WMSCOG - God and Idolatry

God and Idolatry

Christians are familiar with the term “idolatry,” understanding that God commands us not to commit idolatry. However, it’s important to understand what exactly is idolatry, according to the Bible. If you have visited the Church of God, you will have noticed that it’s different from other churches—there are no crosses and no statues. How come?

Exodus 20:4-6 “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.”

In the Ten Commandments, which every Christian is familiar with, God states that no one should make an idol or worship it. In God’s point of view, idolatry shows hatred toward God. What exactly is considered an idol?

Leviticus 26:1 “Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it. I am the LORD your God.”

According to the Bible, statues and even those considered to be sacred, are idols in the eyes of God. These are man-made objects and therefore have no power to save us. God warns us against worshipping and praying to these objects. As Christians who want to receive eternal life from God and enter the Kingdom of Heaven, we cannot worship statues nor have them in our places of worship to God. This is why the temples of the Church of God do not have any statues. We want to worship only God, our Creator, who is the only One who has the power to grant us eternal life.


Is the Cross an Idol?

Jeremiah 10:2-5 “Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the heavens, though the nations are terrified by them. For the practices of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter. Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk.”

God lets us know about a “worthless custom” that the world is practicing. Wood is crafted and adorned with silver and gold. This wood is given a shape to look like a scarecrow. In other words, God is describing the cross. Nowadays, many Christians carry the cross around as pendants and such. However, God describes in the Bible that this custom is worthless because it cannot lead us to salvation. Churches erect the cross believing it to be sacred and believing it to have power to save.

Deuteronomy 27:15 “Cursed is the man who makes an idol—a thing detestable to the LORD, the work of skilled hands—and sets it up in secret.”

God even lets us know that simply having a cross, even if it’s away in secret, is committing idolatry. We want to receive eternal life and blessings from God, not curses. Therefore as Christians, we must be sure to follow this command and not have any crosses.

Jeremiah 2:27 “They say to wood, ‘You are my father,’ and to stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ They have turned their backs to me and not their faces; yet when they are in trouble, they say, ‘Come and save us!’ Where then are the gods you made for yourselves, let them come if they can save you when you are in trouble!”

During the times of the Old Testament, people made idols out of wood and stone. These idols became their gods. Because of these idols, the people were cursed and destroyed. Today, we must also follow the command of God telling us not to worship these idols.

The Churches of God around the world also follow this teaching of God in the Bible. None of the temples of the Church of God have statues and none have crosses. As Christians, we want to follow all of God’s commands in the Bible in order to receive God’s promise of eternal life.