him.  Many reject the Bible and argue against the principles set forth in it without ever actually considering it; there are many “articles” out there condemning the Bible, but they arrive at their conclusions not through the careful preponderance of evidence, but rather through the twisting of the Scriptures into what they are not (2 Peter 3:16).  Through many of the arguments this particular individual stated, it was clear that she lacked any actual knowledge concerning what she so vehemently hated.  Some things never change; remember that many were extremely angry with Paul in Ephesus and were rioting, but most of them had no idea why they were so mad (see Acts 19:21-41). 

On this same concept, King Solomon wrote that “it is not good for a soul to be without knowledge, And he sins who hastens with his feet.  The foolishness of a man twists his way, And his heart frets against the Lord” (Proverbs 19:2-3).  Too many arrive at the conclusion that society suffers because of God and religion (“without knowledge”) and therefore support outright wickedness (“hastens with his feet”).  In a list of what God hates, Solomon included a “heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil” (Proverbs 6:18).  The principle is that those who hate God and all that He represents will hasten to do the exact opposite.  While the NKJV version of Proverbs 19:3 states the people described “frets” against the Lord, the NASB translates it as “And his heart rages against the Lord.”  How else could “haters of God” be perceived? The wicked of the world rage against the righteousness of the Lord and support the wicked deeds described by the Apostle Paul in Romans 1. 

Frequently, coming to hate God is a gradual digression; many do not start out with hatred for Him, but the world will happily teach this hatred.  In Matthew 6:24, Jesus said that no “one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and mammon.”  In the context, Jesus spoke of obedience to God and aligning our priorities correctly (such as directing what we see appropriately, laying up our treasures in heaven, etc.).  If our focus is primarily on the things of this world and pleasures of sin, then we will come to hate God and everything that He stands for.  Where we align ourselves will direct our perspective towards God; do we seek this worlds treasures to the detriment of our obedience to God? Then we will come to despise God and love materialistic things.  In the context of our original passage, Paul wrote that those who reject God in favor of sin seek to “suppress the truth in unrighteousness” and will exchange “the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:18-32).  Why would truth be rejected in favor of an ungodly lie?

Jesus expressed the principle that those who love darkness (wickedness/lawlessness) will hate the light, the deeds of the light, and those who practice the light.  In John 3:19-21, Jesus stated that “this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”  Interestingly enough, Jesus also stated that “it [the world] hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil” (John 7:7).  Not only do many hate God, but that hatred extends to His followers.  In John 15:18-20, Jesus said that “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.  If you were of the world, the world would love its own.  Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.  Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.  If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”

There is a clear connection between loving this present world and the hating of God.  The point is clearly made by Jesus who said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15).  The alternative is clearly true – if we love the things of this world, and refuse to do His will, then we become haters of God.

Lesser Discussed Sins Series - 04 - Whisperers

The concept of gossip is often depicted as amusing in our society.  For instance, in The Andy Griffith Show, the humorous problems caused by gossip were the underlying plot in numerous episodes.  While this was amusing in a fictional context, it is too often assumed that gossip is a rather harmless activity to participate in, and therefore it is one of the lesser of the sins discussed in the Bible.  However, gossip is tied intimately with a few different things that ought to result in our reexamination of our approach.  Frequently, gossip is tied to or incorporates the concept of “whispering” and “backbiting.”  Merriam-Webster defines “backbite” as saying “mean or spiteful things about a person (such as someone who is not present).”  This stands as a concise definition for gossip and whispering as they are utilized within the Bible as well.  Who gossips about a person to their face (which goes against the very definition of gossip)?

In Romans 1:28-32, the Apostle Paul wrote:

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

In the context, Paul was discussing those who would reject God and among the characteristics of such people he includes “whisperers” and “backbiters”.  When we often look at passages such as Romans 1:28-32, we focus on the sins that we see as being particularly transgressive, such as murder, sexual immorality (fornication in the KJV), and violence.  However, examining “whisperers,” “backbiters,” and the like is really an examination of the mindset of the person committing those transgressions.  If, as Paul established in Romans 1, those who commit such actions have rejected the Lord, do we want to travel down that path?

