Condemnable Sins à Idolatry

 

What is Idolatry?  Idolatry is most literally translated as bowing down or worshipping an idol, or an engraved image.  But this is not the only kind.

 

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Ephesians 5:5
For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person–such a man is an idolater–has any inheritance in the
kingdom of Christ and of God. [ Or kingdom of the Christ and God]
show in context –

 

1 Corinthians 6:9-10

Listen to this passage

   9Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

 

1 Corinthians 5:11
But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.
show in context -

 

Anyone who claims to be Christian but is an idolater is hell-bound, until they repent.  Furthermore, a true Christian “must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is”…”an idolater”.  So whether you are an idolater or not, you need to know who is.

 

 

Who is an idolater?

Eph 5:3-5

3          But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people.

4          Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.

5          For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person-- such a man is an idolater-- has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.  (NIV)

 

Verse 5 tells us that there are 3 general categories of idolatry:

1.       Immorality

2.       Impurity

3.       Greed

 

1. Immorality

Immorality, or outwardly bad behavior, has an obvious meaning.  All the outward behaviors listed in the various scriptural vice-lists should clarify what these damnable deeds are. 

 

2.  Impurity

Impurity, on the other hand, seems more elusive and less behavioral.  Here is a passage where the same word appears again in another list of deadly sins:

Gal 5:19-26

19         The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;

20         idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions

21         and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22         But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

23         gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

24         Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.

25         Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

26         Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.  (NIV)

 

You probably noticed that the usual list of sins expanded in this list as compared to the others.  I suspect that Paul may be elaborating on the meaning of the words that appear before the semicolons – “sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery”:  Giving examples of the vague concept of “impurity”. 

 

Strong’s translates impurity as:

 

167  akatharsia (ak-ath-ar-see'-ah); --from 169; impurity (the quality), physically or morally: KJV-- uncleanness.

 

Jesus Himself defined “uncleanness” this way:

 

Mark 7

15Nothing outside a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him 'unclean.' "[6]
17After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 18"Are you so dull?" he asked. "Don't you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him 'unclean'? 19For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body." (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods "clean.")
20He went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' 21For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.' "

 

Matthew 5

Murder
21"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder,[1] and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother[2] will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,[3] ' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.

 

1 John 3:15
Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.
(Whole Chapter: 1 John 3 In context: 1 John 3:14-16)

 

Strong’s definition above speaks of moral impurity.  What does it mean to be morally impure? 

 

Rev 22:14-15

14         "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.

15         Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.  (NIV)

 

Idolaters are mentioned along with “everyone who loves and practices falsehood”.  Moral impurity, such as loving falsehood, is not always observable behavior. 

 

A pop song that I heard as a boy baffled me until I understood this sin.  The name of the song is “tell me lies”.  A woman sang the song, because she preferred lies to truth; because lies made her feel good and the truth usually does not.  The truth exposes sin.

 

Jeremiah 23:16
This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD .
show in context –

 

Lamentations 2:14
The visions of your prophets were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity. The oracles they gave you were false and misleading.
show in context –

 

Ezekiel 22:28
Her prophets whitewash these deeds for them by false visions and lying divinations. They say, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says'-when the LORD has not spoken.
show in context –

 

The truth exposes sin toward a productive end:

 

Isaiah 1:18
"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD . "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.
show in context -

 

The least behaviorally-observable damnable sin (or sin unto death) that I can find in scripture is “loving not the truth”:

 

II Th 2:9-12

9          The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders,

10         and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.

11         For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie

12         and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness. (NIV)

 

II Th 2:9-12

9          Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

10         And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

11         And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

12         That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.  (KJV)

 

 

Heart Idolatry

They took pleasure in wickedness.  Which type?  1 Cor 6:9‑10 makes it clear that idolatry is a type of wickedness.  Did they bow down to a real idol?  No.  They just refused to love the truth.  That is all you have to do to become an idolater.  Why does God send them a strong delusion?  Because he answers them according to their idols:

 

Ezekiel 14
Idolaters Condemned
1 Some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat down in front of me. 2 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 3 "Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all? 4 Therefore speak to them and tell them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When any Israelite sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face and then goes to a prophet, I the LORD will answer him myself in keeping with his great idolatry. 5 I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted me for their idols.'
6 "Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!
7 " 'When any Israelite or any alien living in Israel separates himself from me and sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face and then goes to a prophet to inquire of me, I the LORD will answer him myself. 8 I will set my face against that man and make him an example and a byword. I will cut him off from my people. Then you will know that I am the LORD .
9 " 'And if the prophet is enticed to utter a prophecy, I the LORD have enticed that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and destroy him from among my people Israel. 10 They will bear their guilt-the prophet will be as guilty as the one who consults him. 11 Then the people of Israel will no longer stray from me, nor will they defile themselves anymore with all their sins. They will be my people, and I will be their God, declares the Sovereign LORD .' "

 

How does one set up an idol in their heart? 

1.       Engaging in any of the mental and/or physical behaviors used above as defining idolatry.

2.       Put anything before/ahead of God.

 

            Mark 12 (New International Version)

The Greatest Commandment

28One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

   29“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.[e] 30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’[f] 31The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[g]There is no commandment greater than these.”

 

This most important command is summative, not exhaustive.  How this command can be lived out in daily life is knowledge that we find in God’s commands, or law. The only alternative to idolatry is forsaking everything in order to study and obey God’s word/law and voice.  

