Is all sin Idolatry?

Dave... said:

What do you think of this statement that I found browsing the net?

"The root of every sin is a breaking of the first commandment"

I only have one distinction to categories my thoughts in this matter.

Pre-made. This is a person suppressing the truth in unrighteousness and heaping up for himself false teachers who tell him what his itching ears want to hear. This is a idol that was made to appeal to the flesh and attract the masses.

Custom made idols. These I would define as a person making a god in his own image. Making Him as he wants Him to be, and not trusting and loving Him as He is, even if we don't understand everything to get a clear picture of Him. This is a person who plucks out from Scripture all the things that he doesn't want, and replaces that with his own wants, thus creating a god in his own image.

Is all sin idolatry? Is it all motivated by the breaking of the first commandment?

Thoughts?

Click to expand...

I think that in the more technical sense, no--not all sin is the sin of idolatry. We don't all worship cows or crocodiles, or even our favorite Hollywood actor/actress, when we wish to cheat on our taxes. But, I suppose it would be a form of loving ourselves and our wants more than what God wants.

All sin, I think, is at root caused by resistance to God's Word in our conscience, even if it isn't outright rebellion. I do think there are grades of sin, even though some people think all sin is simply "sin." Good point, though.

I believe the Bible teaches that the 'essence' of sin is 'self-idolatry', all sinful acts spring from this.

Jeff Carr said:

I believe the Bible teaches that the 'essence' of sin is 'self-idolatry', all sinful acts spring from this.

Click to expand...

I guess I could go with, "All sin is *as* the sin of idolatry." Or, "All sin is "like witchcraft." But it appears to be intended to make sin look worse than it really is, compared with the more heinous sins?

Of course, all sin is horrible in the sense that any sin at all can keep us out of God's presence and out of Heaven. But there are, after the Fall of Man, greater sins and lesser sins. I wouldn't, for example, group misrepresenting the truth to a small degree with torture, murder, and rape.

RandyPNW said:

I guess I could go with, "All sin is *as* the sin of idolatry." Or, "All sin is "like witchcraft." But it appears to be intended to make sin look worse than it really is, compared with the more heinous sins?

Of course, all sin is horrible in the sense that any sin at all can keep us out of God's presence and out of Heaven. But there are, after the Fall of Man, greater sins and lesser sins. I wouldn't, for example, group misrepresenting the truth to a small degree with torture, murder, and rape.

Click to expand...

How can you seriously write, 'to be intended to make sin look worse than it really is'?
In the eyes of our God, all sin is a great offence to Him and His holiness. That is why is wrath is against all who sin and rebel against Him.
One of the great tragedies of the modern-day Evangelical Church is that we fail to take sin seriously.

Jeff Carr said:

How can you seriously write, 'to be intended to make sin look worse than it really is'?
In the eyes of our God, all sin is a great offence to Him and His holiness. That is why is wrath is against all who sin and rebel against Him.
One of the great tragedies of the modern-day Evangelical Church is that we fail to take sin seriously.

Click to expand...

I kind of knew you would take it that way, ignoring completely what I said about "all sin." But I can't help what you have to think.

RandyPNW said:

I kind of knew you would take it that way, ignoring completely what I said about "all sin." But I can't help what you have to think.

Click to expand...

Sorry if I mistook what you wrote. Peace.

Dave... said:

Isn't self idolatry just forming a god in our own image, the way we want Him to be?

Click to expand...

Self-idolatry is the worship of oneself. It is putting yourself in God's place. It is the root, from which all other sins come forth.
God bless.

“Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”

Click to expand...

-- Romans 6:16 (KJV)

Whenever we make a decision, every decision, we are acting in obedience to some master. If I decide I need a new car instead of a decent used car, that decision is in obedience to a master. If I decide on the Mercedes instead of the Kia, that's also in obedience to a master. Most likely, that "master" is myself. In the Apostle Paul's parlance, I would be placing myself as an idol over God.

In Romans 6, Paul’s argument is not limited to overtly religious acts. He is describing a broader anthropology of human action: People inevitably serve, orient toward, or submit to something.

In Paul’s framework, “master” does not only mean a literal ruler or even a golden statue. It means the governing authority of desire, loyalty, identity, or obedience.

Buying a new luxury car instead of a practical used one could be motivated by vanity, status anxiety, pride, comfort, stewardship, necessity, aesthetic appreciation, or simple utility. The external act alone does not reveal the “master.” The governing motive does.

