Beyond Golden Calves Part 5: The Invisible Idols
When Good Things Become God-Things
Hello brothers and sisters.
In Parts 1-4, we examined physical idols, sacred objects, and human beings as objects of worship. But some of the most dangerous idols are often the ones we can’t see; the pursuits, possessions, and priorities that silently usurp God’s throne in our hearts. These are the idols that hide behind good intentions, legitimate needs, and cultural acceptability. They don’t demand we bow; they simply ask us to reach.
If you missed the first 4, you can find them below:
There’s a reason the New Testament doesn’t spend much time warning us about Baal worship or golden calves. By the first century, physical idolatry had largely faded from Jewish practice. But idolatry itself? It metastasized into something far more insidious.
The apostle Paul, writing to churches scattered across the Roman world, didn’t need to tell believers to stop bowing before statues. He needed to expose the idolatry they couldn’t see, the functional gods of wealth, comfort, security, and self. These are the idols that live in our hearts, not our homes. The idols we carry with us everywhere we go.
This is where idolatry becomes personal. Uncomfortable. Because unlike the dramatic sins of Israel’s apostasy, these quiet idolatries wear the mask of responsibility, prudence, and ambition. They look like success. They feel like wisdom. They masquerade as the very things God wants us to pursue.
Until He pulls back the curtain and shows us that we’ve been worshiping the gifts instead of the Giver.
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COVETOUSNESS = IDOLATRY
Paul’s Shocking Equation (Colossians 3:5)
The apostle Paul makes one of the most startling theological declarations in the New Testament when he writes to the Colossian church. After calling believers to “seek the things that are above” and reminding them they have “died” with Christ (Colossians 3:1-3), he issues a command:
Greek (Colossians 3:5):
Νεκρώσατε οὖν τὰ μέλη τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· πορνείαν, ἀκαθαρσίαν, πάθος, ἐπιθυμίαν κακήν, καὶ τὴν πλεονεξίαν, ἥτις ἐστὶν εἰδωλολατρία
“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”
English (ESV):
“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”
Notice what Paul does at the end of that list. After naming four sins related to sexual immorality, he adds one more— πλεονεξίαν (pleonexian, “covetousness” or “greed”) —and then appends a devastating identification: ἥτις ἐστὶν εἰδωλολατρία (hētis estin eidōlolatria), “which is idolatry.”
Unpacking the Greek: Pleonexia
The word πλεονεξία (pleonexia) is a compound from πλέον (pleon, “more”) and ἔχω (echō, “to have”). Literally, it means “the desire to have more.” But it’s not merely wanting more, this is insatiable desire, ruthless self-seeking, the assumption that others and their things exist for one’s own benefit.
Biblical lexicons describe πλεονεξία as:
“Greedy desire to have more”
“Covetousness, avarice”
“Insatiable desire for what belongs to others”
“The desire to get, whatever the cost”
It’s the heart that looks at what God has given and says, “Not enough.” It’s the soul that looks at what others have and says, “I need that.” It’s the life organized around acquisition rather than gratitude, around getting rather than giving.
Why Covetousness IS Idolatry
Paul doesn’t say covetousness leads to idolatry or is like idolatry. He says it is (ἐστὶν, estin) idolatry. This isn’t metaphor or hyperbole, it’s identification. Covetousness doesn’t merely violate the tenth commandment; it violates the first.
Why? Because covetousness dethrones God and enthrones desire.
Consider the mechanics:
Idolatry says: This thing (not God) will satisfy me
Covetousness says: I must have more of this thing to be satisfied
Both replace God as the source of contentment, security, and joy
When you covet:
You reject God’s provision as insufficient
You make acquisition your highest priority
You organize your life around getting rather than worshiping
You trust in things rather than in God
You serve your desires rather than your Creator
Paul elaborates on this connection in Ephesians 5:5:
Ephesians 5:5:
ὁ πλεονέκτης, ὅ ἐστιν εἰδωλολάτρης, οὐκ ἔχει κληρονομίαν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ θεοῦ
“The covetous person, who is an idolater, has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”
The stakes couldn’t be higher. The covetous person— the one whose life is organized around getting more —is classified as an εἰδωλολάτρης (eidōlolatrēs), an “idolater,” and therefore excluded from the kingdom.
Why such severity? Because covetousness reveals where your heart truly worships.