 

So idolatry is an automatic default setting for human beings.  People don’t just put God first in all things without being taught to do so. 

 

            Romans 1

God's Wrath Against Mankind
18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen.
26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
28Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

 

Heart idolatry is again referred to in verse 24.  While images are explicitly mentioned in verse 22, they “worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator”.  You cannot serve both created things and God.  It must be one or the other.  Here is a list of created things that most “Christians” put before God (by disobeying his law):

 

1.       Greed

2.       Sexual Relationships

3.       Selfish ambition/strife

4.       Entertainment

 

I could go on, but these idols are mentioned in the Romans passage above. This list could actually include anything that is created.  The only thing that cannot be an idol is the one true Creator. This passage makes more sense in light of this fact:

 

Luke 14:26
"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters–yes, even his own life–he cannot be my disciple.
(Whole Chapter: Luke 14 In context: Luke 14:25-27)

 

The word “hate” can also be translated as “love less”, or “love secondarily”:  Only after your duty of love is fulfilled to God, should you then attempt to love others.

 

Another way to test yourself to see if you are an idolater is to look at how you spend your time and money.  Is it for the sake of the gospel?  Or is it for the sake of you?

 

Mark 8:35
For whoever wants to save his life [
8:35 The Greek word means either life or soul; also in verse 36.] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.
(Whole Chapter: Mark 8 In context: Mark 8:34-36)

 

 

Solution:  Giving up your life

Jesus cannot fit inside of your life.  Your life is led by you, and not Him.  This will not work.  You must first lay your life down and make room for Him and His life to come in.  How do you do this?  By giving up your life:

1.       your time

2.       your material resources

for His sake and for the Gospel.

 

Obeying the gospel is the only cure for idolatry.  We are all idolaters by nature. 

 

 

Other effects of Idolatry

Ezekiel 14
Idolaters Condemned
1 Some of the elders of
Israel came to me and sat down in front of me. 2 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 3 "Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all? 4 Therefore speak to them and tell them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When any Israelite sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face and then goes to a prophet, I the LORD will answer him myself in keeping with his great idolatry. 5 I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted me for their idols.'
6 "Therefore say to the house of
Israel, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!
7 " 'When any Israelite or any alien living in Israel separates himself from me and sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face and then goes to a prophet to inquire of me, I the LORD will answer him myself. 8 I will set my face against that man and make him an example and a byword. I will cut him off from my people. Then you will know that I am the LORD .
9 " 'And if the prophet is enticed to utter a prophecy, I the LORD have enticed that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and destroy him from among my people
Israel. 10 They will bear their guilt-the prophet will be as guilty as the one who consults him. 11 Then the people of Israel will no longer stray from me, nor will they defile themselves anymore with all their sins. They will be my people, and I will be their God, declares the Sovereign LORD .' "

This is good preaching in our day: “Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!”  As you continue to read this long passage of scripture, ask yourself this:  When God said he “will answer him myself in keeping with his great idolatry” what did God mean?

 

[passage continued from above]
Judgment Inescapable
12 The word of the LORD came to me: 13 "Son of man, if a country sins against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply and send famine upon it and kill its men and their animals, 14 even if these three men-Noah, Daniel [1] and Job-were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign LORD .
15 "Or if I send wild beasts through that country and they leave it childless and it becomes desolate so that no one can pass through it because of the beasts, 16 as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD , even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved, but the land would be desolate.
17 "Or if I bring a sword against that country and say, 'Let the sword pass throughout the land,' and I kill its men and their animals, 18 as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD , even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved.
19 "Or if I send a plague into that land and pour out my wrath upon it through bloodshed, killing its men and their animals, 20 as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD , even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they could save neither son nor daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness.
21 "For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: How much worse will it be when I send against Jerusalem my four dreadful judgments-sword and famine and wild beasts and plague-to kill its men and their animals! 22 Yet there will be some survivors-sons and daughters who will be brought out of it. They will come to you, and when you see their conduct and their actions, you will be consoled regarding the disaster I have brought upon
Jerusalem-every disaster I have brought upon it. 23 You will be consoled when you see their conduct and their actions, for you will know that I have done nothing in it without cause, declares the Sovereign LORD ."

 

He meant that He would, among other things, “send a.. plague-to kill its men”.  This seems to throw a wrench in the “Healing is always God’s will” theology that we Pentecostals push.  That is why I do not emphasize healing ministry in exclusion to the other 2 main aspects of a word for “healed”:  SOZO—to save, heal, and deliver.

 

You see the word “save” above in verse 19?  How can they yet save themselves from the impending curse of sickness that they have brought upon themselves through idolatry? 

 

1 Timothy 4:16
Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
(Whole Chapter: 1 Timothy 4 In context: 1 Timothy 4:15-17)

 

Acts 2
39The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call."
40With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." 41Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

 

They can save themselves from the curse of sickness through their righteousness and that is God’s will.  Peter made this point well, and perhaps now it is easier to understand in light of all the associated scriptures you have read.

 

1Peter 2

But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
    22"He committed no sin,
       and no deceit was found in his mouth."[5] 23When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

 

For more on this correlation between sin, salvation, and God’s healing power, see “Healing-God’s will”. 

 

1 John 5:21
Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.
1 John 5:20-22 (in Context) 1 John 5 (Whole Chapter)

 

 

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