Topical Bible: Idolatry: Saints should Testify Against

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Idolatry, the worship of idols or the elevation of anything above God, is a recurring theme throughout the Bible, consistently condemned as a grave sin. The saints, as followers of Christ and adherents to the teachings of Scripture, are called to testify against idolatry, both in their personal lives and within their communities.

Biblical Condemnation of Idolatry

The Bible explicitly condemns idolatry, beginning with the Ten Commandments. 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." This foundational directive establishes the exclusive worship of the one true God as central to the faith.

Throughout the Old Testament, the prophets repeatedly denounce idolatry. Isaiah 44:9-11 states, "All makers of idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Their witnesses fail to see or comprehend, so they are put to shame. Who fashions a god or casts an idol which profits him nothing?" The futility and shame associated with idol worship are emphasized, highlighting the spiritual blindness it causes.

New Testament Warnings

The New Testament continues this theme, urging believers to flee from idolatry. In 1 Corinthians 10:14 , Paul exhorts, "Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry." The apostle warns the early church of the dangers of idolatry, associating it with spiritual adultery and a turning away from God.

In 1 John 5:21 , the apostle John concludes his epistle with a stark admonition: "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." This warning underscores the ever-present temptation of idolatry and the need for vigilance among believers.

The Role of Saints in Testifying Against Idolatry

Saints, as those set apart for God's purposes, are called to be witnesses against idolatry. This involves both personal rejection of idols and a public testimony to the truth of God's supremacy. In Acts 17:16-17 , Paul exemplifies this role when he is "greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols" in Athens. He engages with the people, reasoning in the synagogue and the marketplace, testifying to the one true God.

The saints' testimony against idolatry is not merely a denunciation but an invitation to worship the living God. In 1 Thessalonians 1:9 , Paul commends the Thessalonians for turning "to God from idols to serve the living and true God." This transformation is a powerful witness to the world of the life-changing power of the gospel.

Practical Implications for Believers

Believers today are called to examine their own lives for any form of idolatry, whether it be material possessions, relationships, or ideologies that take precedence over God. In Colossians 3:5 , Paul instructs, "Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry." This call to action requires a conscious effort to align one's life with God's will.

Furthermore, saints are encouraged to lovingly confront idolatry in their communities, offering the hope and truth found in Christ. Ephesians 5:11 advises, "Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them." This exposure is not for condemnation but for the purpose of leading others to the light of Christ.

In summary, the biblical mandate for saints to testify against idolatry is clear and compelling. Through personal holiness and public witness, believers are to uphold the truth of God's sovereignty and invite others to worship Him alone.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Acts 14:15
And saying, Sirs, why do you these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach to you that you should turn from these vanities to the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Acts 19:26
Moreover you see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands:
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Library

The Saints' Rest is not to be Expected on Earth.
... or honor, so it is but a more refined idolatry to take ... How little of God the saints
enjoy under the best means ... Should a traveller take up his rest in the way? ...
/.../baxter/the saints everlasting rest/chapter x the saints rest.htm

Perpetuity
... shall be restored by a Messiah who should have come ... spread over all the earth; but
these saints lived in ... The Egyptians were infected both with idolatry and magic ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pascal/pensees/section ix perpetuity.htm

Peaceable Principles and True: Or, a Brief Answer to Mr. D'Anver's ...
... not; lest you countenance their idolatry; and nourish ... to communicate with saints
as saints, though they ... Its large dimensions can comprehend, Should they dilate ...
/.../the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/peaceable principles and true or.htm

Balak's Inquiries Relative to the Service of God, and Balaam's ...
... it would be ill with him" "he should be undone ... children of God "that all the saints
will eventually ... and seduce them to uncleanness and idolatry, in order ...
/.../sermon xviii balaks inquiries relative.htm

Covenanting a Duty.
... common conversation, as well as the idolatry of swearing ... The saints of God alone
can render acceptable ... inculcate the service in general, should be interpreted ...
/.../cunningham/the ordinance of covenanting/chapter iii covenanting a duty.htm

Of the Beginning and Rise of the Romish Papacy, Till it Attained a ...
... is careful ever and anon to testify that he ... so blinded by error and sunk in idolatry,
there is ... cruel slayer and murderer of the saints, should be, nevertheless ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 7 of the beginning.htm

Covenant Duties.
... Idolatry, or the whole of false religion and all its ... shall praise thee, O Lord; and
thy saints shall bless ... These should enter into a solemn profession of the ...
/.../cunningham/the ordinance of covenanting/chapter iv covenant duties.htm

Concerning Worship.
... be some time set apart for the saints to meet ... and deny not only manifest superstition
and idolatry, but also ... accepted any of them: God forbid we should be so ...
/.../proposition xi concerning worship.htm

Paul's Departure and Crown;
... to Bethel, to prophesy against the idolatry that was ... A thing fitly becoming all the
saints, but chiefly ... we see that a Christian's heart should be unclenched ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/pauls departure and crown.htm

The Census of Israel
... The taint of slavery and idolatry must be lessened if it could not ... I think this is
the greatest, that we should have in our families a succession of saints. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 37 1891/the census of israel.htm