12. Part IV. The Object of Worship. Idolatry
CHAPTER TWELVE IV. THE OBJECT OF WORSHIP - IDOLATRY
Having discussed the meaning, importance and authority of worship; let us now consider the vital matter of the Object of worship, or whom should we worship? The Scriptures give no uncertain answer to this question: “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God;” “He is the Lord, worship thou him” (Luke 4:8; Psalms 45:11). The object of the believer’s worship is the triune and eternal Godhead. He is described as being, “eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever.
Amen” (1 Timothy 1:17).
Though the actual word, “Trinity,” is not found in the Scriptures, yet the truth of the doctrine of the tri-unity of the Godhead is clearly evident as one opens the pages of the Bible. The eternal Godhead is revealed as consisting of three Persons, each equal and eternal with each Other: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Each Person of the Godhead possesses a distinct Personality, as is seen by the intelligence, emotions and will, which Each evidences; yet these three are but One in essence. There are not three Gods, but one Godhead, revealed in three Persons. This tremendous truth is utterly beyond our finite comprehension, but not beyond our apprehension, for it is plainly declared in the word of God.This fact of the tri-unity of the Godhead is found in the very opening verse of the Bible where we read: “In the beginning God created the Heaven and the earth.” The word “God,” in the Hebrew is the uni-plural noun, “Elohim.”
Again, in Genesis 1:26, we read that God said: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness,” etc. This likeness may have reference to the tripartite nature that man possesses, for he is described as being composed of “spirit, soul and body” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Thus each human being consists of three parts, yet he is but one individual. In the New Testament, the truth of the tri-unity of the Godhead is still more clearly indicated. We will quote seven out of the many references to this fact. At the baptism of Christ, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the shape of a dove, while the voice of the Father testified: “This is my beloved Son.” (Matthew 3:17). When our Lord promised His disciples that He would send the Holy Spirit, He made a double reference to the Trinity, for He said: “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will sent unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of me” (John 15:26). Of Christ’s redemptive work, which He accomplished on the cross, we read: “If the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh; how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit, offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:13-14). The believer’s salvation is due to the work of the Trinity, for we read that each Christian is, “Elect, according to the foreknowledge of God, the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:2). The Trinity is also seen in our approach to God in prayer, for we read: “For through Him [Christ], we both [Jew and Gentile] have access by one Spirit unto the Father” (Ephesians 2:18). The Trinity is also prominent in baptism. Christ’s commission to His disciples was: “Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19). The three-fold ascription of praise in the first chapter of Ephesians is addressed, First, to the Father for having blessed us; Then to the Son for His redemptive work; Third, to the Holy Spirit for His sealing of the believer (vss. 6, 12, 14). The beautiful benediction of 2 Corinthians 13:14 will be a fitting conclusion to this short summary: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all. Amen.”
There are no adequate illustrations of the tri-unity of the Godhead, for it transcends all human comprehension, and defies all analysis.
God is unique and has declared: “To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One” (Isaiah 40:25). Many attempts have been made to illustrate the Trinity, but all fall far short of conveying the actual fact.
Nathaniel Wood, in his excellent book, “The Secret of the Universe,” sets out to discover this secret, which he affirms is the tri-unity of the Godhead. He proceeds to demonstrate that each man is a tri-unity, for he is spirit, soul and body, yet he is but one individual. Space is a tri-unity, for it is composed of length, breadth and height, yet space is but one. Time also falls into the same category, for it consists of past, present and future, yet it is but one. His book is commended to all who desire to make a study of this particular truth. Scripture generally presents the Father as purposing, the Son as executing the Divine counsel, and the Holy Spirit as energizing and applying the purpose, and making it operative in the experience of the believer. The Father loved the world, and gave His Son. The Son, obedient to the father’s will, by the eternal Spirit gave Himself as a substitutionary sacrifice to accomplish our redemption. The Holy Spirit convicts the sinner of his need, leads the soul to trust in Christ and then, on his believing, seals him unto the day of redemption: “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise... And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption” (Ephesians 1:13; Ephesians 4:30). The more one contemplates the greatness, majesty and glory of the triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the greater he is lost in wonder, praise, adoration and worship. It well becomes us, as our thoughts are occupied with this infinitely holy Being; the eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent and immutable God, to stand in awe and humbly bow in the presence of the One whom each Christian has been brought to know as “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). As we did when discussing our authority for worship, we shall first consider the object of worship negatively and then view it positively. Let us therefore see what God has expressly forbidden us to worship.
