Idols
A lot of Christians today do not believe that their religious statues and images are considered idols, but believe theirs to be different than the idols the Bible speaks against. They do not believe the Biblical idols God warns us against still exist. Today many believe an idol to be anything in our life that we put before God. Many Christians believe that an idol could be anything, even a car, if it has more value to a person than their relationship with God. It is true that we should not put, or value, anything above our relationship with God. However, a car in itself is not an abomination to God; it is what the person is doing with the car that is contrary to God. He is not against the actual car. The idols the Bible warns against are objects that can never be made Spiritually clean – in other words religious icons. People might idolize their car, their boat, or in some cases they may even idolize a person; but the car, boat, and especially a person can be made clean – and a real idol cannot! Deuteronomy 7:26: Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shall utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing. Acts 15:20: But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. I John 5:21: Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. I Thessalonians 1:9: For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.
Many Christians do not understand what a real idol is. They do not know that even today there are actual idols that God refers to as an abomination, and many of these abominations are in their home. These objects can never be accepted or cleansed by God, no matter what they are named, because the objects are accursed. Today there are actual physical forms and likenesses of false gods in American homes, institutions, and churches – and God’s Word calls these idols “an abomination”. Deuteronomy 7:26: Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing. It does not matter if we place God (first) above them, or give the idols Holy names, the objects are still idols and are an abomination. What Christians must understand is when God tells us not to have idols He is actually referring to images and likenesses of histories false gods – and it does not matter how many holy or religious names we Christians give them, they are all idols in God’s eyes. I Chronicles 16:26 and Psalm 96:5: For all the gods of the people are idols: but the Lord made the heavens. His commandments still apply to His people today and are not just something that passed away generations ago. Note: Following God’s commandments is not legalism, as some Christians try and label it today as their excuse for their not following God’s Word! – which is His law! God’s Word plainly tells us not to have or make images of anything in heaven above, no matter what name we place on them; yet Christians continue to buy manufactured images and idols, believing that because they have given them Biblical sounding names they are no longer an abomination to God. What religious tradition has done is very dangerous spiritually. They have tried to make something appear holy that God has called an abomination. Deuteronomy 27:15: Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen.