In Psalm 41:7, King David wrote, “All who hate me whisper together against me; Against me they devise my hurt.” In this context, David was not speaking about the physical act of whispering, but rather he spoke of a malicious act of hate and cunning.  In the context, David wrote of those who were once counted among his friends that would then turn against him, such as King Saul.  Consider Proverbs 4:16 where King Solomon wrote, “For they do not sleep unless they have done evil; And their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall.”  In Romans 1, this is the state of mind of that Paul was speaking about; as he stated, God gave them “over to a debased mind” (Romans 1:28). 

This article does not argue that in order to participate in gossip, backbiting, and whispering that we must have gone completely over to a “debased mind” as Paul stated in Romans 1.  Participating in these activities will lead us down the path to a debased mind, however.  Even within the body of Christ there are some who are not happy unless they are causing a problem of some sort; whether it be for some perceived power (which is in itself a complete lack of understanding when it comes to what we are to be as Christians) or because of some personal issue, it seems that some continually try to tear others down.  In many contexts in the Bible, the underlying concept is that of gossip, which frequently separates even the best of friends.  For instance, King Solomon again wrote in Proverbs 16:27-29, “An ungodly man digs up evil, and it is on his lips like a burning fire.  A perverse man sows strife, and a whisperer separates the best of friends.  A violent man entices his neighbor, and leads him in a way that is not good.”   Again, there is a steady digression depicted within this passage that points to a debased mind.

Participating in gossip is detrimental to our souls; again, Solomon wrote that the “words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles, and they go down into the inmost body” (Proverbs 18:8; 26:21-23).  Often, gossip reveals information that is not correct about a person; however, even if some of the information is correct, the whole picture is not stated.  Consider that some talebearer may reveal sin in the life of another; has that person been approached per the Scriptures? Have they repented and therefore the sin is no longer in their life? How we handle gossip is important; for instance, Solomon wrote, “Debate your case with your neighbor, and do not disclose the secret to another; Lest he who hears it expose your shame, and your reputation be ruined” (Proverbs 25:9-10).  Do we consider how we talk of such matters even if we have a right to be either offended or if we have been wronged (see also Matthew 18:15-17)?  Consider also that one who brings those “tasty trifles” (Proverbs 18:8) to you will also gossip about you; in Proverbs 20:19, Solomon wrote that he “who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets; Therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips.” 

As noted previously, we have not necessarily gone completely over to a “debased mind” when we participate in gossip, backbiting, and whispering, but we tread dangerously close with our mouth and such a digression becomes a true possibility if we do not repent and guard against it.  In James 3, it is written that the tongue “is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison” and that out “of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing” (James 3:1-12).  Further, James wrote that “For we all stumble in many things.  If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body” (James 3:2).  Perhaps this was written with a somewhat sarcastic tone in mind; further, this was not written as an excuse to sin with our tongues, but rather it stands as a warning about the dangers of the tongue.  This is not an amusing anecdote about gossip that too often flows from the tongue, but rather counsel that should be taken with the utmost seriousness.   James stated that the “tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity” and that it is “so set among our members that it defiles the whole body.”  Perhaps this latter phrase is a play on words in that it refers to the harm that the tongue can do to our own bodies and the harm that it can do to the body of Christ. 

Finally, consider Provers 10:31 where Solomon wrote that the “mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut out.”  What comes from our mouth, blessings or cursings? Likewise, Solomon wrote that there “is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health” (Proverbs 12:18).  Do others benefit from what we say or do we tear one another down? Again, Solomon wrote that a “wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit” (Proverbs 15:4).  With our words, do we set the goal to establish life or to destroy? Where is our mind? Do we have a mind that is either debased or steadily approaching that state? Solomon also wrote that an “evildoer gives heed to false lips; a liar listens eagerly to a spiteful tongue” (Proverbs 17:4).  We must guard against such and ensure that our minds and tongues are where God would have them to be (reference Philippians 4:8). 

