“Get Rid Of Idols And Cease From Idolatory!”

“Get Rid Of Idols And Cease From Idolatory!”(Is.10:10-14).
The ten Commandments emphsises the supremacy of God who alone sould be worshipped. “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make yourself an idol in the form of anything…You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God, am a jealous God… You shall not misuses the name of the Lord your God…” The Lord promises punishment to those who hate him, but showing love to those who love him and keep his commandments. (Ex.20:3-7).
Idols come in many forms. Whatever is an uppermost priority before God is idolatory. An idol can be your child(ren), your spouse, money or wealth. An idol can be your insistence on some cultural practices that are inimical to the gospel. When we show pride because of our achievements, that becomes idolatory! Idolatory can be the reverence given to images within a church. Sometimes people take seriously the representations of Jesus Christ – which are actually the pictures of some physical beings who have existed in real time. We have heard sometimes that a one time actor who posed for a painting of Jesus Christ asked that people should pull down his image from their homes. He is not Christ!
Early missionaries misunderstood African carvings for idols. A carving is an idol only if it represents a god and is an object of worship.
Dear friend, what this means is that the Holy Triune God alone is worthy of our worship. There is no doubt that the present generation needs Iconoclasts because icons have eroded the church, be it the Catholic, Protestant, Pentecostal or the new Charismatic movements. Idolatory is found everywhere!
Expecting the second coming of Christ demands another breaking of the icons; in whichever form they take! This should be at the individual level and ecclesiastically, then within the socio-political landscapes. The deification of humans be it within church or state is idolatory and must be decried by children of God who wait for the day of the Lord.
Prayer: Lord, you are Sovereign and you alone are worthy of our praise and worship. Amen!
Have a blessed day! Peace be with you! Merry Christmas!
Rev. Babila Fochang.