The Tenth Commandment: The Root of All Idolatry?
Paul’s equation of covetousness with idolatry should send us back to the Ten Commandments, where this connection first appears:
Hebrew (Exodus 20:17):
לֹא תַחְמֹד בֵּית רֵעֶךָ לֹא־תַחְמֹד אֵשֶׁת רֵעֶךָ וְעַבְדּוֹ וַאֲמָתוֹ וְשׁוֹרוֹ וַחֲמֹרוֹ וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר לְרֵעֶךָ
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”
LXX (Exodus 20:17):
οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσεις τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ πλησίον σου...οὐδὲ πᾶν ὅ ἐστιν τοῦ πλησίον σου
“You shall not desire your neighbor’s wife...nor anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
The Hebrew verb חָמַד (chamad) and the Greek verb ἐπιθυμέω (epithymeō) both mean “to desire, to long for.” Neither is inherently negative. In fact, both words can describe good desires:
God חָמַד (chamad) Mount Zion (Psalm 68:16)
Jesus ἐπιθυμίᾳ ἐπεθύμησεν (epithymia epithymēsen) to eat the Passover with His disciples (Luke 22:15)
The sin isn’t desire itself, it’s misplaced desire. It’s desire that targets what belongs to someone else, that rejects God’s provision as insufficient, that makes acquisition the organizing principle of life.
The Tenth Commandment’s Unique Character
Notice something crucial: the tenth commandment is different from the first nine. The others forbid actions:
Don’t murder
Don’t commit adultery
Don’t steal
Don’t bear false witness
But the tenth commandment forbids a desire. It reaches into the heart, into the realm of thought and affection, before any action has been taken.
This is why Paul calls covetousness the root. You can trace every violation of commandments 6-9 back to covetousness:
Murder? Born from coveting someone’s position, power, or possession (usually).
Adultery? Born from coveting someone’s spouse.
Theft? Born from coveting someone’s property.
False witness? Born from coveting someone’s reputation or wanting to protect your own covetous schemes (an oversimplification, yes, but still generally true).
As one commentator put it: “The tenth commandment gets everybody.” Because everyone has desired what God hasn’t given. Everyone has looked at someone else’s life and wanted it. Everyone has organized some part of their life around acquisition rather than worship.
The tenth commandment diagnoses the heart disease that produces all other sins. And Paul, with apostolic insight, identifies that disease as idolatry.
MAMMON — THE RIVAL DEITY
Jesus’ Stark Either/Or (Matthew 6:24)
If Paul identifies covetousness as idolatry, Jesus personifies wealth as a rival god. In the Sermon on the Mount, after teaching about storing up treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:19-23), Jesus makes this declaration:
Greek (Matthew 6:24):
Οὐδεὶς δύναται δυσὶ κυρίοις δουλεύειν· ἢ γὰρ τὸν ἕνα μισήσει καὶ τὸν ἕτερον ἀγαπήσει, ἢ ἑνὸς ἀνθέξεται καὶ τοῦ ἑτέρου καταφρονήσει. οὐ δύνασθε θεῷ δουλεύειν καὶ μαμωνᾷ.
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
Three elements demand our attention:
1. The Vocabulary of Slavery
The verb δουλεύειν (douleuein) doesn’t mean “work for” or “be employed by.” It means “be a slave to,” “be in bondage to,” “render absolute service to.” A δοῦλος (doulos, slave) has no autonomy, no rights, no ability to set terms. The slave exists to serve the master’s will.
Jesus deliberately uses slavery language. He’s not talking about having a job or managing money. He’s talking about who owns you; who has the authority to command your life, who receives your ultimate loyalty, who determines your priorities.
2. The Impossibility of Dual Loyalty
The word οὐδείς (oudeis) means “absolutely no one.” This is emphatic, universal negation. There are no exceptions to this rule. No one— not the spiritual elite, not the financially disciplined, not the balanced and moderate —can successfully serve two masters.
Why? Because eventually, the masters will give conflicting commands. And when they do, you will either:
Hate (μισέω, miseō) one and love (ἀγαπάω, agapaō) the other
Hold to (ἀντέχομαι, antechomai: cling to, be devoted to) one and despise (καταφρονέω, kataphroneō: look down on, treat with contempt) the other
The verbs are emotionally charged. This isn’t about mild preference; it’s about love versus hate, devotion versus contempt. You can’t give ultimate loyalty to both.
