idolatry

Confession: I suck at moderation.

I can only maintain self-control through abstinence: food, sex, gambling, hobbies, work, rest, relationships… loving Jesus… you name it. When I order a pizza, I plan to eat it all. When I compete, I play to win. I beat my body as I work (and crash hard when I finish). I cannot love a little, enjoy a little, sacrifice a little, or offer a little of my time. My compulsive personality draws me to the fullness of Christ and is tempted toward the depth of despair.

I’d hoped that maturity would even the scales, placing me at a disciplined equilibrium that says “no” to the second half of the Cool Ranch Doritos bag. Not so much. Others consider me to be mature, primarily because I’ve learned to abstain from most unsavory vices, moreover receiving praise for the indulgences that are God honoring.

[True story: I’ve often wondered if God has spared me from a relationship because there would be no end to my verbal and physical affection. Getting married would be like untying the knot of a running fire hose that has been kinked for 33 years. I wish I was joking… no woman should be subject to that.]

Scripture has surprised me. Nowhere does God’s word promote moderation. I looked and looked again, expecting to find humble rebuke for my personality. Plenty of passages endorse self-control and abstinence, as we’re commanded not to be ruled by unrighteous indulgence. But the concept of moderation as a pursuit is Aristotalean rather than biblical. When are we going to stop modeling our lives after the Greeks?!?

What if there’s merit in the black-and-white lifestyle? What if none at all is truly better than a little?

As I was cleaning the espresso machine Saturday night, I watched couple after couple stroll past the storefront -- holding hands, laughing, making non-verbal gestures, etc. A good part of me wanted that, if only for an evening: the simplicity of a good time with no expectations or immediate repercussions. I stopped by Applebees on the way home and made chit-chat with an enjoyable 30-something barkeep. Subtly attractive and pleasant, I knew how easy it would be to gratify my immediate desires by asking her on a date. I could convince myself that a spiritual connection was unnecessary because I wasn’t planning to make it sexual.

Funny that while moderation never accompanied spiritual maturity, these are the sort of worldly justifications that have been laid to waste. This woman’s kiss could never be just a kiss. The scent of her hair and the softness of her skin could not be drunk without the sin of idolatry. It would never satisfy and I know it. The compulsive design that God has geared towards mesmerized allegiance to Him would be undermined by placing something else ahead of His word.

“Everything is permissible for me” -- but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me” -- but I will not be mastered by anything. (1 Cor. 6:12, NIV)

This verse has always spoken volumes to me. It’s a simple concept, but how often do we justify our behaviors by what is permitted by the world (or the church) as opposed to what we have to gain? If I muster the restraint to deny myself the second half of the Doritos bag, thus enjoying the first half in clear conscience, have I gained anything? [Besides bad breath?] Not really. I have partaken of an action that gratified an immediate desire and have nothing to show for it in the end. Should I restrain myself, I have no less desire for the second half of the bag -- I bear the fruit of dissatisfaction and frustration, same as any less accepted idol.

Paul continues his letter by discussing the danger of “immorality.” Old school translations prefer the term “fornication”; the NIV, NKJV, and NLT have modernized to “sexual immorality.” The Greek word is porneia, accurately described to be “illicit sexual intercourse,” but is used metaphorically by Paul to refer to idol worship in Acts 15. I like the NASB translation of 1 Cor. 6, because I think it offers a wider context for the point Paul is trying to make:

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. Food is for the stomach, and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be! Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, “The two shall become one flesh.” But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. (1 Cor. 6:9-20)

My roommate and I were discussing idolatry the other day, and I mentioned how much I liked Neal Anderson’s material -- idolatry is defined as anything removed from its proper place to be positioned ahead of God. Jesse offered a more “Tozeresque” explanation:

“I think it’s simpler than that. When the Father is understood in His appropriate place, everything else can’t help but be lessened.”

Thus, idolatry is not defined by the lifting up of other things, but by lowering the expectation of who we believe God to be. Ever wonder why Aaron saw it fitting to construct a golden calf? The Israelites no longer believed God to be who He is. Had they considered the God that brought about the plagues, delivered them across the sea, or provided manna in the desert, the calf would have seemed ridiculous!

This jives with Paul’s words about mastery. Whether through sex or another idol, if I believe that God is less than I’ve known Him to be, less than He claims to be in scripture, less than the physical desires of my heart, etc… I will prostitute myself away from the Christ that has made covenant with my body.

One characteristic of an addict is that he/she will often replace one addiction for another upon remission. This explains why my struggle with lust went on hiatus during my romantic relationships. Yes, I took pride (and fear) in the fact that my relationships kept me sexually pure. In hindsight, I had merely replaced one idol for another: the idealized fantasy of sexual sin for the well-intended affection of a woman. The common thread was a lack of belief that God had my best interest in mind or knew how to bless me with what I needed.

Let us explore the magnitude of having been washed, sanctified, and justified in Jesus! While many things are available to serve as “harmless” idols, we can rid ourselves of these masters through our intimacy with Him. No other lover will suffice once we’ve tasted the goodness of our Heavenly Father. Of that which is physical, only that which reminds you of Him is worth our compulsion. Let our relationships, hobbies, and work be considered through our love for Him. I’m reminded of a hymn written 90 years ago:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace

-- From “The Heavenly Vision,” by Helen Lemmel