1. What We are Not to Worship Idols. “Thou shalt have no other gods before me... Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them” (Exodus 20:3; Exodus 20:5). An idol is anything that a person worships in his heart, and which consequently displaces God as preeminent, or relegates Him to a second place in the consciousness. Idolatry is a deliberate turning away from God.
It is not, as is sometimes represented, an attempt on the part of man to reach God. Romans 1:1923 makes this very clear. Mark the words carefully: “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.” The active agent behind all idolatry is Satan and his host of wicked spirits. We read: “What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing? But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils” (1 Corinthians 10:19-20).
Satan’s chief purpose is first to rob God of the glory and worship that is due to His name, and then to set up himself as the object of worship. All idolatry is therefore Satanic in its origin, and evidences the Devil’s desire for worship. His fall was due to this very thing.
He was created by God as one of His most beautiful and wise creatures. Moreover he occupied a position of close intimacy with Him. He was not content with this, but his heart was lifted up with pride and he aspired to be like God Himself. He said within his heart: “How art thou fallen from Heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into Heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit” (Isaiah 14:12-15, cp.
Ezekiel 28:11-19). For this act of rebellion, he fell. Not only is idolatry Satanic in its origin, but it is utterly inexcusable on the part of man. This is true also of atheism. God’s reality, wisdom and power has been fully demonstrated in creation. In view of this unmistakable evidence of the reality of the Creator, it can be easily appreciated what abysmal folly it is for a person to take something that God has created, fashion from it an idol, and then bow down and worship the work of his own hands! This is graphically pictured for us in Isaiah 44:9-17. With fine irony and biting sarcasm Isaiah, by Divine inspiration, describes a man making a graven image.
- First, he cuts down the tree that is to form his idol.
- With part of this tree he makes a bonfire and warms himself, thus providing himself with the pleasures of life.
- With another portion he bakes his food, thus supplying himself with the provisions of life.
- With the residue, or what is left over after providing for his own interests, he makes an idol.
- Falling down before it, he worships it and prays to it saying: “Deliver me, for thou art my God!”
We have noted before that one does not have to bow down to a visible and material idol in order to become an idolater. Idolatry is a thing that is more of the heart than the hand. It is possible to commit idolatry while outwardly appearing to be a worshipper of God. Our Lord quoted the words of Isaiah to the religious leaders of His day and said: “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth and honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me” (Matthew 15:8).
Ezekiel was given a vision of the idolatrous heart-departure of Israel from God. He was shown a hole in a wall which led ultimately to a door through which he was told to enter. Upon entering, he saw all the abominable idols of the heathen pictured on the walls. Before these pictures, seventy of the elders of Israel stood, offering incense to and worshipping these idols. Then said God: “Hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery?” (Ezekiel 8:7-18). Every person has this secret chamber in his heart, and the furnishings of this room determine his real spiritual status.
Let us have a look at some of these idols, material and otherwise, which are calculated to turn the believer’s heart away from God, deny Him the place of absolute eminence in the life and rob Him of the worship due to His name. In this connection, we need ever to remember the closing injunction of John’s first Epistle, which was written to Christians: “Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21). The first idol we shall consider is: Self. The fall of man is directly attributed to this idol. Satan’s promise to Eve was: “Ye shall be as gods.” Thus his temptation was for Eve to exalt herself at the expense of God, and exchange God’s rule for self-government. We have already seen that this was the cause of Satan’s downfall.
Self is a very subtle idol, for, - It possesses the ability to intrude itself into our holiest moments.
- It appears in all sorts of disguises, but always for the purpose of displacing God as pre-eminent in every department of the believer’s life.
- Its great appeal is to pride, whether it be pride of race, place, face or grace.
- It is evidenced in selfishness of every kind, - Self-exaltation at the expense of others, - Self-esteem of one’s abilities - Self-seeking on all occasions.
