Idolatry, in the biblical context, refers to the worship of idols or the elevation of anything or anyone to a status that rivals or replaces the worship of the one true God. The act of idolatry is considered defiling because it corrupts the purity of worship that is due to God alone and leads to spiritual and moral decay.

The Bible consistently condemns idolatry as a grievous sin. In the Old Testament, the Israelites are repeatedly warned against adopting the idolatrous practices of surrounding nations. In Exodus 20:3-5 , God commands, "You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God."

Idolatry is portrayed as defiling because it leads to a distortion of the relationship between God and His people. In Ezekiel 20:7 , God instructs the Israelites, "And I said to them: ‘Each of you must throw away the abominations before his eyes, and not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’" Here, idolatry is directly associated with defilement, indicating a spiritual impurity that separates individuals from God.

The New Testament continues this theme, emphasizing the spiritual defilement caused by idolatry. In 1 Corinthians 10:14 , Paul exhorts believers, "Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry." This warning underscores the danger of idolatry as a corrupting influence that can lead believers away from the truth of the Gospel.

Idolatry is not limited to the worship of physical idols but extends to any form of devotion or allegiance that supersedes one's commitment to God. Colossians 3:5 states, "Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry." This passage highlights how idolatry can manifest in various forms of sin that defile the believer's heart and mind.

The defiling nature of idolatry is further illustrated in the consequences it brings. In the Old Testament, idolatry often led to God's judgment upon Israel, resulting in exile and suffering. In 2 Kings 17:15 , it is recorded, "They rejected His statutes and His covenant He had made with their fathers, and the testimonies He had testified against them. They pursued worthless idols and themselves became worthless, going after the surrounding nations the LORD had commanded them not to imitate."

Throughout Scripture, idolatry is depicted as a betrayal of the covenant relationship between God and His people. It is a defilement that not only affects the individual but also the community, leading to a breakdown in societal and spiritual order. The call to reject idolatry is a call to purity, holiness, and a restored relationship with God, who alone is worthy of worship and devotion.Ezekiel 20:7
Then said I to them, Cast you away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Ezekiel 36:18
Why I poured my fury on them for the blood that they had shed on the land, and for their idols with which they had polluted it:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Josiah
... The prevailing idolatry influenced the boy, but it influenced him to hate it with ...
the bones on the very altars that they had served, thus defiling the altars ...
//christianbookshelf.org/maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/josiah.htm

But I First Say a Word Also About the Crown Itself. ...
... When military service again is crowned with olive, the idolatry has respect ... superstition
of the military garland will be everywhere defiled and all-defiling. ...
/.../tertullian/the chaplet or de corona/chapter xii but i first.htm

Comparison Between the False Church and the True.
... can we hold any meeting with them without polluting ourselves with open idolatry. ...
They knew that they could not do it without defiling themselves with some ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 2 comparison between the.htm

Correspondences
... more of the doings of the picture-catching box; and she, fearing the defiling touch
of ... He made her, deep in the mire of the lowest form of idolatry, a devotee ...
/.../wilson-carmichael/things as they are/chapter iv correspondences.htm

"When Solomon was Old. "
... from verse 10 that God had taken pains to save Solomon from idolatry, (see 1 ... into
a great sewer, filling the air with noxious smells, and defiling the face of ...
//christianbookshelf.org/champness/broken bread/xxiv when solomon was old.htm

Letter Liii. To the Chorepiscopi.
... Do not, by defiling your hands with such bribes, render yourselves unfit to celebrate
holy ... Now covetousness is the root of all evil and is called idolatry. ...
/.../basil/basil letters and select works/letter liii to the chorepiscopi.htm

A Description of Heart-Purity
... Oh take heed of defiling the room where God is to come. Let that room be washed
with holy tears. ... (x) Covetousness is the root of idolatry: Covetousness which ...
/.../16 a description of heart-purity.htm

List of Abbreviations Used in Reference to Rabbinic Writings ...
... Ab. Zar. [3] The Talmudic Tractate Abhodah Zorah, on Idolatry. Ab. ... Sab. The Talmudic
Tractate Zabhim, on certain levitically defiling issues. Sanh. ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/list of abbreviations used in.htm

The Leaven.
... God while all the world beside had sunk into idolatry, were, through ... of maid, wife,
mother, creeps the confessional, tainting, souring, defiling society in its ...
//christianbookshelf.org/arnot/the parables of our lord/iv the leaven.htm

Called to Reach a Higher Standard
... By idolatry he meant not only the worship of idols, but self-serving, love of ... was
shining upon them, to reveal the hidden sins that were defiling their lives. ...
/.../white/the acts of the apostles/lesson 30 called to reach.htm

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