The Digression of King Saul

There are two well-known individuals in the Bible that bear the name of “Saul”; one was the first king of Israel, the second would be renamed Paul and would become an Apostle.  Ironically, King Saul started his reign as a faithful servant of God and would later digress into wickedness, while our introduction to Saul (later called Paul) informs us that he was persecuting the church of God  (Acts 7:58; Acts 9).  While the change in the Apostle Paul can be discussed at a later time, we will spend some time looking at the digression of King Saul; how does a faithful servant fall so far? How did his faith fail?

In 1 Samuel 15:15, while Saul was speaking to Samuel, he stated that the people had not destroyed the goods of the Amalekites because they wanted “to sacrifice to the Lord YOUR God” (emphasis added).  While this is not the first instance in which we see King Saul digressing, his attitude towards God in this passage marks the true problem and not just a symptom.  The phrase “the Lord your God” is used frequently throughout the Bible, but the context of the phrase dictates whether it is a sign of respect or a sign of disobedience; in this instance, King Saul was rebelling against the commands of God and his attitude indicates that he no longer believed God to have authority over him.  As noted, this accentuates the real problem and not the symptom; in earlier chapters, Saul presumed to offer sacrifices that were meant for only a priest (1 Samuel 13:8-14).  Was the offering of the sacrifice the true problem or was it a symptom of the problem?

The activities of disobedience (offering the sacrifice or refusing to destroy Amalek) were truly sins against God, but they stemmed from a heart that no longer acknowledged the power and authority of God.  Not that in response to Samuel, Saul said that he “felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering” (1 Samuel 13:12).  By what authority? What lead to this digression away from trusting in God and submitting to His almighty authority?

Saul Chosen as King

When David was chosen to be the one who would follow Saul as King, God told Samuel “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him.  For the Lord does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).  And yet, our introduction to Saul included that there “was not a more handsome person than he” and that from “his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people” (1 Samuel 9:2).  At the anointing of Saul, there was no mention concerning his heart; at that point, it is clear that he was a servant of God (he prophesied in 1 Samuel 10:10-13), so obviously God was with him at that point.  However, Saul had only reigned two years when he chose to make the sacrifice in 1 Samuel 13:1, 8-14. 

Saul’s Pride

While it is not explicitly stated within the Scriptures, it appears that Saul’s pride lead to his digression; consider the rash vow in 1 Samuel 14:24.  In this passage, Saul stated that “Cursed is the man who eats any food until evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies”; he was clearly focused on his own desires rather than what God wanted him to do.  Later, when Saul discovered that Jonathan had eaten, he refused to acknowledge the ridiculous nature of his rash vow and commanded that Jonathan be executed (the people of Israel refused to a part of this evil; 1 Samuel 14:44-45).  Saul’s pride is again emphasized in 1 Samuel 18:6-9; here, the people were praising David for the death of Goliath (1 Samuel 17) and Saul was “very angry, and the saying displeased him” because they placed him at a lesser value than David.  Further, Saul said, “Now what more can he have but the kingdom?” Additionally, Saul believed that he had the power to thwart the plans of God; he frequently tried to kill David so that he would be unable to reign in his or Jonathan’s place.  In 1 Samuel 20:31, Saul stated that if Jonathan wanted to reign, David would have to be killed; the pride and arrogance inherent in such a thought is astounding.  The true depths to which Saul had sunk was shown through his willingness to murder the priests who had helped David and his men in 1 Samuel 22:6-23; the Israelites with Saul would not kill the priests!

