WHAT IS SO WRONG WITH IDOLATRY?

The worship of idols is forbidden by the true and living God. I don't claim to be able to completely explain every aspect of why it is wrong to worship idols, but I would like to explain along one line of reasoning that I think is crucial and really makes clear why it is wrong.

The Bible often points out that an idol is not alive.  It is a man-made drawn, carved, or molten image that represents a supposed deity.  But in itself it is not alive.  However, many idol-worshipers are subtle and they would say that they don't actually worship the idol but the deity it represents.  That can stop a Christian or even make him think that maybe they have a point, that idol-worshipers are only those who think the actual idol itself is the god, which few modern people would think.  So, has idolatry really been stamped out? Are Hindus and such not really idolaters?

No, they are.

Because if the idol represents the god, it must be truly reflective of the god. That's inherent in what it means to represent something.  Since the worshiper uses the idol as a spiritual conduit to the god, there must be an essential connection between the idol and the god. But the idol, as we have already noted, is not alive.  And as such, what it represents cannot be alive either.  If the true image of something is not alive, it is the image of something not alive.  And thus, every idol is the image of a false god and not the image of the true and LIVING God.

Who is the image of the invisible God? Jesus Christ (2 Cor 4:4, Col 1:15, Heb 1:3)!

This is also an interesting proof of the Deity of Christ. Because in the Bible, we have instances where the idol ITSELF is called the god (1 Sam 5:2-4). The image of the god IS the god.  And so, Christ, being the image of the true and living God, IS the true and living God. "I and my Father are one."  John 10:30.

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