My husband and I are attending a Sunday School class where some debate has been going on about what constitutes false idols. Some believe that they were different in Bible times than they would be now. Your comment please.
Kanisha R. - South Bend, IN
Dear Kanisha,
The definition of false idols hasn't changed over time. In fact, the criteria today is exactly the same as it's always been. An idol is anything that has our attention or focus, our regard or priority. What makes it false is when it is referenced or focused on more than God. It is a false idol when it takes a higher place than God among our priorities.
So a false idol occurs whenever we have a higher regard for our home, car, clothes, electronics, garden, career, kids, sports, hobbies, entertainment, etc. than we do for God. Note that a false idol can be a physical, tangible object. Or it can be an intangible activity. A false idol could even be a group of people or an institution (like a club or a church).
In the days of the Old Testament people made specific objects to worship (i.e., a golden calf, etc.). We don't hear too much about that today, but it does occur in other religions still. More than likely the false idols we're experiencing in the Christian west are things that already exist in our lives. Said differently, we don't have to go making any false idols up to worship. There are more than enough of them around us already!
Just remember this. A false idol does not achieve that status by anything it does or is. Rather it becomes an idol based on how we regard it. And it is a false idol if we regard it more than we regard God.
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