What we learn from Saul is that pride fails, that we are not as powerful as we think that we are, and that God is always in control.  In addition to this, we learn that while we respect our leaders and we submit to them, we are not required to obey ungodly commands (note again Saul’s command to execute Jonathan and the priests).  

There are many other passages that we could examine in order to understand the digression of Saul; for instance, he consulted a medium in 1 Samuel 28, which again shows that he no longer cared about the commands of God.  In the end, we see that Saul did not have a heart dedicated to God; while other men, such as David, committed sin against God, their hearts drove them to repent and submit to God, but Saul relied only on himself.

Love the Brethren

In 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, the Apostle Paul provided a detailed description of love; the essential nature of love is that it is all encompassing and that it drives our every motive.  In the overall context of this passage, Paul was correcting the attitude of the Christians; if we tie what Paul wrote in chapter 13 to the rest of the book, we note that the Corinthians had been envious, they had paraded themselves, they had rejoiced in iniquity, and their love for one another had failed.  Their care for one another was lacking because of their own selfish ambitions; desires for their own “rights” (as some today call it) trumped their willingness to look out for the spiritual wellbeing of one another.  This was accentuated by their desire for the “best” spiritual gifts, their sectarianism concerning by whom they had been taught, and participating in the activities directed towards idols (this is not a comprehensive list).  A key element in Paul’s description of love is that Christians need to consider the wellbeing of one another; this is something that needs to be on our mind with each decision that we make.  Does our decision glorify God? Does it help others in reaching their goal of heaven? Does it help me present myself as a servant of God who has denied the things of this world?

How imperative is it that we love one another? In 1 John 3:10, we read that in “this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.”  After referencing the murder of Abel by his brother Cain, John also wrote that “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him” (1 John 3:15).  In writing this, John was not literally stating that we are murderers, but that the end result is the same if we hate rather than love one another.

In Philippians 2:1-4, Paul again wrote on the concept of loving one another and expressly stated that we should overlook our own desires in light of those of our brethren.  Nothing is to “be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.  Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others” (2:3-4).  Why are such passages so important to us today? Many Christians speak about how much love they have for one another, and indeed that is likely to be their intent; however, what do their actions more often portray? Remember that the Christians in Corinth believed themselves to be longsuffering and loving of the brother in error, but Paul corrected their attitude and their method of discipline in 1 Corinthians 5. 

There is an attitude the creeps up now and then that can be summed up as “If that person doesn’t like what I’m doing, then that is THEIR problem and not mine”.  There are a plethora of topics through which this attitude is manifested, but perhaps the most common one (or at least the one we will use as an example) will be on the topic of modesty.  Too often, it is expressed that how we dress should not impact the spiritual lives of others and that our “freedom” (although this is not an established concept from Scripture) should not be impeded by the perceived weakness of others.  Is this an appropriate attitude for a Christian to parade around with?

Consider that John also wrote that “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us” (1 John 3:16).  What if Jesus had the attitude that we too often have towards one another? What if Jesus stated that His life should not have to be sacrificed for our iniquities? Instead, Jesus led the way for us and in “this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him” (1 John 4:9).  Therefore, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:11) and “we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16).  If we are unwilling to forego immodest apparel for our brethren, would we be willing to lay down our lives for the brethren? Are we echoing the love of God (1 John 3:16, 4:7-11) if we do not care for the spiritual welfare of our brethren? Or are we allowing things to be “done through selfish ambition” (Philippians 2:3)?

Part of what leads to such an attitude is that we do not concentrate on having a godly perspective rather than a worldly one; in other words, we allow the cares and desires of this world to outweigh what God would have us desire.  Are we keeping up with the latest fashion? Do we look good in our clothes? Do people of the world find us attractive? While many argue that it is merely for the sake of comfort that they wear immodest apparel, are we being honest with ourselves when make such an argument? For instance, how many times do young ladies wear shorts that are hardly longer than underwear compensate by wearing a sweatshirt or coat? How often do young men do the exact same thing? Is this for comfort in the heat, or is it for something else?

