Darien Middendorp

01/04/15
Humanities
Ms. Martineau

Idolatry

Idolatry, what is it? Yeah it can be the form of having idols that are materials, false gods
that some worship. The world's definition from the dictionary is an image or representation of a
god used as an object of worship. The Bible has a different definition of an idol.
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual
immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
(New International Version, Col. 3.5)
It teaches here that idols are anything that belongs to the earth. Idols were a problem in Biblical
times, and they still are a problem in this world. What is an Idol, was idolatry a problem in early
Christianity, and how is it still a problem?

What is an Idol? What people think an idol of is anything that someone can worship. An
idol is anything you worship, any image, person, or thing that is greatly admired, loved, or
revered. This is what people from this day think an idol is. If you ask anyone what an idol is,
they would say a god, or something you worship. But the truth is, other than these types of idols,
there is other types of idols. In one of the letters from Paul when he was in the prison, he writes
in Colossians 3 about a different kind of idols that people have not heard of, or thought of as an
idol.
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual

immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because
of these, the wrath of God is coming. (NIV, Col. 3.5-6)
Here it states that anything that belongs to an earthly nature is an idol. Anything that is impure is
idolatry. In the Amplified Bible, it adds onto the last part of verse 5. It states
which is [a kind of] idolatry [because it replaces your devotion to God].
(Amplified Bible, Col. 3.5B)
Right here it states what an idol is. An idol is anything that replaces your devotion to God. And
in verse 6 it shows that because of idolatry, the wrath of God is coming. This is scary, it is saying
because of us replacing our devotion to God, with an earthly desire, we will be under the wrath
of God.

How was idolatry a problem in early Christianity? Idolatry was a problem in the Old
Testament a lot. There is proof of a few different forms of idolatry and also punishments in
Biblical Times. Israelites were Gods people, and in Ezekiel, God shows how some of the
Israelites turned to idols.
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.
(NIV, Eze. 14.5-11)

God put down a lot into these verses. First of all these verses are from the Lord telling a story
about an Israelite worshiping an idol. He states that God wants to love everyone, even the ones
that leave him for idols. He then asks the Israelite to come back from the filthy idols (anything
replacing devotion from God). God gives the Israelite a second chance, God first of all takes the
gods away from the Israelites, then He states that He will use His power against the Israelite if he
turns back to idolatry again. God shows here that if an Israelite does return to idolatry, He will
cut him off from His people. This is scary, that if you turn to another thing, as a replacement of
God, God Himself will cut you out from this world, from His people that He created. God also
tells us the law of not worshiping other idols in the book of Exodus. He shows us this in the ten
commandments.
1 And God spoke all these words: 2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought
you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 3 "You shall have no other gods
before me. 4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything
in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall
not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a
jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and
fourth generation of those who hate me, (NIV, Ex. 20.1-5)
God was telling the Israelites here that He is the Only God. He tells us the first commandments,
we cannot make anything a god, an idol, and we cannot worship or bow down to anything from
the heaven above, or the earth beneath. God tells us the punishment as well here, He will not
only punish us, but punish our children for three and four generations. God does not play around
with idols. He does not let us have any idols in our lives. If an Israelite was caught worshiping
anything other than God, having an idol, he was either cut off from this earth, or had the next 3-4
generations in his family punished.

How is idolatry still a problem nowadays? If the definition of an idol is anything that
replaces your devotion to God, what is an idol during this generation? Some people think idols
3

are only gods, like the little statues that people placed on their counter and worship. Actually this
is not true. There are forms of idolatry that you may fall into without realizing it is an idol. Some
idols aren't objects that are put on the counter. A form of idolatry can be making plans. Have you
ever made plans in life? Planning out what to do, where to go, when to do something in a day
without doing it for the Lord, is Idolatry. Idolatry by planning is done by not trusting God fully,
people make plans for the day, because they dont know what is going to happen in the day.
11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to
prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
(NIV, Jer. 29.11).
God has made a plan for all the lives of everyone. He planned everyones life before they are
even born. If you are fully committed and devoted to God, you follow His plans for your life.
When a person makes your own lives, you is trying to find a way out of Gods plan, but if you
asks God what Gods plan is for you, and make your plan according to Gods will, you are not
having any other idols. Gods plan is the only plan that will last.
9A man's heart plans his way, but the LORD determines his steps.
(Holman Christian Standard Bible, Proverbs 16.9).
You can be planning your whole life, but it is not going to last if it is Gods plan for you.
Solomon, King of Israel, and the son of David, wrote Proverbs to the Israelites. King Solomon
was the wisest man on this world. In the first parts of chapter 16 of his book Proverbs, he talks a
lot about plans. Plans that man makes, and also plans that God has for men in this world. He
states that men make their own plans in this world, but the plans will not prosper unless God
approves. God is the one that made plans for you, and your plans will not work unless it is God's
plan.

How else is idolatry still a problem in this world? Money and possessions are idols. We
can be unconsciously worshipping money and material possessions. Money is a topic well talked
about in the Bible. The word money is mentioned 140 times in the King James Version of the
Bible. If we include other words that mean money, like gold, silver, riches, wealth, than it is used
well over 800 times in the Bible. Money has always somewhat ruled over the life of people.
We are called by Jesus to follow him, and him only. Today, people are following money, they are
changing jobs just for more money, they are sacrificing all of their time from family, and God,
for money. The apostle Matthew followed Jesus, and he wrote in the first book of the New
Testament about what Jesus told people to do with their money. In verses 16-25 of Matthew 19,
we see a conversation between Jesus and a rich young ruler. The ruler is asking what he needs to
do to obtain eternal life. He says that he has kept every commandment, but Jesus says that he still
is lacking one more thing.
12 Jesus said to him, If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and
give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.
(New American Standard Bible, Matt. 19.21) With our money and possessions, we
are supposed to give to the poor. Jesus called us to give everything we have to poor,
and needy. 22 But when the young man heard this statement, he went away
grieving; for he was one who owned much property. (New American Standard Bible,
Matt. 19.22)
This Rich Ruler walked away from God, because he did not want to give it to the poor. Money is
an idol, is proved here, because it replaced devotion to God. Money was the thing that led this
rich ruler away from God, in replacement of devotion to the One and Only.
23 And Jesus said to His disciples, Truly I say to you, it is hard for
a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I say to you
it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a
rich man to enter the kingdom of God. (NASB, Matt. 19.23-24).

It is hard for rich people to get into Heaven, if you are rich, and do not give it to poor people,
then you are worshipping money as an idol and breaking the 1st commandment making money a
god.

What is an idol, was idolatry a problem in early Christianity, and how is it still a
problem? In Biblical times, and also nowadays, idolatry has been around. There are many
different forms of idolatry, ones that are consciously committed , and others that are
unconsciously committed. Either way, consciously, or unconsciously, Idolatry is a sin, anything
that replaces your devotion to the One and Only God.

Works Cited
New International Version. Biblica Inc., 2011. Web. Dec. 2015.
Amplified Bible. The Lockman Foundation., 2015. Web. Dec. 2015
New American Standard Bible. The Lockman Foundation., 1995. Web. Dec. 2015.
Holman Christian Standard Bible. Holman Bible Publishers., 2009. Web. Dec. 2015.