It even masquerades under the name of humility, so that we can become very proud because we are so humble!
One often hears the expression: “He is a self-made man and he worships his creator”!
We ever need to remember however that, at his best, the self-made man is but a horrible example of unskilled labor!
Though self-preservation may be the first law of nature, it is certainly not of grace; for Christ said: “if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). This deliberate denial, not merely of “things,” but of self itself, goes against the natural grain of each person, but it is essential to the spiritual worship of God.
Money. How often this idol has been allowed to turn a believer’s heart from spiritual realities! From the worship of almighty God, many have degenerated to the secret worship of the almighty dollar, and thus have become “i-dollar-ters.” No wonder, therefore, that Paul wrote: “The love of money is the root of all evil, which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:10). The warning of Colossians 3:5 is even more arresting: “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” This unholy desire to gain wealth, at whatever cost, is here likened to plain idolatry. These words should be allowed to search all our hearts.
God is denied much worship, because those who have the money at their disposal refuse to part with it in order to send forth missionaries of the Gospel into the regions beyond, that other souls may be saved, and thus become worshippers of the true and living God.
It is tragically possible for Christians to become more interested in stocks and bonds than in the Scriptures.
It is a well known fact that too much interest in “stocks” will inevitably result in “bonds,” and the believer will soon find his spiritual life has been brought into bondage to wealth.
Money often becomes the acid test of the reality of one’s profession of Christianity. It would be well if every Christian tested himself on this score. It is not for nothing that two whole chapters in the New Testament are devoted to the grace of willing, cheerful, systematic, proportionate and bountiful giving (II Corinthians 8 to 9). The words of the wise man are in order at this point: “There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty” (Proverbs 11:24). Peter puts it thus: “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10). (c) Business.
Closely allied to money is this idol, which looms so large on the horizon of many believers and which, in altogether too many cases, has been allowed to drain them of their spirituality and consequent ability to worship. God’s word recognizes the necessity for the Christian to be in business, but warns against the danger of business being in the Christian. The Christian businessman is exhorted in the Word to be “not slothful in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord” (Romans 12:11). We may well thank God for the noble army of good business men and women, who do not allow their businesses to run them, but who run their businesses for the glory of God and the blessing of others.
Robert Carey, when asked what his business was, replied: “My business is preaching the Gospel and I cobble shoes to pay expenses.” No Christian should become so busy in his business that he is too busy to do business for and with God. Each believer must be prepared to say to his business what Abraham said to the young men: “Tarry ye here... while I... go yonder and worship.”
We must all beware of what has been aptly termed, “the barrenness of a busy life.” Each believer should therefore deliberately take time out for this most important matter of worship. (d) Pleasure is still another idol, before whose shrine thousands of devotees prostrate themselves.
Scripture indicates that one of the characteristics of the last days is that men shall be “Lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:4).
It is not an exaggeration to say that the world has gone “pleasure-mad.” The very word “amuse,” simply means to prevent from musing, or meditate. The whole purpose of the goddess of pleasure is to stupefy her victims, and prevent them from thinking about God, Christ, sin, salvation, death and judgment. All her pleasures are of the “escapist” variety, which enables her votaries, for a short while at least, to escape from the vital, the spiritual and the eternal realities of life.
It is sadly possible for a Christian to be carried away from heart devotion to God by these pleasures, and thus lose his ability to function as a worshipper of God. It is to be feared that upon the altar of many a Christian’s heart, from which there used to ascend fragrant worship that brought delight to the Father; there are now but the cold ashes of formality, and the tragic experience of lost communion through occupation with worldly pleasures. The tendency of the pleasures of this world is to, - Minimize sin, - Encourage lust, - Pander to oneself, - Destroy spirituality, - Hinder worship - Eclipse God. (e) Recreation.
It may seem strange to include this in the list of idols, but often that which is good is allowed to become the enemy of that which is best. No one doubts for a moment the benefits of recreation as a means of maintaining one’s physical, mental and spiritual fitness. It is when one’s recreations are allowed to encroach on, and even absorb the time and energy that should be spent for Bible study, prayer, service and worship, that it becomes an evil which must come under the category of an “idol.”