In 1 John 2:15-17, we are told not to “love the world or the things in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world.  And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”  If our main concern is keeping up with the latest fashion or being seen as attractive by the world, then we clearly have placed the love of the world over the love of the Father.  If we refuse to consider the spiritual wellbeing of our brethren in order that we might wear our favorite shirt, shorts, dress, etc., then “the love of the Father” is not in us.  Additionally, John wrote that “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:8).  Do we consider the needs of our brethren ahead of our own desires?

As Paul wrote, “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seeks its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8). 

Are We Americanized Christians?

Our government has granted us the “right” to speak freely about our beliefs and to voice our opposition even of the government itself; while this is a great blessing in some ways, it has certainly Americanized many modern Christians.  What that means is that we Christians too often forget our place and our duties within the physical world and assume that if we disagree with a governmental edict that we have the “right” to rebel.  Unfortunately, this simply is not a Scripturally sustainable perspective! While the argument could be sustained that we are to be submissive to the authorities so long as they do not specifically require us to go against God’s will (Acts 4), we too often misconstrue that principle.  Simply because the authorities advocate and may even require certain practices that we do not like does not give us the right to rebel; we must still be submissive.

Too often, modern American Christians take the Americanized view of the world and believe that we have the right to be belligerent in our attitudes and in our actions, that we can rebel against anyone and anything that we deem to be exerting undue authority over us.  This is a very selfish attitude to have and it certainly is not one that the Scriptures support.  We are to submit to the government (Romans 13, 1 Peter 2:13-17), submit to other Christians (Ephesians 5:15-21), submit to the elders (1 Peter 5), wives to husbands and husbands to Christ (Ephesians 5:22-33), submit to God (James 4:7), and the list goes on.  We are commanded to "live peaceably with all men" (Romans 12:17-19).  Becoming a Christian does not free us from our responsibilities in this physical life, even if we deem those circumstances to be unjust; conversion does not free the convicted criminal, nor does it free a slave (1 Corinthians 7:17-24, Philemon 1:1-25).

Would we have the attitude of Naaman's slave girl in 2 Kings 5? While we could devise all sorts of convoluted arguments to claim that this girl wasn’t a slave or that she didn’t have it as bad as slaves in other time periods, that simply isn’t substantiated by the text.  This girl was a captive and a slave.  By modern standards, even many Christians would argue that she had the right to rebel since slavery is wrong! But this girl shows the true nature of a follower of God; rather than dwelling on her own undesirable plight of being a slave girl in a pagan household, she selflessly thinks of the well-being of her master…yes, her slave master! Would a modern Americanized Christian be so selfless? 

The other day, a fellow evangelist admonished those who read his post to think about the content rather than immediately trying to think of possible exceptions; I make the same admonishment here! Rather than trying to look for passages that fit with our Americanized view of Christianity, let us think about how God would have us to act.    

"Be still, and know that I am God" - An Encouraging Note for Christians

If you’re like me, you are probably pretty tired of all the political nonsense that permeates…well, everything…right now.  It is discouraging when your “best” choice for a political leader is either Ahab or Jezebel, and there is infighting amongst the people of God over these two disgusting choices. 

This article is not directed towards politics; there are enough articles dedicated to that subject (“…Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh” – Ecclesiastes 12:12), so there is no point to adding another to the mix.  Rather than discussing politics, there are a few other concepts that we’ll look at that will, hopefully, encourage the discouraged Christians of our nation.

Throughout this election cycle and over the course of the last two presidential terms, many Christians have mourned for times past when things were “better”.  To some degree, this is understandable; over the last 10 years or so, we have had the agendas of the gay rights, transgender rights, Muslim rights, and the pro-choice movement shoved down our throats without much of a respite.  Too often, we are tempted to say that we “have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts” and that we alone are left (1 Kings 19:14).  Too often do we shut up our mouths as Christians and say that we “will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name” (Jeremiah 20:9).  Too often we believe that times past were so much better than they are now…but were they? Or do we have a misconstrued remembrance of times past?