Paul’s concern is that humans tend to absolutize created things, including the self. That connects closely to idolatry in biblical thought. In much of Christian theology, idolatry is not merely bowing before statues, it is elevating anything finite into the highest organizing principle of life.

So yes, in Pauline terms, the self can become a functional idol. “What I want” becomes ultimate. "What expresses me” becomes moral authority. Desire itself becomes sovereign.

That idea also connects with other New Testament passages:

Gospel of Matthew 6:24: “No man can serve two masters...”

Epistle to the Philippians 3:19: “whose God is their belly...”

Epistle to the Colossians 3:5: “covetousness, which is idolatry”

In the Pauline and broader biblical sense, an idol is not only a supernatural being (actually, an idol is never truly a supernatural being). It can also be whatever occupies the highest place of authority in a person’s moral hierarchy, the thing to which competing claims are ultimately subordinated. Whatever dictates a person's actions is that person's god.

If pleasure overrides all other considerations, pleasure functions as a god.
If national identity becomes absolute, the nation functions as a god.
If personal autonomy is supreme, the self functions as a god.
If wealth consistently determines conduct, money functions as a god.

Martin Luther famously said that “whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your god.”

I know a pastor who proposes this self-test: Imagine yourself in a gathering with other people where you are freely able to discuss any topic you want without fear of political or social consequences. What would you most eagerly choose to talk about? Whatever you're most willing and happy to talk about is your god. And you might have a whole pantheon of gods.

Dave... said:

What do you think of this statement that I found browsing the net?

"The root of every sin is a breaking of the first commandment"

Click to expand...

Yes I think so. Thats why its number 1. It also relates to the greatest commandment to love God with all your heart and strength. This is not so much a commandment but an appeal. The spirit of the first commandment. That whatever is in your heart that you make God is what you will be and become. Is also the root of all evil in that it begins in the heart. Christ mentions this as being the fullfillmnt of the law.

I think it also relates to hierarchy. Who is the ultimate lord of this world and the universe. Many gods and truths are claimed as the one true way to enlightenment and salvation. But it is in the nature of truth and reality that there can only be one God and truth in Christ.

Satan rebels against this and wanted to be God. Wanted to be the god of the world. He put the idea in minds of Adam and Eve to disobey God so they could be like Him.

That why God made the 1st commandment as He knew that there would be many false gods and idols that were competing for devotion. As God was the one true God it makes sense that this be a commandment for our own good. Whatever you make your god is what you become.

Dave... said:

I only have one distinction to categories my thoughts in this matter.

Pre-made. This is a person suppressing the truth in unrighteousness and heaping up for himself false teachers who tell him what his itching ears want to hear. This is a idol that was made to appeal to the flesh and attract the masses.

Click to expand...

Thats why I think it begins with the 1st commandment and its fullfillment in the greatest commandment. Which leads to the 2nd greatest commandment.

Because if you begin with the one true God it leads to the keeping of the commandments and to Christs fullfillment as God promised. The foundation is God and the fruits are obedience to God in keeping the rest of the commandments. Which naturally leads to Christ.

But if you place false gods and idols as the basis for your devotion and worship then you are subject to this. Whatever that may entail. Much of the time with pagan gods and idols or with money and materialism or with science and tech and even worshipping other humans as the pharoahs did. This is usually based around making human desires and the flesh gods and idols.

Its a backdoor way to worshipping the world and self as god.

I think the main reason why God is resisted is because people have to give up the idea of self as the god of their own life and world. Bowing down to someone else as God. Due to our fallen nature we inherently rebel against God. Because satan wants to be God.

Dave... said:

Custom made idols. These I would define as a person making a god in his own image. Making Him as he wants Him to be, and not trusting and loving Him as He is, even if we don't understand everything to get a clear picture of Him. This is a person who plucks out from Scripture all the things that he doesn't want, and replaces that with his own wants, thus creating a god in his own image.

Is all sin idolatry? Is it all motivated by the breaking of the first commandment?

Thoughts?

Click to expand...

Your are right that we humans tend to make what we want into gods and idols. Its sort of a justification for allowing sin that we make it a god or something worthy of worshipping. Money is a good example. Many don't even realise we are slaves to money. When God said he would give us all we need.

The hardest thing I think is that in todays world it is full of false gods and idols that make people happy and give pleasure and that this has been made to be a good thing. A measure of what is moral and something that should be aspired to. Its a bot like how 'pride' has become a virtue. Which is basically the worship of self and others.