God As An Idol

God can be an idol in your life...

It's a hard truth to hear. With feathers ruffled and knickers in a twist, you're probably writing me off right now as a heretic, a lunatic, or some strange amalgamation of both. It's shocking, I know, but I've realized so many people seem to have an idolatrous interaction with God.

The word "idol" really isn't used much in our day and age. It's a dated term, usually stirring recollections of Sunday school class when the stories of Moses and the Israelites were portrayed in cartoons and coloring books. There's a real distinction between Moses and the Israelites, isn't there? Or between Elijah and the kings of God's nation, between King David and King Saul...between Jesus and the Pharisees. There's a real line separating the spirituality of these people. It's hard to miss.

But what is that line? With the exception of Jesus, these were mere men. Moses wasn't a mystic. Elijah wasn't a demigod. David wasn't a Marvel superhero. So what is that line?! I believe there is strong evidence to suggest the line is simply this: relationship.

In recent days, there has been a strong push within Christianity to emphasize relationship with God and denounce religion as our basis for serving Him. I couldn't agree more. You may remember my 4-part post about this subject back in November of last year. This word "idol" fits in perfectly with the relationship-vs.-religion conversation, because essentially if you are a lover of the religion approach to God, unfortunately you are practicing idolatry.

"WHAT??!! That's it, Shane, I've had enough of your punchy rhetoric and controversial proddings. Get ready to walk the plank!" Not just yet, please. This concept is a crucial truth to draw strength and comfort from in your spirituality. You see, idol-worship has distinct characteristics that drastically differ from the relationship God wants with us. A huge difference is duty vs. desire.

When I look at the Scriptural examples of people worshipping idols, there's always a note of duty in their worship. Look back through the ages, not just Scripture. Countless cultures throughout human history have viewed idols as a means to an end, usually for pretty personal, selfish gain. Need a baby? Whip that idol out from the closet and plead with the fertility god. Need a plentiful harvest? Shine up the idol for the harvest god and pray hard. There's big idols, small idols, some as big as your head. There's all-purpose idols, chubby idols, idols that promise wealth and good luck, idols that promise to make your teeth shiny. Take your pick!

And in all this, I infer a very strong sense of duty. Like, you have to serve this idol to get a great harvest, to get a child...to get what you want. And that's just it, the idol doesn't even know what's good for you. It doesn't know what is in your best interest - it just serves the interest of the worshipper, or at least the worshipper hopes it can.

And you know what? I infer a very strong sense of hopelessness and bondage from this duty. Who would want to be bend and preen and bleed for a carved-out, man-made puppet of chance? "This might work, it probably won't...but hey, it's all I've got." That's the mentality of those who have served idols down through the ages...an endless roulette wheel of ignorance, ripe for the breaking.

And sadly what's more, this endless cycle describes so many Christians' view of the Almighty God - worshipping out of duty. Legalistic attempts to do Christianity right. Worshipping God as an idol, obsessed with trying to get it right and be God's favorite; or obsessed with worshipping God out of duty so they can have a good, safe life and a cozy spot in heaven.

How sad. How Pharisaical. That's the exact mindset Christ came to redeem. He came to be the answer to the law - no amount of worshipping God as an idol can conjure God's grace and acceptance. Look at the examples from Scripture I mentioned earlier: the common denominator of those who lived close to God's heart is this: they lived from a relationship with God, thriving on desire.

It's a love story. They got it. They understood that it's not about worshipping God out of a "because if we don't we'll all get squashed" kind of mentality. I assume that's a big reason Moses smashed the 10 commandment tablets when he came down from his very real God-encounter to see God's chosen nation scratching and clawing to hear from a makeshift idol. He knew they didn't get it, they didn't view God as a very real and personal force in their life. He knew they viewed God as someone to appease.

There are two very real distinctions is worshipping God - worshipping Him out of duty and worshipping Him out of desire. Which do you bend toward? If you are serving God mostly out of duty, He is nothing more than an idol in your life. Stop trying to impress God. Stop serving Him for your own well-being. Trade in your idol for a relationship. It's the only way to know God.