It is in human nature to remember fondly the times that have gone before and forget the trials and troubles faced by them.  Solomon, in Ecclesiastes 7:10, writes “Do not say, ‘Why were the former days better than these?’ For you do not inquire wisely concerning this.”  The indication is that the former days were not really better than they are now.  While the aforementioned agendas may be prominent in our society today, are they really any better than the agendas of the past? Even in America, there have been some rather nasty agendas that have been put forth as acceptable; are gay and transgender rights any more appalling than the concept of “free love”? Unfortunately, too many Christians have bought into the concept of America being a “Christian nation”; while there are many principles within our Constitution based upon Biblical principles, we fool ourselves if we truly think that we have ever been a Christian nation (this does not mean that we have not been greatly blessed by God, but that is a topic for another time). 

Do we have it worse than any other followers of God? In the days of Noah, only eight souls were saved (Genesis 6:1-22).  In the days of Abraham and Lot, only Lot and his two daughters were saved from two wicked cities (Genesis 19).  Men and women like Daniel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Esther lived among the most wicked of people and in the most wicked of empires, and yet remained faithful.  Manasseh, the king of a nation directly ruled by God, “made his son pass through the fire, practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft, and consulted spiritists and mediums” (2 Kings 21:6).  John the Baptizer was beheaded by the king (Matthew 14:1-12).  Christians in the first-century were murdered in the streets (Acts 7). 

In 1 Corinthians 10:13, the Apostle Paul writes that no “temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man”; while the specific application deals with temptation, there is an underlying principle that we should consider: we do not have it worse than anyone has ever had it! We often use phrases such as “you should walk a mile in MY shoes”, which indicates that nobody has ever had it as hard as we have it.  In more general terms, Christians tend to apply that to our society today, but without really thinking about what Christians in the past had to endure.  While our society strongly advocates the murdering of children by means of abortion, is it so much God’s people doing it (I’m sure there are exceptions, but generally speaking)? In the days of Manasseh, it WAS God’s chosen nation committing these atrocities! Remember the words of the Apostle Peter, “Be saved from this perverse generation” (Acts 2:40); remember that his audience in this instance was the crowd that had physically called for and caused the crucifixion of Christ.

So where is the word of encouragement in all of this? Providing all of these examples may sound a little discouraging in and of themselves, but that depends upon perspective.  Consider the example of Noah; in spite of all the wickedness that engulfed the world (“Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heard was only evil continually” – Genesis 6:5), God recognized the righteousness of Noah and his family.  The same is true of Esther, Joseph, Elijah, Jeremiah, Lot, and the list goes on! Consider also the boldness of the first-century Christians when they faced persecution; when beaten, the Apostles “departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name” (Acts 5:41).  Were they dissuaded from preaching the gospel in such turbulent times? Were they dissuaded from teaching truth when the agenda of the Jews was set against them? Rather, we are told that “daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ” (Acts 5:42). 

No matter who the president is in our physical nation, and no matter what agendas are forced upon the populace, our job as Christians remains exactly the same.  Might our job be harder if laws are passed forbidding the name of Jesus? Yes, our job might be harder, but no harder than what the first-century Christians faced, or the idolatry and false prophets faced by Jeremiah.  We have forgotten that our job is to work at changing individual hearts to God and not to legislate morality; Josiah commanded that idols and the articles of idolatry be destroyed in his day, and yet the hearts of the people remained idolatrous.  Do we give up? Do we refuse to “speak anymore in His name” (Jeremiah 20:9)? Or do we pick ourselves up, as Jeremiah did, and press on? Jeremiah, after stating that he would no longer preach in “His name”, said that “His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was wear of holding it back, and I could not” (Jeremiah 20:9). 

