When Images Become Idols

The second word plainly says that God’s people are not to worship God according to our own conception of God (Exodus 20:4-6). This is what the Bible calls idolatry. We must worship God according to who he is and not according to what we want him to be. 

Idolatry can be anything in your life that takes the place of God: a possession, a person, a relationship or routine – anything we serve, love, trust, and worship that isn't God. The teaching against idolatry is a call to worship God alone without falsehoods, distractions, or replacements. Identifying our idols helps us understand our actions, avoid regrets, and experience life as God designed.

Idols can become God-replacements and may include:

Letting tradition guide our practices at the expense of God’s teachings (see Mt.15:1-9).

Drawing too much of our sense of well-being from physical appearance, work, money, or other possessions.

Prioritizing Christian service at the expense of being a reflection of Christ. 

John Calvin wrote that the heart of man was “a perpetual factory of idols,”identifying it as the ultimate source of false worship. All that is good and glorious has been given to us by our Creator to point us to the only One who can fulfill us and lead us to a life that flourishes. Instead of idolizing created things rather than the Creator, we must do away with everything that leads us down a precipitous path with generational consequences.