The apostle Paul combines two classes of sins, one being immorality, and the other, greed, and calls whoever practices them, Idolaters! (Ephesians 5:5).
This seems a far cry from any typical view of idolatry. Many stop at images of the Golden Calf in the Old Testament.
I have always thought it strange that there are Christians who can’t bring themselves to classify those statue filled church buildings and Eastern temples as idolatrous; despite their worship rituals.
It pays to ponder the fact that Scripture spends many a page condemning those who have made unto themselves idols of wood, stone, gold and silver.
Someone said that all sin is the breaking of the Second commandment, “You shall not make for yourself an idol” (Exodus 20:4). This makes a lot of sense when one accepts that man so easily bows down before the objects of his desire.
However, I must add that before someone sets up an idol, they must first have broken the First Commandment: “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3).
What starts as sweet-imaginings in the mind, ends up as cancer of the soul— “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death” (James 1:14-15).
You are likely to live long enough to hear even the wisest of Christians express frustration over warnings of “the slippery slope.” Little by little Satan builds scenarios where even these great saints see themselves as immune to temptation. Believe me, nobody in the throes of being enticed by their most desired objects of lust and greed sees anything but beauty in them.
These idols must never as much as make it to the drawing board…
“You can be absolutely certain that no immoral or impure person or one who is greedy—that is, an idolater—will have any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God” (Ephesians 5:5).
John Staiger
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