Why worry about the election? The world will never be perfect and the unrighteous will always have the dominant control, so we should spend our time on making a true difference in the world by working to change individual hearts.  If our material possessions are taken from us, then they are gone and yet our spiritual treasure persists; which matters more (Matthew 6:19-21, 25-34)? No matter what happens, we need to get up and do the work that God has set before us to do (1 Kings 19, Galatians 6:9, 2 Thessalonians 3:13). 

“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due seasons we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Galatians 6:9).

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46:10) 

Lesser Discussed Sins Series - 03 - Idolatry

In the first two articles in our series, we looked at the inability and the impractical nature of requiring Christians to address every single sin in every instance where they address a single sin; in many instances, different sins may overlap and therefore it is impossible for a Christian to explicitly cover every nuance of every sin every single time they speak about sin.  Failing to address every nuance, however, is not a tacit approval of those sins/nuances.  Additionally, we looked at the sin of lewdness and how it has farther reaching implications than we might initially believe.

To continue our series of Lesser Discussed Sins, we will now turn our attention to two sins that are intimately tied together: idolatry and covetousness.  In our Bible classes and sermon periods, we frequently discuss the topic of idolatry by its connection to the children of Israel in the Old Testament; it is clear that idolatry had a profoundly negative impact on Israel (read the prophecies of destruction in the books of Ezekiel and Jeremiah, as well as the events in captivity in the book of Daniel, for example).  There is no denying that idolatry had a strong grasp on the people of Israel, too often including the kings (2 Kings 21:1-18; 1 Kings 18).  Studies of idolatry and how it impacted God’s people in the Old Testament is a worthwhile and necessary topic, but how often do we treat idolatry as though it were a thing of past? That we are too enlightened to fall prey to such fallible ideologies? Are we wiser than the people of Israel?

While there are cultures in the world that still openly practice idolatry, the actual act of idolatry in this sense is not so prevalent within the United States today (although an argument could be made that some pray to idols like statues of Mary or the cross, but that is beyond the scope of this particular article).  If we do not physically bow down before an idol such as Molech or Baal, does that mean that idolatry does not exist in some form within our own culture? Does it mean that we no longer have to be worried about idolatry unless we work to convert someone from a culture that does bow down to such gods?

As we found with our study of the sin of lewdness, there are multiple applications of the principles encompassed within the overall term.  As defined by Merriam-Webster, idolatry is the “worship of a physical object as a god” and the “immoderate attachment or devotion to something”.[1]  Therefore, there are two definitions (that overlap) to consider: idols such as Baal, Asherah, and Molech, and an attachment or devotion to something other than God (has a higher priority than God). 

From the Scriptures, we know that God viewed the devotion of His people to Him was of the utmost importance; in Exodus 20:3 God told the Israelites that they were to have no other gods before Him (note: this doesn’t mean that they could have other gods just so long as God was at the top, but rather that they were not to even bring other gods before the face of the true God) and in Exodus 23:13 the Israelites were told not to even speak of other gods.  Through numerous Old Testament examples, we see that God often exerted His own power and authority over these false gods; the example of Dagon in 1 Samuel 5:1-7 and Baal in 1 Kings 18:26-29, 35-40 stand out awesomely (in the true sense of the word) in our minds.  Through His servants, God frequently broke down and destroyed false gods; King Josiah in 2 Kings 23 stands as a wonderful example of a servant who destroyed idols in service to the true God.  Are we as diligent as Josiah or Elijah? Back in 2001, people all over the world (including some Christians) were enraged by the actions of the Taliban when they began the destruction of some ancient Buddha statues; these idols were considered to be masterpieces![2] Why were Christians angered by the destruction of idols? That is exactly what Josiah did in his service to God and it was what God commanded (Deuteronomy 7:25-26).  While we cannot necessarily go into the homes of others and physically destroy their idols (we are not a physical kingdom, nor are we commanded to do so), we are to actively destroy the influence of such idolatry where applicable rather than being enraged when idols are destroyed.

