For the past couple of months, I’ve been reading in the Old Testament books of Isaiah and Jeremiah. What’s coming across loud and clear is this simple fact: worshiping idols and other “gods” is a really big deal to God. Big deal as in He really doesn’t like it. He got very angry when Israel, His people, chose to worship gods of wood and metal rather than Him.
Does that seem, well, a little odd to you…that God would make such a big issue of idols and false gods?
It does to me…until I step back for a moment and consider the big picture. To do that, let’s first look at a common misconception about God.
You’ve probably heard people say something like this:
“I believe God is loving and forgiving, so I just don’t see how He could send someone to hell just for not believing in Jesus.”
Maybe you’ve said it yourself.
Let’s unpack that statement for a moment.
First, if someone believes God is loving and forgiving, I’ve got to ask why they believe that. Where in the world did they get that idea? How do they know?
Saying, “I just do” or “It’s just what I believe” is of course intellectually lazy. There must be a reason for the belief. It came from somewhere, so from where did it come? The Bible? Well, the Bible also speaks about hell, which leads to the second point…
To say that God wouldn’t or shouldn’t send someone to hell “for just not believing in Jesus,” we must first make a very big assumption, and it’s this: not believing in Jesus isn’t really a big deal.
Murder. Rape. Stealing. Torture. Those are big deals. But not believing in Jesus? Come on…not a big deal.
But what if it is a big deal? What if it’s THE deal?
What if the reason you and I exist in the first place is to live in friendship with and worship God? And what if the one barrier between us and God, sin, must first be dealt with? What if the only way to be forgiven for sin is through Christ’s death on the cross? And what if the way we receive that forgiveness is by believing in Jesus?
We weren’t created to simply be good citizens of planet earth. We were created by and for Jesus. We exist to know, love and worship Him.
Giving our attention and affection to idols then is the worst possible thing we could do. It totally contradicts our reason for being in the first place.
I don’t imagine you have a shrine in your living room to a lifeless, wooden idol. But you may have other idols lying around…
Your job or the need to be successful.
Money…and anything it can buy. A car. A house. A 50″ plasma.
Your marriage.
Your children.
Your hobby.
Pornography.
A television program. A video game. Your iPhone.
Your looks.
The list is endless. An idol can be anything that has captured your heart.
And God hates our idols. He knows they promise more than they can deliver. He knows they’re a cheap imitation of the real life He has for us in Him.
Yeah, idols are a big deal. And not believing in Jesus is THE big deal.