Sam Storms Definition of Idolatry

Dr. Sam Storms

"Anything and everything that to any degree whatsoever displaces the centrality of God in the human heart is idolatry."

From sermon "Seeing Feeling Doing and Speaking: A Simplified Missional Strategy," 11/16/08.

The Idolatry of False Teaching

Greg Beale:

"The last verse of 1 John says, 'Guard yourselves from idols.'  It is possible that he is referring to literal idols, but more likely he is summarizing the argument of the whole epistle of 1 John, which is a warning against believing the false teaching that Christ was not truly human or, in other instances, that Jesus was not fully God.  John is saying that when we trust in false teaching, which is a false substitute for truth, then we are guilty of idol worship.  The church must guard itself from venerating false theology as a substitute for the true."  We Become What We Worship, 284-285

Guarding oneself against worshipping idols is watching one's desires and one's beliefs.  If one's desires are craving something more than God it is an idol and a false god.   Also, if one is believing something different than what God has said in His Word one is trusting an idol and a false god.  

Therefore when you are checking your heart for idol worship check your desires and your beliefs.  What/Who am I desiring?  What/Who am I believing?

Adam A Failed Guardian of the Garden

GK Beale states:

"Adam failed in the task he was commissioned to do, which include not permitting anything unclean and antagonistic to God to enter into the Garden temple...Thus Adam did not guard the Garden, but allowed a foul snake to enter, which brought sin, chaos, and disorder into the sanctuary and into Adam and Eve's lives.  He allowed the serpent to rule over him rather than ruling over it and casting it out of the Garden."  We Become What We Worship, 132.

According to Beale's argument, Adam shouldn't have been surprised at the snake's appearance, but as subduer and ruler of the earth and keeper of the Garden, he should have removed the snake from the Garden.  

It makes me think: what snakes are in the garden I've been entrusted with?  Maybe "sins" haven't been committed yet, but is there a snake that I am overlooking in the garden of my life: my wife, my marriage, my schedule, etc...

It also provides another take on the seeds of the sin of Adam beginning not by a surprise visit of the serpent and conversation with Eve, but as the passive neglect of Adam not ruling and subduing as he should.

How Sick is My Heart

"How sick is your heart..." declares God (Ez. 16:30).

The barrage of Ezekiel 16 in extensive violent and sexual imagery depicting the idolatry of God's people never ceases to surprise me.  I am confident liberal theologians scoff at the intensity of language God uses of His own people, yet the lesson is not so much to be shocked at the language of God but shocked at the idolatry of the heart.  Many come to this passage thinking that the language is sickening, yet the point is that the readers and hearers of the oracles hearts are sick. Idolatry is as disgusting as rape and as heartbreaking as adultery.

My heart, as Calvin said, is a factory of idols.  All too often I am manufacturing idols not seeking to systematically destroy them.  

How sick is my heart.

Thank God Jesus has "atone[d] for all that [I] have done" (Ez. 16:63).  The power of the Gospel is that which expels my affection for objects of idols and replaces it with affections for the person of Jesus.  Jesus changes the affections of a sick heart and causes them to be affections of a new heart.  Meditating on God's promised atonement for idolaters, even more then the punishment against idolaters, is the best power against idolatry.

The Gospel Exposes the Cancer of Idolatry

"False gods destroy and devour lives, health and resources; they distort and diminish our humanity; they preside over injustice, greed, perversion, cruelty, lust and violence. It is possibly the most satanic dimension of their deceptive power that, in spite of all this, they still persuade people that they are the beneficent protectors of their worshipers' identity, dignity and prosperity, and must therefore by defended at all costs. Only the gospel can unmask these claims. Only the gospel exposes the cancer of idolatry. Only the gospel is good for the people."

Christopher Wright, The Mission of God, 178-179

We Become What We Worship

I touched on idolatry last Sunday in my sermon on the Church as the Bride of Jesus, and noticed a couple days ago that the release date has been set for Greg Beale's biblical theology of idolatry. I have read and heard Greg on this subject and I have no doubt that it will be a penetrating biblical analysis of all the relevant texts and our own hearts. Hasten the date of its release (11/08)!

The Idol Factory

Taking my cue from Nate Downey, we all have idols in our hearts and we need to seek them out and crush them. Not only does, as Mr. Downey mentioned, Mr. Patrick and Mr. Driscoll go after issues of idolatry in the human heart, but Mr. CJ Mahaney hits it well in a 3 part series called "The Idol Factory" (scroll down for individual downloads). I can remember listening to these years ago and being quite affected, but like anything after time I easily forget and become unaffected by my idolatry. How I often forget the apostle of love's poignant reminder "Keep yourself from idols." These sermons by all 3 gentlemen should be a means of following apostle John's reminder.

You should make time to listen to these, but if you don't here is the handout CJ provides.