Physical idols fit well with both parts of the definition previously discussed, but where does that leave the Christian living in the modern world? Does the term only apply to idols such as Buddha or Baal? According to the definition, there are additional applications that we can and, in fact, need to make in our own lives.  Remember that the second half of the definition is “immoderate attachment or devotion to something”, so idolatry can be anything that takes the place of God, is placed in higher priority than God, or on which we fixate to the detriment of godliness.  What does the Bible classify as being idolatry? Covetousness (Colossians 3:5), materialism (Matthew 19:16-22), the created (Romans 1:25), people (1 Corinthians 1:10-17), the love of money (1 Timothy 6:10; 2 Timothy 3:1-5), and the like.  Christians today need to stop and ask themselves what takes the place of God in their life; while we may not fall down before Baal or Asherah, we have other forms of idolatry that can creep into our lives unawares. 

For example, intellectualism, education, and extracurricular activities may be a form of idolatry when misused (remember that the definition is “immoderate attachment or devotion to something”, so while there are some things that are not necessarily sinful in and of themselves, the misuse of such makes them sins).  Too often, children are sacrificed on the altar of “success” by neglecting their spiritual welfare so that they can be the kid with the best grades, go to the best schools, be captain of the football team, etc.  In such cases, parents generally make 100% certain that their kid is at school every day and at every school function, but lack any such devotion to assemblies, Bible studies, and interactions with Christians.  In instances such as this, these activities have taken the place of God to the spiritual detriment of the participants. 

Likewise, we spend our time working for the most expensive cars, clothes, houses, technologies, and anything else that causes us to feel important and more successful than our neighbors and peers.  We often worship the almighty dollar and we are never satisfied with the amount of money that we have been blessed with.  If our friends, family, or neighbors are able to acquire something that we cannot, we covet what they have (remember the idea of covetousness in Colossians 3:5). 

Idolatry takes the created and places it in the most prominent role in our lives; it is either greater than or equal to God (although if we make something equal to God, then it is arguably greater than Him in reality).  There is an innate foolishness present in idolatry; if our idol is money, who created it? If we worship an actual idol such as Baal, who created it? Man creates both (Isaiah 44:13-20); what can an idol do of its own volition? Remember that Dagon could not even set itself upright.  We too often (even Christians) worship the created (Romans 1:18-32) and pat ourselves on the back for how progressive and how wise we are; therefore, we believe in evolution where everything is corruptible as we are and our society becomes more and more wicked (2 Kings 21:9).  In an effort to get rid of the true God, we plague our own societies; we profess to be wiser, more enlightened, more evolved, and even more compassionate than God, but our ideologies simply harm us.  Like the Israelites, we throw away the blessings of God in favor of wickedness and humanistic ideas (reference Jeremiah and 2 Peter 2:18-22).

In this life, what will we be willing to exchange our souls for? Money? Fame? Education? Athletic abilities? Cars? Houses? Baal? There is a notable difference between idols such as Baal and Asherah and some of these listed things; cars, houses, education, etc. are not necessarily wrong or sinful when kept in their proper place, but they become wrong (idolatry) when we place our faith and devotion in them rather than God.  In Matthew 16:26, Jesus asked for “what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Are these temporary treasures on earth worth losing an eternity with God? Should we exchange the souls of our children so that they might have earthly success? Again, in Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  Is our faith in the things of this world? Are we more concerned with this world than we are the world to come?

The best conclusion we can have is this: “Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind’” (Matthew 22:37). 

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[1] “Idolatry.”  Merriam-Webster.com.  Accessed August 06, 2016.  Http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/idolatry. 

[2] “Afghan Taliban Begin Destruction of Ancient Buddha Statues.”  Commondreams.org/headlines01/0304-04.htm (March 01, 2001).