Flee from Idolatry!
Paul gives a very concise and straightforward command to the believer in 1st Corinthians 10:14, “Flee from idolatry.” Sounds great but it begs the question “what is idolatry?” Great question! On the basis of what proved to be true with many of the believers in Corinth, I’m going to propose that idolatry is anything that leads your character to grow contrary to the character of Christ. For example, if your life and identity is centered on your work and career, you will be a driven workaholic who is ill suited to live in any other setting but work. If you center your life and identity on money and possessions, fear of losing those things will consume you with anxiety and a willingness to do even unethical things to maintain your money-fueled lifestyle. If you center your life and identity on relationships and approval, you will be constantly hurt and made bitter by the inevitable failure of others to meet your expectations in the relationship. If you center your life and identity on a “noble cause,” you will divide the world into “good” and “evil” and demonize your opponents. Ironically, this will lead you to become controlled by your enemies because without them, you will discover your life has no purpose. In commanding the church to “flee from idolatry,” Paul is addressing a specific practice of idolatry by the church in Corinth, but the enduring principle behind the practice he’s addressing falls in line with some of the examples above: the principle that there is great risk in inviting anything that is not of Christ into fellowship with our heart, mind, and will. Even with God in their very midst in the wilderness, Israel’s idolatry led them to indulge the passions of their sinful nature and to grumble about their discontent over God’s provision for them, demonstrating that idolatry in the lives of God’s people entails living in God’s presence as if He wasn’t there or didn’t matter! As believers who have life in Christ, God’s presence isn’t among us, it’s in us by the Holy Spirit. How much more then is the Holy Spirit grieved when Christians set their affections on things in a way that gives these things a greater place in our hearts than the Spirit? Are you an idolater? How would you know?
We invite you to come join us this Sunday morning for our in-person worship service at Leptondale Bible Church in Newburgh, starting at 10:55 AM. For those unable to attend, our service can be viewed live on the church’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/leptondalebiblechurch. This Sunday, we’ll continue a sermon series from 1st Corinthians titled “Written for Our Instruction” with a message from 1st Corinthians 10:14-22 titled “Flee from Idolatry!”
God bless!
Pastor Mike