The Gospel in Life
The Bible study I’m a part of has been working through a book called “The Gospel in Life” by Tim Keller. We are only on the second session of the book but already it has challenged me, especially with the latest chapter on idolatry. In the “homework” portion of this chapter, he gives a long list of common aspects of life that are idolized, such as material things, comfort, work, acceptance, appearance, money, power, even religion. One of the many authors he quotes, Richard Keyes, makes the point that anything that leads us away from obeying God has a good potential of becoming an idol.
What’s surprising to me is how easy it is for something meant to glorify God can in itself become an idol. We can get so wrapped up in church involvement that it can keep us from truly obeying God. We can get so hooked on learning the Bible that we don’t obey what’s in it. We can even get so hooked on the idea of family and relationships that it can cause us to place those things before God.
It’s interesting that he put this chapter right after Chapter 1 on the difference between religion, irreligion, and the gospel. The difference being, why we do what we do (or don’t do, as in the case of irreligion). Religion is trying to earn your way into God’s favor, through actions, thoughts, or even by “saying” the right things. The gospel says that our way into God’s favor, and thus our salvation, is already earned through Christ, because we were incapable of earning it for ourselves. I believe trying to earn it is actually insulting to God, as though we have something to offer to match the free gift He already gave us.
Thus the ever-present question is, why do we do what we do?
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Ever notice that anything you could possibly think up could potentially be an “idol” that is placed before God? Could this be because there’s actually no real way to think about, serve, or worship God in the abstract? Have you ever thought about what it would actually mean or look like to “put God first” or “focus totally on God” devoid of any other reference or reality? I would contend that we can’t explain what it means to “put God first” without reference to something else, be it a thing, a practice, a feeling, etc. This is why Jesus always used metaphor, story, and symbolism. The things Keller lists – “material things, comfort, work, acceptance, appearance, money, power, even religion” – they can be used for or against God’s purposes, but to talk about them in the way that Keller does is to confuse the first of the ten commandments with the second. Idolatry is about the attempt to localize and domesticate God, not putting a different god in His place. In my mind, contemporary Christians are much more guilty of the former.
Corey
06/28/2011 at 11:37 pm
Colossians 3:5-6 seems to imply there isn’t much of a difference between the two. Whether it’s putting another god before God, or giving something or someone else that which is only due the true God, aren’t we letting something else cause us to disobey God?
Nick
06/30/2011 at 1:33 pm