It has been well said that the “abuse of the best is the worst.” The Scriptures tell us that: “Bodily exercise profiteth little, but godliness is profitable unto all things” (1 Timothy 4:8).
Time is a precious commodity that must be redeemed (Ephesians 5:16).
We must therefore be careful to see that recreation is used only for the purpose God intended, and not allowed to become the dominating factor in one’s life.
Like many other things, recreation can become either a good servant, or a bad master. (f) One’s family. This may sound stranger still, yet the fact remains that it is possible to allow one’s family to displace God as pre-eminent, and thereby earn His rightful rebuke. Perhaps the classic example of this is Eli, a priest of Israel.
Though he himself was a good man who feared the Lord, yet he allowed his two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, to grow up unrestrained by parental discipline, until their vile conduct became a shame and disgrace in Israel. At last God sent a prophet to Eli who rebuked him, and charged him with honoring his sons above God, and said to him: “The Lord saith... Them that honor me I will honor, and they that despise me, shall be lightly esteemed” (1 Samuel 2:27-36).
After this, God spoke to young Samuel and, amongst other things, said of Eli: “I have told him that I will judge his house for ever, for the iniquity which he knoweth: because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not” (1 Samuel 3:11-14).
Many Christian parents have discovered, to their sorrow, the price they must pay for an undisciplined family. These spoiled children have brought disgrace to their name and bitter grief to their hearts. Instead of honoring God and obeying His word by bringing up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, they foolish allowed their children to dictate the policy of the home, with disastrous results. They failed to take heed to the words of the wise man when he said: “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him” (Proverbs 22:15).
- They allowed the family to develop “self expression,” at the expense of God-impression.
- They failed to insist on and secure that essential obedience to, and honor of their parents, which God declares should characterize an example of godly living, and thus commanding their filial fear and love; - They ignored God’s plain directions to rule the home and allowed the family to rule them. In this way their children were given preference to God and His word. These children, which should have become blessings to them, were allowed to become idols and developed into a curse. This bringing up of one’s family for God is anything but easy; but it is ten thousand times harder to reap the bitter harvest which results from avoiding one’s plain duty, both to God and to them. The tragedy of Eli should speak loudly to all Christian parents, and make them sensible of their solemn obligation to God. There should be a holy determination that their children shall not be allowed to become idols to displace God, but be brought up to fear God, to be obedient to their parents, and thus bring glory to God. Each Christian parent should carefully and prayerfully read and re-read the following Scriptures, and be guided by them in bringing up the family for God.
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:1-4) “Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged” (Colossians 3:20-21) “A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her that bare him” (Proverbs 17:25) “He that wasteth his father, and chaseth away his mother, is a son that causeth shame, and bringeth reproach” (Proverbs 19:26) “Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right” (Proverbs 20:11) “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6) “Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell” (Proverbs 23:1314) “Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul” (Proverbs 29:17) “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)” (1 Timothy 3:2-5). (g) Possessions. This idol is closely allied to money and, in many cases, is allowed to displace God as preeminent in the life. The evil of possessions lies in their possessive quality.
It is one thing to possess possessions, but another to allow one’s possessions to possess him.
Often it is a believer’s house that becomes his all absorbing passion, and which demands all his spare time, energy and money to ensure that it contains every modern convenience and comfort; but alas, to the neglecting of his own spiritual life. Surely it will be agreed that “Better Homes and Gardens” is not the most important thing in life. It is also possible for wives to become “house proud” and go to the extreme in the meticulous care they bestow upon their homes, to the exclusion of all else, including the cultivation of their own spirituality.
It is sadly possible for the house to be a marvel of beauty and order; but the heart of its occupants empty of that spiritual furniture which makes for worship.
Sometimes it is an automobile that occupies the limelight and demands all the attention. It becomes the principal subject of conversation, and the object of the most solicitous care. Many an hour is spent cleaning and polishing it, until it scintillates in the sun, a “thing of beauty and joy for ever,” the pride of its owner and the envy of all beholders! No expense is spared to ensure that all the latest features are embodied in its construction, and that it is the finest thing on wheels. If only its possessor was as particular about his spiritual condition as he is about his car, what a volume of worship would ascend from his soul; but, alas, his heart has degenerated into a kind of garage, for every time he opens his mouth, the subject of cars pop out!
