“The temple of Aphrodite in Corinth where sex was part of worship has now gone global with strip clubs and porn. The small shrines that filled ancient homes and required homage and financial sacrifice have long since been upgraded with home entertainment systems and high-speed Internet connections… Indeed, when our culture is considered through the lens of worship and idolatry, primitive ancient paganism seems far less primitive or ancient. This is because everyone everywhere is continually worshiping, and idolatry is, sadly, seen more easily when we examine other cultures rather than our own. This is because we often have too narrow an understanding of worship and do not see that idolatry empowers our sin.”
“Rather, we are continually giving ourselves away or pouring ourselves out for a person, cause, experience, achievement, or status. Sadly, as the doctrine of the fall reveals, much of how we pour ourselves out and what we pour ourselves into in worship is someone or something other than the Trinitarian Creator God.” (Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe)
I want to encourage us to be careful about how we use our time and energy, and spend them in ways which glorify God. It’s so easy for us to read passages about idol worshippers in the Bible and think to ourselves about how we would never do such primitive practices. But we are surrounded by so many things which can capture our hearts and minds, and cause us to put our hope into them instead of God. So I want to encourage all of us to look out for one another and check up on each other to make sure that our eyes are focused on God, and develop loving, trusting relationships with each other where we are willing to call each other out when we struggle with idolatry without knowing it ourselves.
