Topical Bible: Idolatry: Consists in Fearing Other Gods

◄ Idolatry: Consists in Fearing Other Gods ►

Jump to: Torrey's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

Idolatry, in the biblical context, is the act of revering, worshiping, or fearing entities other than the one true God, Yahweh. This practice is consistently condemned throughout Scripture as a violation of the first commandment, which demands exclusive devotion to God. The fear of other gods is a central aspect of idolatry, as it involves attributing power, authority, or reverence to beings or objects that are not the Creator.

Biblical Prohibition and Warnings

The Bible explicitly warns against the fear and worship of other gods. In Deuteronomy 6:13-14 , the Israelites are commanded, "Fear the LORD your God, serve Him only, and take your oaths in His name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you." This passage underscores the exclusive allegiance required by God and the danger of adopting the religious practices of surrounding nations.

The fear of other gods is often linked to the influence of foreign cultures and their deities. In Jeremiah 10:2 , the Lord instructs, "Do not learn the way of the nations or be terrified by signs in the heavens, though the nations are terrified by them." Here, the fear of celestial phenomena, interpreted as divine signs by pagan cultures, is rejected as idolatrous.

Consequences of Idolatry

The Bible outlines severe consequences for those who engage in idolatry. In Deuteronomy 8:19 , it is stated, "If you ever forget the LORD your God and go after other gods to worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish." This warning highlights the spiritual and physical peril associated with idolatry, emphasizing God's intolerance for divided loyalty.

The history of Israel serves as a testament to the consequences of fearing other gods. The repeated cycles of idolatry and subsequent judgment, as seen in the Book of Judges, illustrate the destructive impact of turning away from God. In Judges 2:12-13 , it is recorded, "They forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them, and they provoked the LORD to anger."

Idolatry in the New Testament

The New Testament continues to address the issue of idolatry, expanding its definition to include any form of devotion that supplants God. In 1 Corinthians 10:20-21 , Paul warns, "No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot partake in the table of the Lord and the table of demons." This passage underscores the spiritual reality behind idolatrous practices and the impossibility of serving both God and other spiritual entities.

The Call to Exclusive Worship

Throughout Scripture, the call to exclusive worship of Yahweh is clear and uncompromising. In Isaiah 44:6-8 , God declares, "I am the first and I am the last; apart from Me there is no God. Who then is like Me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before Me what has happened since I established My ancient people, and what is yet to come—yes, let them foretell what will come. Do not tremble or be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one."

This passage affirms the uniqueness and sovereignty of God, dismissing the legitimacy of any other deity. The fear of other gods is thus portrayed as a fundamental misunderstanding of God's nature and authority. The biblical narrative consistently calls believers to reject idolatry in all its forms and to maintain an unwavering commitment to the one true God.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

2 Kings 17:35
With whom the LORD had made a covenant, and charged them, saying, You shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Mongrel Religion
... allow them to go the whole length of idolatry in his ... How many there are whose religion
consists in a fear ... be the characteristic of a fusion of fearing God and ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 27 1881/mongrel religion.htm

The First Commandment
... Adoration consists in bowing to him, or worshipping him ... This fearing God is (1) To
have him always ... Therefore, when Israel committed idolatry with the golden calf ...
/.../watson/the ten commandments/2 1 the first commandment.htm

Manner of Covenanting.
... to designate the making of a covenant, consists of two ... people of Israel, who fell
into idolatry by offering ... exercise of Covenanting embodied in fearing his name ...
/.../cunningham/the ordinance of covenanting/chapter ii manner of covenanting.htm

The Axe at the Root --A Testimony against Puseyite Idolatry
... that Laban, one of a once God-fearing family, had ... itself, and in one shape or another
idolatry is the ... I do not mind worshipping God if it consists in doing ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 12 1866/the axe at the roota.htm

The Third Part of the Articles.
... What torture, rascality, and idolatry such confession has ... calls him devout and
God-fearing), and without ... the true Christian excommunication, consists in this ...
//christianbookshelf.org/luther/the smalcald articles/the third part of the.htm

The Treatise
... If righteousness consists of faith, it is clear that faith ... of God, the other only
makes worse idolatry and the ... Oh, if we were God-fearing in this matter, how ...
//christianbookshelf.org/luther/a treatise on good works/the treatise.htm

"But if Ye have Bitter Envying and Strife in Your Hearts, Glory ...
... is called idolatry, self idolatry and earth idolatry. ... mystery of wisdom which the
gospel reveals consists? ... the public interest, because men fearing God, and ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon iv but if ye.htm

Select Works and Letters or Athanasius
... Section 5. Evil, then consists essentially in the choice ... 9. The various developments
of idolatry: worship of ... to you to request this favour, fearing also lest ...
//christianbookshelf.org/athanasius/select works and letters or athanasius/

Faustus States his Objections to the Morality of the Law and the ...
... world the benefit to be obtained from fearing Him, by ... The one injured them knowingly,
the other in ignorance. ... of boys at school, whose learning consists in the ...
/.../faustus states his objections to.htm

Period iv. The Age of the Consolidation of the Church: 200 to 324 ...
... been contaminated by the abominable certificate of idolatry. ... ELLIPSIS} They [the
heretics], indeed, fearing to incur ... man; not the Church which consists of a ...
/.../ayer/a source book for ancient church history/period iv the age of.htm