FROM IDOLATRY TO GODLINESS

"How you TURNED to GOD from IDOLS to SERVE the living and true God” – 1 Thessalonians 1:9b

The Believer’s Testimony of Transformation entails turning FROM IDOLATRY to GODLINESS: “For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you TURNED to GOD from IDOLS to serve the living and true God” (1 Thes.1:9). Paul testified to the genuineness of the salvation of the Thessalonians, which was patterned after the exemplary lives and service of the apostles themselves: “For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake” (v.5).

Paul described the Thessalonian Christians as “followers of us and of the Lord” (v.6); who in turn “became EXAMPLES to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe” (v.7). That’s the principle of discipleship and the pattern for spiritual transformation: Faithful followers become exemplary believers! Having received the Gospel, Genuine Christians have three other essential characteristics: they turn to God from idols, serve the living and true God, and wait expectantly for Jesus to come, while proclaiming the gospel to others. These correspond to the Triangle of Christianity: Faith, Hope, and Love (1Cor.13:13).

Paul referred to these three: “remembering without ceasing your work of FAITH, labor of LOVE, and patience of HOPE in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father” (v.3). Turning to God from idols shows FAITH; serving God reflects LOVE; and waiting for Jesus to return reveals HOPE. Our focus today is: turning to God from idols. An idol is anything that presents a challenge to God’s sovereignty or to which one turns for answers, meaning, fulfilment, or purpose, instead of God. Tim Keller, in “Counterfeit Gods” says an Idol is: “anything more important to you than God; anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God; and anything that you seek to give you what only God can give.”

The unsaved often hope in their idols; but those who truly hear and believe the Gospel throw away their idols, and turn to God alone, trusting in Jesus’ death on the cross to rescue from sins, and in His resurrection, to walk in Victory. To “turn” or repent, is the proper response to the gospel. God commissioned Paul to open the Gentiles’ eyes “in order to TURN them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God” (Acts 26:18b). He summed up his preaching thus: to “repent, TURN to GOD, and do works befitting repentance” (Acts 26:20).

Idolatry connotes the worship of something or someone other than God. It is the immoderate attachment or devotion to something. The Bible condemns Idolatry (Exo.20:3). An idol is something that one has placed above God; anything or anyone that is considered more important to us than God. Even good things can become idols when we make them our life’s priorities. Anything, or anyone, can become an idol if we place our value for them above our value for God. In heathen days, idols were usually physical objects or statues that people bowed to in worship, but many people in contemporary times are still prone to have idols in their lives.

Covetousness or greed is idolatry (Col.3:5). Humanity is prone to wander and drift away from God; hence, we must be diligent in examining our lives for idols. If not placed in the right order in our lives, seemingly legitimate things can become our modern day idols: Identity (position, popularity, expertise, or social media following); materialism, consumerism, or pursuit of money; obsession with ease and entertainment; sex (sexual identity and perversions), and addictions (including smartphone addiction). Some of these are gifts from God, but we should worship the Giver, not the gift. Anything that takes God’s place in our lives; that becomes more important than Him, is an idol.

We must be transformed to value Godliness and serving God above any idol! Let’s consider these Idol-detecting Questions: Where Do I Spend My Time? Where Do I Spend My Money? Where Do I Get My Joy? What’s Always on My Mind?