Romans 1:23: And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

From Paul’s perspective, the fact that an individual is religious does not minimise his guilt before God. Instead, it intensifies his guilt, because God does not simply command man to be religious, but to worship him properly. The fundamental prohibition of the biblical God is the prohibition against idolatry. Not only have men refused to worship God as God, but they have insulted the majesty of God by replacing him with a creature. 1

So we see that first man suppresses the truth about the greatness of God, and then he perverts it by worshiping insulting images. In essence, having gotten rid of the true knowledge of God, he worships images with which he is comfortable. The ungodly man worships himself. 2

Application

  • Does your worship of God surpass the pleasure you receive from watching your favorite sports team win?
  • What line is crossed in your life for something good to become idolatry.

Prayer

Lord, guard my heart to worship only you.

1. Sproul, R. C. (1994). The Gospel of God: An Exposition of Romans. Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications.
2. Hughes, R. K. (1991). Romans: righteousness from heaven. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Previous post

Wise Fools

Next post

God Gave Them Up

Tommy Blumberg

Tommy Blumberg

Tommy Blumberg was ordained as a Calvary Chapel pastor in 1985, where he served as an assistant pastor at Calvary Fellowship, in Seattle. In 1992, Pastor Tom, his wife Pam, and their three daughters moved to Bellingham and began a Bible study, which led to the founding of Calvary Chapel Northwest. Tom blogs regularly at TommyBlumberg.com.