3. Mammon as a Personal Power
The word μαμωνᾶς (mamōnas) is Aramaic, meaning “wealth” or “possessions.” In Jesus’ day, it was a neutral term; Jews were often encouraged to honor God with their mammon by giving generously.
But Jesus treats mammon as a personal power demanding worship. Notice:
He doesn’t say “You cannot serve God and love money”
He doesn’t say “You cannot serve God and pursue wealth”
He says “You cannot serve God and mammon“—as if mammon is a rival deity demanding service
Some ancient interpreters even believed Mammon was the name of a pagan god (though there’s no historical evidence for this). Whether or not Jesus had a specific demonic power in mind, His language is unmistakable: wealth functions as a god, demanding devotion, promising security, requiring service.
There is a belief in Mammon as a literal demon in a significant part of some Christian and popular culture interpretations. However, within mainstream Christian denominations and scholarly biblical exegesis, the prevailing view is that the term is a powerful metaphor for the idolatrous pursuit of wealth, rather than an evil spirit with a proper name.
The Diagnostic Question
Jesus’ teaching forces us to ask: Who is your master?
Not “Do you have money?” but “Does money have you?”
Not “Do you want financial security?” but “Is financial security your functional god?”
Not “Do you enjoy nice things?” but “Have nice things become the thing you serve?”
The test comes when God and mammon give conflicting commands:
God says, “Give generously.” Mammon says, “Save for yourself.”
God says, “Live simply.” Mammon says, “Accumulate more.”
God says, “Trust Me.” Mammon says, “Build bigger barns.”
God says, “Seek first My kingdom.” Mammon says, “Seek first financial security.”
Which voice do you obey? The answer reveals your master.
BIBLICAL CASE STUDIES IN WEALTH IDOLATRY
Achan’s Covetousness (Joshua 7)
The Israelites had just witnessed God’s miraculous conquest of Jericho. The city fell without a sword being raised. God gave explicit instructions: the city was “devoted to destruction” (חֵרֶם, cherem); everything was to be destroyed or given to the LORD’s treasury. Nothing was to be taken for personal gain.
But Achan saw. And Achan coveted. And Achan took.
Joshua 7:21:
וָאֶרְאֶה בַּשָּׁלָל אַדֶּרֶת שִׁנְעָר אַחַת טוֹבָה וּמָאתַיִם שְׁקָלִים כֶּסֶף וּלְשׁוֹן זָהָב אֶחָד...וָאֶחְמְדֵם וָאֶקָּחֵם
“When I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them.”
Notice the progression:
I saw (רָאָה, ra’ah)
I coveted (חָמַד, chamad)
I took (לָקַח, laqach)
This is the same pattern from Genesis 3:
Eve saw that the tree was good for food
She desired it
She took and ate
Covetousness bridges the gap between temptation and sin. It’s the moment when desire becomes decision, when looking becomes longing, when admiration becomes acquisition.
The Consequence: Corporate Judgment
Achan’s sin didn’t just affect him. Because of his covetousness:
Israel was defeated at Ai (v. 5)
Thirty-six men died (v. 5)
The people’s hearts melted (v. 5)
God’s anger burned against Israel (v. 1)
When Joshua prayed, God responded: “Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings” (v. 11).
Notice: God says “Israel has sinned” even though only Achan took the items. Why? Because Achan’s covetousness brought judgment on the entire community. Private idolatry has public consequences.
The Rich Fool (Luke 12:13-21)
Jesus tells a parable about a man whose fields produced abundantly. Rather than seeing this as God’s provision to be stewarded for His purposes, the man asks:
Luke 12:17-19:
“What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?” And he said, “I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’”
Count the first-person pronouns: my crops, my barns, my grain, my goods, my soul. The entire monologue is self-referential. God is nowhere in his thinking.
And God responds:
Luke 12:20:
“Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?”
The Greek word for “fool” is ἄφρων (aphrōn), literally “without mind” or “senseless.” But in biblical usage, a fool is someone who lives as if God doesn’t exist (Psalm 14:1). The rich man’s folly wasn’t poor financial planning, it was functional atheism. He lived as if his wealth could give him what only God can give: security, identity, purpose, eternal life.
Jesus concludes: “So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God” (v. 21).
