“you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (1 Thess. 1:9, NKJV)
If you came to Christ as an adult, how would you describe your salvation experience? It is true of many raised in Christian homes that they cannot remember a day that Jesus Christ was not central to their lives. They don’t have a conversion story but do profess faith in Him as their Savior and allegiance to Him as their Lord.
The Thessalonians had more of a definitive salvation experience, much like the apostle Paul himself. Paul describes the report about them, that they had “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (1 Thess. 1:9).
What are idols? Idols can be graven images, like those forbidden in second commandment (Ex. 20:4-5), made of precious metal or wood or stone. Sometimes something in the creation itself can function as an idol, such as the sun.
Whatever form idols may take, they all have one common denominator. They serve as rivals to God for worship. The glory that belongs only to God is ascribed to them.
Do we have idols in our day? We certainly do. While we might not be so crass as to worship inanimate objects, we do give our heart and soul to things like money, prestige, physical appearance, the opinions of others, or whatever might occupy a place in our hearts that belongs only to God.
Paul applies the label of idolatry in what he writes in his letter to the Colossians: “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them” (Col. 3:5–7, ESV).
A hallmark of coming to Christ is the renunciation of idols. Why? For one reason, they are not real. They are constructs of our imaginations. In Isaiah 43 the prophet lays out the credentials of the living and true God and His actions on behalf of His people. He then goes on in the next chapter to give an almost comical description that shows the absurdity of idolatry. After selecting a block of wood a man will “take some of it and warm himself; yes, he kindles it and bakes bread; indeed he makes a god and worships it; he makes it a carved image, and falls down to it” (Isa. 44:15).
Another reason for the rejection of idols is that they are a vain hope for deliverance. They cannot save. They cannot satisfy. On the contrary, they end up enslaving us. “Those who make them are like them; so is everyone who trusts in them” (Psa. 115:8).
But God is “the living and true God” (1 Thess. 1:9). That phrase serves as a technical expression for the actual God, the real God, the eternal God who made heaven and earth. It is for this God that the Thessalonians rejected idols and this God they have purposed to serve. “Serve” is another way of expressing “worship” (see Psalm 100; Rom. 1:18-25).
We erect idols in our hearts and keep them before our eyes in the conduct of life. Even after coming to Christ, we wrestle with idolatry, looking to find in them fulfillment, life, and delight that only the living God can give.
John closes his first epistle with a warning to keep ourselves from idols (1 John 5:21), meaning that we are to love our God and Father with the entirety of our being. To Him and to Him alone belong all glory, honor, and praise.
How does idolatry show up in your life?
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
