Vietnam Evangelical Covenant Church – Long ago in Wittenberg, Germany, a monk kindled a five-hundred-year war against idolatry. And the fire of the Reformation still burns, because the war goes on today. The Reformers recognized that ancient idol worship is simply the outward expression of an inward idol, a lie that replaces trust in God. The Protestant Reformation was a declaration of war against vain thoughts about God, a war against the idols of the culture.
More than five hundred years ago, the Reformation called the church back to Scripture and away from idols. But idols of the heart are not just statues; Scripture says, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21). This article helps us recognize the idols hidden in our own hearts.
A Five-Hundred-Year Battle Against Idolatry
Five hundred years ago, God lit a small fire in Wittenberg, Germany, and that fire became the blazing flame of the Protestant Reformation. What began with Martin Luther’s hammer (metaphorically speaking) soon became heavy blows ringing throughout the culture, smashing every false image of God in the worship culture of the day.
It was messy. Yes, paintings, carvings, shrines, statues of saints and relics were smashed. But all of these were simply the outward expressions of invisible idols rooted deep in sinful hearts, idols that sometimes lived under a “Christian” veneer.
The Reformers recognized that ancient idol worship is simply the outward expression of an inward idol, a lie that replaces trust in God. The Protestant Reformation was a declaration of war against vain thoughts about God, a war against the idols of the culture.
An Idol Factory
John Calvin joined this battle, famously observing that human nature is, so to speak, a perpetual factory of idols. But listen to what Calvin says next: the human mind, full of pride and boldness, dares to imagine a god according to its own capacity; as it sluggishly plods along, sunk in ignorance, it conceives an unreal and empty appearance as God (Institutes, 1.11.8).
Nothing is more dangerous than religious faith in a false god born of our own imagination.
Martin Luther stood on the same front line when he wrote against Rome. In essence, he said: the wicked person says, “I am a monk. I serve God with vows and ceremonies. By these He will give me eternal life.” But who told you that you are worshiping the true God, when He has not commanded these things? You have made for yourself a god who wants them, though no true God requires them or gives eternal life for them. Isn’t that worshiping an idol in your heart, a god you think is pleased by your works of righteousness? (Works, 18:9–10)
Listen to the lie being exposed: “I will be happy if I am at peace spiritually through commendable good works, vows and ceremonies.” That claim is a false idol: a false security in the flesh, a false image of God, a false gospel and a false god.
Shallow Theology
The Reformation was kindled by confronting these false securities. The Reformers opposed paintings, carvings, shrines, statues of saints and relics. But more importantly, the Reformers targeted doctrinal idols, false claims about God and speculations about Him that led generations astray (Colossians 2:8; 2 Corinthians 10:4–5).
The Reformers used the first three commandments to challenge the universal pull of idols in every culture:
- The first commandment, Exodus 20:3: You shall have no other gods.
- The second commandment, Exodus 20:4–6: Do not corrupt the worship of God with empty images.
- The third commandment, Exodus 20:7: Do not misuse the name of the Lord.
The three commandments are three warnings from God against vain and shallow thoughts about Him.
Warning 1 forbids mixing. Don’t think you can blend God with other idols. If you want to worship one-third God and two-thirds other gods, you will not have God. Syncretism is a vain thought about God.
Warning 2 forbids shrinking. Don’t think you can reduce God to something manageable that you can hold in your hand, like a household idol or a little golden calf. The earth is His footstool (Isaiah 66:1). Shrinking God is a vain thought about Him.
Warning 3 forbids speculating. Don’t speak about God thoughtlessly. It is vain to think we can invoke God’s name to cover our ignorance of His very nature. Speculation about God is a cloak covering vain thoughts about Him.
At root, every idol set up in the Old Testament lies about God. That is all idols can do: deceive. Idols are born of lies. So in turn, idols can only preach lies to those who worship them (Habakkuk 2:18; Zechariah 10:2; Jeremiah 10:15).
As Luther discovered in Scripture, the golden calf was fashioned with a graving tool, a stylus originally meant to write truth about God, but used instead to shape a golden lie (Exodus 32:4).
Our Idols Today
The war against religious idols of the day became the front line as the Reformers proclaimed Paul’s letters to the Galatians and Romans.
The human heart is an idol factory, and it takes a whole revolution to slow its production. Preachers must be trained and sent, evangelists must answer the call, missionaries must cross dark seas to unknown lands, translators must bring the Bible into people’s own languages, and healthy local churches must grow so that they can serve in this war. Every Christian must resist the idol factory in their heart by filling it with Christ and nourishing themselves with solid knowledge of God as He reveals Himself in Scripture.
This was the Reformers’ focus five hundred years ago. Shallow thoughts about God always take His place and set up there a false idol of security, lust, wealth, power or even religion.
The sad truth is that Scripture repeatedly warns us that we are all idol-makers. The world’s billions cannot (and will never) stop worshiping, because they cannot stop placing their hope and future security in something. Sovereign grace must break our compulsion toward idols.
As Calvin observed, the human heart is an idol factory, constantly turning out new idols like an assembly line. Today those idols overflow from fallen hearts and flood every corner of our media: social media, television, music, films, novels and memoirs.
Long ago in Wittenberg, Germany, a monk kindled a five-hundred-year war against idolatry. And the fire of the Reformation still burns, because the war goes on today.
Nailing the Idols of the Heart
An idol can be money, career, a relationship or even our self-image, anything in which we seek security and worth instead of in God. Ask yourself: what am I most afraid to lose? The answer may point to an idol in your heart.
Just as Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the church door, “nail” those idols through repentance and return God to the center.
You may also like: The Ninety-Five Theses of Dr. Martin Luther and Christians and Sin.
Prayer
Lord, search our hearts and show us the idols that have taken Your place. Help us turn from them and love You above all things. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Article: Vinh Hiển
Adapted from: DesiringGod.org
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