The diagnostic question: Are you storing up treasure for yourself, or are you rich toward God?
The Rich Young Ruler (Matthew 19:16-22)
A young man approaches Jesus with what seems like spiritual hunger: “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” (v. 16).
Jesus responds by pointing him to the commandments. The young man claims he has kept them all. Then Jesus issues a specific command tailored to this man’s particular idol:
Matthew 19:21:
“If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
The response is devastating:
Matthew 19:22:
ἀκούσας δὲ ὁ νεανίσκος τὸν λόγον ἀπῆλθεν λυπούμενος· ἦν γὰρ ἔχων κτήματα πολλά
“When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”
Or more literally: “for he was having many possessions.” The Greek construction (ἦν ἔχων, ēn echōn) suggests continuous, ongoing possession. His identity was wrapped up in his wealth.
Jesus wasn’t establishing a universal command to sell all possessions (He didn’t require this of Zacchaeus, Joseph of Arimathea, or others). He was exposing this particular man’s functional god. The young man asked what he must do to have eternal life. Jesus showed him what he couldn’t do— give up his wealth —thereby revealing where his treasure truly was.
The principle: Whatever you can’t give up has become your god.
WHEN GOOD THINGS BECOME GOD-THINGS
The Subtle Danger of Legitimate Desires
The most dangerous idols aren’t obviously evil. They’re good things— even God-given things —that have been elevated to ultimate importance. Family, work, comfort, security, achievement; these aren’t inherently sinful. But when they become non-negotiable, when losing them would devastate us, when we organize our lives around them rather than around God, they’ve become idols.
Work and Achievement
The Biblical Foundation:
God created humans to work. Before the Fall, Adam tended the garden (Genesis 2:15). Work is good. Diligence is commended (Proverbs 6:6-11). Paul commands, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10).
So when does work become idolatry?
Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:4):
“Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves.”
The problem wasn’t the construction project, it was the motivation: “let us make a name for ourselves.” Work became about self-glorification, human achievement, building a legacy apart from God.
Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38-42):
Martha welcomed Jesus into her home and immediately became “distracted with much serving” (v. 40). The Greek word περιεσπᾶτο (periespato) suggests being “pulled in different directions,” “over-occupied,” “distracted.”
When Martha complained that Mary wasn’t helping, Jesus gently corrected: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her” (vv. 41-42).
Jesus wasn’t condemning service or hospitality. He was diagnosing Martha’s heart: she was so consumed with the work that she missed the Person. Service for Jesus had replaced fellowship with Jesus.
The Modern Application:
Work becomes idolatry when:
Your identity is tied to your job title or accomplishments rather than to being God’s child
You sacrifice relationships, health, and spiritual disciplines on the altar of productivity
Rest feels like failure
Your worth rises and falls with your performance
You justify neglecting God and family because “this is what it takes to succeed”
You can’t stop, can’t slow down, can’t say no
The thought of retirement or job loss fills you with existential dread
Diagnostic questions:
If God called you to a less prestigious, lower-paying role, would you obey?
Does your mood on Monday depend on your work satisfaction?
Do you think more about work than about God throughout the day?
Have you convinced yourself that working excessive hours is “providing for your family” when it’s really about your own sense of significance?
Family as Idol
The Biblical Foundation:
God created the family. Marriage reflects Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:22-33). Children are a heritage from the LORD (Psalm 127:3). Honoring parents is commanded (Exodus 20:12). Providing for family is essential (1 Timothy 5:8).
So when does family become idolatry?
Jesus’ Hard Words (Matthew 10:37-38):
“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”
Luke 14:26:
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”
The word “hate” (μισέω, miseō) is Semitic hyperbole, it means to love less by comparison. Jesus isn’t commanding family hostility. He’s commanding proper priority. Your love for God must be so overwhelming that your love for family looks like hate in comparison.
The Modern Application:
Family becomes idolatry when:
You would disobey God to please your spouse or children
Your children’s happiness/success/comfort becomes your ultimate goal
You’ve made an idol of “family time” that crowds out church, service, and spiritual disciplines
You prioritize family vacation over mission trips, family preferences over ministry needs
Your spouse has become a savior figure, the person you expect to provide identity, security, and purpose
You would sacrifice calling for comfort, mission for safety, obedience for family approval
Your children have become your project, your trophy, your identity
Diagnostic questions:
If God called your family to uncomfortable obedience— moving to a dangerous place, living sacrificially, risking reputation —would you go?
