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Response
All the different forms of contemporary idolatry share a common element: self. Nowadays, most people no longer openly worship idols and images. Instead, we dedicate ourselves to the god of self. This type of modern idolatry manifests in various ways.
Firstly, we venerate materialism, which satisfies our desire to boost our egos by accumulating more possessions. Our houses are overflowing with all kinds of belongings. We construct larger and larger homes with additional closets and storage space to accommodate all the things we purchase, much of which remains unpaid for. A significant portion of our possessions is designed to become obsolete quickly, leading us to store them in the garage or other storage areas. Subsequently, we rush out to purchase the latest item, clothing, or gadget, restarting the entire cycle. This unquenchable thirst for more, better, and newer possessions is essentially covetousness. The tenth commandment warns us against succumbing to covetousness: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor” «Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s. », (Exodus 20:17). God does not aim to spoil our shopping sprees. He understands that we will never find true happiness by indulging in our materialistic cravings because it is a trap set by Satan to divert our attention from God.
Secondly, we worship at the altar of our own pride and ego. This often manifests as an obsession with careers and jobs. Millions of men—and an increasing number of women—dedicate 60-80 hours per week to work. Even on weekends and during vacations, our laptops are constantly buzzing.
And our minds are swirling with thoughts of how to enhance our businesses’ success, how to secure that promotion, how to earn the next raise, and how to close the following deal. Meanwhile, our children are yearning for attention and affection. We deceive ourselves into believing that we are doing it for them, aiming to provide them with a better life. However, the reality is that we are doing it for ourselves, seeking to boost our self-esteem by projecting greater success in the eyes of society. This is foolishness. All our efforts and achievements will hold no value for us after we pass away, nor will the world’s admiration, as these things lack eternal significance. As King Solomon expressed, “For a man may labor with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and then he must leave all he possesses to someone who has not toiled for it. This too is futile and a great tragedy. What does a man gain from all his toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? All his days are filled with pain and sorrow; even at night, his mind finds no rest. This too is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 2:21-23).
Thirdly, we deify humanity through naturalism and the authority of science. We cling to the delusion that we are masters of our world, elevating our self-worth to godlike levels. We reject God’s Word and His account of how He fashioned the heavens and the earth, embracing the fallacy of atheistic evolution and naturalism. We embrace the idol of environmentalism and delude ourselves into believing that we can sustain the earth indefinitely, whereas God has proclaimed that this present era will come to an end: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will usher in the de
Instruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness” (2 Peter 3:10-13). As this passage states, our focus should not be on worshiping the environment but on living holy lives as we wait eagerly for the return of our Lord and Savior. He alone deserves worship.
Finally, and perhaps most destructively, we worship at the altar of self-aggrandizement or the fulfillment of the self to the exclusion of all others and their needs and desires. This manifests itself in self-indulgence through alcohol, drugs, sexual sins, and food. Those in affluent countries have unlimited access to alcohol, drugs (prescription drug use is at an all-time high, even among children), and food. Obesity rates in the U.S. have skyrocketed, and childhood diabetes brought on by overeating is epidemic. The self-control we so desperately need is spurned in our insatiable desire to eat, drink, and medicate more and more. We resist any effort to get us to curb our appetites, and we are determined to make ourselves the god of our lives. This has its origin in the Garden of Eden where Satan tempted Eve to eat of the tree with the words “you will be like God” «for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. », (Genesis 3:5). This has been man’s desire ever since—to be god and, as we have seen, the worship of self is the basis of all modern idolatry.
All idolatry of self has at its core the three lusts found in 1 John 2:16: “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” If we are to escape modern idolatry, we have to admit that it is rampant and reject it in all.
Its forms. It is not of God, but of Satan, and in it we will never find fulfillment. This is the great lie and the same one Satan has been telling since he first lied to Adam and Eve. Sadly, we are still falling for it. Even more sadly, many churches are propagating it in the preaching of the health, wealth, and prosperity gospel built on the idol of self-esteem. But we will never find happiness focusing on ourselves. Our hearts and minds must be centered on God and on others. This is why when asked what is the greatest commandment, Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” «Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. », (Matthew 22:37). When we love the Lord and others with everything that is in us, there will be no room in our hearts for idolatry.
