Understanding Idols (part 2)
(Romans 1:21, 25)
Paul goes on to make a long list of sins that create misery and evil in the world, but they all find their roots in this soil, the inexorable human drive for "god-making." In other words,
idolatry is always the reason we ever do anything wrong. No one grasped this better than Martin Luther. In his Larger Catechism (1528) and also his Treatise on Good Works, he wrote that the Ten Commandments begin with a commandment against idolatry. Why does this come first in the order? Because, he argued, the fundamental motivation behind law-breaking is idolatry. We never break the other commandments without breaking the first one. Why do we ever fail to love, keep
promises, or live unselfishly? Of course, the general answer is "because we are weak and sinful", but the specific answer in any actual circumstance is that there is something you feel you must have to be happy that is more important to your heart than God himself. We would not lie unless first we had made something (human approval, reputation, power over others, financial advantage) more important and valuable to our hearts than the grace and favor of God.
Last week we discussed the first two parts of the life cycle of an idol: desire and demand. We learned that our unmet desires can lead to idols if we do not give them to God. If we have unmet desires they cause us to think that we deserve something and force us to seek earthly comfort for our desires. This week we will continue to follow where idols will lead us if we do not give God His proper place in our lives.