Do you use “protecting my family” as an excuse for disobedience?
Have your children become the organizing principle of your life rather than Christ?
Would you let your child suffer temporary disappointment if it meant obeying God?
Comfort and Security
The Biblical Foundation:
God is called a refuge (Psalm 46:1), a fortress (Psalm 18:2), and our provider (Matthew 6:25-34). He promises to care for us. Jesus invites us to “come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
So when does comfort become idolatry?
The Principle:
Comfort becomes idolatry when we demand it from life rather than receiving it as a gift from God. Security becomes idolatry when we try to create it through our own efforts rather than trusting God’s sovereignty.
The Modern Application:
Comfort and security become idolatry when:
You won’t obey God if it means risking financial stability
You demand a certain standard of living as non-negotiable
You’ve insulated yourself from all discomfort, inconvenience, and sacrifice
You say no to ministry opportunities because they would disrupt your routine
Your retirement plan has more detail than your discipleship plan
You need multiple layers of insurance against every possible harm
You prioritize safety over obedience
The possibility of suffering makes you doubt God’s goodness
Diagnostic questions:
If obeying God meant giving up your home, your savings, or your comfort, would you do it?
Do you trust God’s provision, or do you trust your portfolio?
Have you made risk-aversion a virtue rather than recognizing that faith often requires risk?
Are you more afraid of financial insecurity than of spiritual complacency?
THE DIAGNOSTIC — IS IT AN IDOL?
The Core Question
Tim Keller provided one of the most penetrating diagnostic questions for idolatry:
“What is it that, if you lost it, would make you feel like life wasn’t worth living?”
Whatever fills that blank is your functional god.
Notice that the question isn’t about sin or virtue. It’s about ultimacy. What is ultimate in your life? What is non-negotiable? What is the thing that, if removed, would leave you devastated?
If it’s your career, your career is your god
If it’s your spouse, your spouse is your god
If it’s your children’s success, your children’s success is your god
If it’s your comfort, your comfort is your god
If it’s your reputation, your reputation is your god
Only one answer is biblical: Christ. “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).
Additional Diagnostic Questions
1. The Thought Test:
What do you think about most when your mind is free? Where does your mind drift during a commute, before sleep, in moments of downtime?
Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Your thoughts reveal your treasure.
2. The Money Test:
Where does your money go? Your spending reveals your priorities. We fund what we worship.
Look at your bank statements. What story do they tell? Do they reveal worship of God, or worship of comfort, status, and acquisition?
3. The Time Test:
How do you use your discretionary time? What you do when you don’t have to do anything reveals what you love.
4. The Reaction Test:
What makes you anxious? What makes you angry? Often, our anxiety and anger reveal our idols being threatened.
Anxious about finances? Money may be your security idol
Angry when your plans are disrupted? Control may be your idol
Devastated when criticized? Approval may be your idol
5. The Imagination Test:
What would make your life perfect? If you could wave a wand and fix one thing, what would it be? That answer likely reveals your idol.
6. The Obedience Test:
What would God have to ask of you that you couldn’t do? What is off-limits, non-negotiable, too much to ask?
Whatever you can’t surrender is your god.
7. The Identity Test:
How do you complete the sentence: “I am a ___________”?
If your answer is anything other than “child of God” or “follower of Christ,” you may have found your idol. Are you primarily a professional, a parent, an athlete, an intellectual, a successful person? Identity idols are subtle but powerful.
THE GOSPEL SOLUTION — SATISFACTION IN GOD ALONE
The Problem: Functional Saviors
The reason covetousness is idolatry is because we ask created things to do what only the Creator can do: satisfy the soul, provide security, give identity, offer purpose.
Every idol is a functional savior: something we trust to deliver what only God can give. And every idol fails. Eventually.
Wealth can be lost
Achievement can be surpassed
Comfort can be interrupted
Family can disappoint
Health can fail
No created thing can bear the weight of worship. They were never designed to. They will all, eventually, collapse under the burden of being our god.
The Promise: God’s All-Sufficiency
The biblical solution to idolatry isn’t self-denial for its own sake. It’s the superior satisfaction of knowing God.