Whatever the believer’s possessions may be, if they demand a greater place in the life than God, they become idols. Our Lord’s own words should be prayerfully pondered by all who name His name. He said, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth” (Luke 12:15).
It is possible for “things” to eclipse God. Each Christian should remember that he is but a steward, or trustee. All that he has, he is to hold as a sacred trust to be administered for God. The day will come when he will have to “give an account of his stewardship.” Happy indeed is he who shall do it with joy and now with sorrow: “And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward” (Luke 16:2). (h) Power. The apostle John had to speak of a man named Diotrephes, as one “who loveth to have the preeminence” (3 John 1:9). Power, with this man, had become an obsession. Nothing would suit him but the highest place of authority in the assembly. It is sad enough when one sees the mad scramble for power amongst worldlings; but sadder still to see it in a professing child of God, who claims to be a follower of the One who was “meek and lowly in heart”; (Matthew 11:28-29) and “Who made himself of no reputation” (Php 2:7).
Pride, with its love of power and pre-eminence, is not the atmosphere where worship is either generated, encouraged or displayed. Worship belongs to the humble believer, who is content with the place God has given him, and seeks to fill it with loving and loyal devotion. An old Christian used to say: “Why is there such a rush to get to the top of the ladder, when there is so much room at the bottom?”
Science. This is a modern idol which, through Satan’s strategy, has turned many away from the worship of God. By “science,” in this sense, we do not refer to established facts of creation that are beyond all question, but to the various theories put forth by men that purport to account for creation without God. The Bible rightly terms such: “Science, falsely so called” (1 Timothy 6:20).
Many a young and uninstructed believer has gone to a place of “higher learning,” only to have his faith shaken in the truth of God’s revelation. Some worldly-wise and unbelieving professor propounds a theory as though it were a fact, dubs it “science,” and then sneeringly belittles the Bible as being “unscientific,” because it does not support his theory!
Thus “Science” is elevated to the position of an idol.
- There it sits upon a high throne.
- It has a mortar board upon its head; - An academic gown upon its body; - A diploma for its sceptre, - A halo of letters around its head, as “B.A, M.A, PH.D, LL.D, B.Sc,” etc. At the mention of the name of this sacred idol, “Science,” all students are supposed to prostrate themselves, own it as the supreme lord of their lives, the arbiter of their destiny, and render to it the worship of their hearts, at least until their graduation! One has only to turn to the sacred page to discover how utterly foolish are these vaporings of ungodly men. Every Christian should carefully read 1 Corinthians 1:17-29.
“For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. “For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.” From this he will learn what God thinks of the wisdom of this world, as it is divorced from a knowledge of God and opposed to His revelation of Divine wisdom in the Scriptures. An old scientist, who was also a humble believer in God’s word, declared that during his lifetime he had seen the rise and fall of over 300 false theories that loudly claimed to prove the Bible untrue. The false theory of organic evolution, in spite of the fact that there is no scientific evidence to support it, is still put forth as though it was an established fact, and thousands of gullible young men and women swallow it whole because it bears the magical name of “Science,” spelled with capital letters! A young Christian in an infidel college was much shaken in her faith in the integrity of Holy Scriptures. She decided to shut herself up in her room until she knew where she stood in regard to these matters. At the end of several hours she emerged with the conviction of the truth of Divine revelation. On the flyleaf of her Bible, she had written the words: “Can time undo what once was true?” If the word of God was once true, it will always be true, for truth is unchangeable and eternal.
Some of the greatest real scientists, both of the past and the present, are true Christians, who have declared they see no contradiction whatever between what God has been pleased to reveal in His word, and the established facts of science. We have by no means exhausted the list of idols, but surely enough has been written to show that whatever it may be which displeases God, or which hinders our worship of Him is, to that extent, an idol, which we must not tolerate for a moment.
~ end of chapter 12 ~ http://www.baptistbiblebelievers.com/
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