Does Love Really Win?

The Tool of Idolatry: to me...

When we think of someone creating an idol, we might imagine some primitive man in a cave fashioning a little statue.  He crafts the idol so that he can worship it, but it is really just a piece of wood or rock that originated in his own mind! Today, most people around us won't take the extra step to craft their idol in a woodshop, but the idol or object of worship still originates in the mind. 

The key phrase used in describing the false god they worship is "to me..." 

Let me give you an example.  In many conversations I have, the person will state something like this: 'I know that the Bible describes God as loving and holy and wrathful and just, but to me God is all love.'  Do you see the subtle idol being crafted?  They understand how God describes himself in the Bible, but they reject that notion, fashioning their own image of God in their mind with the "to me" tool. 

The to me tool is sharp and effective in crafting our own views of God, but it is the tell-tale sign that the god they worship is not the God of the Bible.

You see, we don't get the liberty of choosing which aspects of God we like and which ones we can do without.  It is forbidden in the first and second commandments!  (Exodus 20).  We are to love and worship the Lord our God only and to not craft an idol or god to worship.  We see this idolatry all around us - and it becomes even more evident when you hear the key phrase "to me." 

The internet has exploded this past week with reviews of mega-church pastor Rob Bell's release of his new book "Love Wins: A book about Heaven, Hell, and the fate of every person who ever lived."  This post is not a book review (others have done a much better job at that than I could - see Kevin DeYoung for an exhaustive book review, or Al Mohler for a shorter review or C.J. Mahaney for a quick summary - all are excellent reviews of the book). 

Bell has received national televised attention this week, always defending his view that God is a god of love who will not allow anyone to spend eternity in hell.  His god is all love - no wrath and no judgment.  The problem with this view is that it is not how God presents himself in the Bible.  Bell seems to have chosen the qualities of God that he prefers and removed the qualities of God that he is not comfortable with.  He is essentially saying, 'I know the Bible describes God as a holy God who must punish sin, but I prefer to view God as only a god of love and acceptance.'  Did you see the "to me" tool?  It's the sure sign of an idol being fashioned to suit your own desires.  We don't have the option to make God out to be who we want Him to be.  He is what He says He is!  We either yield in submission or we rebel.

This post is from one of the pastors at Riverside to the people attending Riverside.  I want to share my heart with you on this issue of idolatry.  Rob Bell's book is just the current issue that prompted this post.  Be on guard against the "to me" tool.  Try to recognize it in your own life and thinking.  If you've fashioned a god that is comfortable and easy and palatable, you may as well take the extra step and carve a piece of wood to represent your view of God!  A better course of action would be to confess this as sin, repent, and replace your idol with the God who reveals himself in the pages of the Bible.