Psalm 16:11:
“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
Psalm 37:4:
“Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
Philippians 4:11-13:
“I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
Paul’s secret? Christ was sufficient. Whether he had much or little, whether he was comfortable or suffering, he had Christ, and Christ was enough.
The Practice: Killing the Idols
Paul’s command in Colossians 3:5 is urgent: Νεκρώσατε (nekrōsate): ”Put to death!” It’s an aorist imperative, meaning decisive action. This isn’t management; it’s execution.
How do you kill an idol?
1. Identify It
Use the diagnostic questions. Name the idol. Be specific. Don’t just say “I struggle with materialism.” Say, “I have made financial security my god, and I won’t obey God if it risks my retirement plan.”
2. Repent of It
Confess it as sin. Not just poor priorities or imbalanced life, but idolatry. Treason against the King. Adultery against the Bridegroom.
3. Trace It to Its Root
Ask: What am I asking this thing to give me that only God can give? Security? Identity? Significance? Comfort? Control?
4. Replace It with Christ
You can’t just remove an idol; you must replace it. Nature abhors a vacuum, and so does the heart. The solution to covetousness isn’t asceticism, it’s worship. Fill your heart with treasure in heaven so that your heart is where your treasure is.
5. Restructure Your Life
If money is your idol, give radically and sacrificially until it breaks the idol’s power. If career is your idol, choose a lower-paying job that allows more time for ministry. If comfort is your idol, pursue discomfort for the sake of obedience.
Killing an idol requires decisive, sometimes painful action. Jesus said if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off (Matthew 5:30). He wasn’t being literal about amputation, but He was being serious about severity. Whatever feeds the idol must go.
The Promise of Contentment
1 Timothy 6:6-10:
“Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”
Notice what Paul promises: great gain in godliness with contentment. Not “great gain in godliness with wealth” or “great gain in godliness with achievement.” Contentment itself is the gain.
Why? Because contentment means you have God, and God is enough.
The wealthy person who lacks contentment is poor, always needing more. The poor person who has contentment is rich, possessing everything in Christ.
The opposite of covetousness isn’t poverty, it’s gratitude. It’s looking at what God has given and saying, “This is sufficient, because I have You.”
THE INVISIBLE BECOMES VISIBLE
The idols of pursuit and possession are invisible precisely because they’re so acceptable, so normal, so culturally reinforced. Everyone around us worships these gods. The entire economy is built on covetousness, on the assumption that we need more, deserve more, must have more.
But Paul pulls back the curtain and exposes the truth: covetousness is idolatry. Jesus names the rival deity: you cannot serve God and mammon. And Scripture provides the diagnostic tools to identify when good things have become god-things.
These idols are particularly dangerous because they feel responsible, prudent, even virtuous. We tell ourselves:
“I’m just being a good steward” (while hoarding wealth)
“I’m just providing for my family” (while worshiping security)
“I’m just being diligent” (while making achievement our god)
“I’m just planning for the future” (while trusting ourselves instead of God)
But the biblical witness is clear: whatever you serve is your master. Whatever you trust is your god. Whatever you can’t surrender is your idol.
The call is to radical reorientation. Not to poverty for its own sake, but to freedom from the tyranny of more. Not to ascetic self-denial, but to lavish enjoyment of God. Not to joyless duty, but to the superior satisfaction of treasuring Christ above all.
As Jesus said: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Matthew 13:44).
Notice: he sells everything in his joy. Why? Because he’s found something infinitely more valuable. That’s the secret to killing idols. It’s not by white-knuckling self-denial, but by discovering the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus as Lord.
If you’ve found this helpful or insightful, please share it with a friend who loves Scripture as much as you do.
On a final note, I just want to emphasize that my intention here is not to shame anyone. I have no desire to influence feelings of guilt. However, if anything I’ve said here makes you feel called out, attacked, angry, or convicted, then it is working as intended. Because my intention here is to bring to light the things we (and I don’t exclude myself here) might be ignoring, tamping down, or perhaps are even totally unaware of. I want to help us all to recognize the things and people in our lives that we might be turning into idols and putting in the place of the Lord.
God Bless you.
Coming Up Next
In Part 6, we’ll examine perhaps the ultimate idol: the self. Pride, autonomy, self-righteousness; the worship of the creature who stares back at us in the mirror. If covetousness asks created things to be our god, pride insists that we be our own god. And that may be the oldest idolatry of all.
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