3 Diagnostic Questions to See If You Have an Idol
By Michael Kelley
John Calvin once wrote that the human heart is an idol factory, and that is indeed true. Now when we think about idols, we might be tempted to picture actual, physical idols - something made of wood or metal that we bow down and worship. And while that might be the case, idolatry can be much more subtle.
In fact, many times we might have an idol we aren’t even aware of. It could be anything - money, power, notoriety, or a vision for our own lives. What’s more, it can actually be a shrunken down version of God we have fabricated in our own minds. This is potentially the most dangerous kind of idolatry because while we are still paying lip service to the God of the Bible, we are actually bowing down before a version of God that meets our own ends. But how do you know if you have done that?
How do you know if you have manufactured that kind of image in your own heart? Let me give you three diagnostic questions to ask.
1. How do you approach the Bible?
As Christians, we believe this is God’s Word. We believe it is inspired by God, and it is the source of all truth because it reveals the nature and ways of God to us. So what attitude do you have when you come to God’s Word? If you find yourself opening God’s Word looking for ammunition to back up the opinions you’ve already formed, then you very well may have manufactured an image of God. That is not the way to approach the Bible. We should instead approach the Bible open-hearted and open-handed.
We should be prepared to receive the correction we need from His Word rather than looking to it to confirm what we have already thought or planned.
2. Does your version of God ever disagree with you?
The good thing about these poor representations of God is that they will always tell you exactly what you want to hear because these idols are fashioned around our own preferences and desires.
They will tell us that we are right. That everyone else is wrong. That our sin is no big deal. That the best thing we can do in life is pursue that which will satisfy us at a given moment, no matter what it is.
Furthermore, these idols will tell us that we are the most important thing in the universe. Our idols will affirm our belief that because we are at the center, then anyone who doesn’t align with our desires or opinions is simply wrong or out of touch. Further, our idols will bolster our belief that because we are central, it’s perfectly fine for us to see others as a means to our own ends. They will support our “use” of other people to gain whatever they can offer us.
3. Does following your God cost you anything?
Because it should. Jesus reminded us that if anyone wants to follow after Him, it means taking up our cross to do so. That means dying to ourselves - our preferences, our hopes, our desires, and our dreams - is synonymous with following Christ. If your representation of God costs you nothing, then it would be wise to take a second look at the God you claim to be following.
The good news is that we don’t have to settle for representations of God we have fabricated in our own minds in order to suit our own desires. We have the real thing in Jesus:
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through him and for him (Col. 1:15-16).
Look to Jesus and you will find the real God.
Michael Kelley is a husband, father of three, author, and speaker from Nashville, TN. His latest book is a year-long family devotional guide called The Whole Story for the Whole Family. Find his personal blog at michaelkelley.co.
