The epistle of First John is a book that many people love. Believed to be written by John the Apostle while living in exile on the Isle of Patmos, it is a book that speaks much about love. It says that we should love one other, that we can’t love God and hate our brother, that God is love, that we should not love the world, and that we should love others “in deed and in truth.” This is just a sampling of the focus of this letter by “the beloved disciple.”
The word love, or a derivation of it, is used about 50 times in the book of First John. I am stuck by how the book ends. It is rare to hear this verse referenced in sermons, studies, or conversations, certainly not nearly to the extent that some of the phrases mentioned above involve the theme of love in some way. The very last verse of First John says this: “Little children, guard yourselves against idols.” Near the end of John’s life, as he wrote to believers, sharing his thoughts and insights from God under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, the final thought he left the believers with was this: “Guard yourselves against idols.”
Though the apostle John was concerned about idolatry, it doesn’t seem to be something most Christians pay much attention to today. How many of us truthfully say we are focused on guarding ourselves against idols? I am not sure that we even think much about idols at all, and if we do, the image in our minds is of some ancient statue of a pagan deity.
From a Christian standpoint, an idol is anything that would challenge God for a person’s primary allegiance. It could be anything that we worship, prioritize, or look to for defining our lives. If we define our lives by the money we make and the things we have, we are guilty of idolatry because that is God’s rightful place. If we prioritize being a part of the “popular” group and make decisions based on how we can be or remain a part of that group rather than what God says is the right thing, we are guilty of idolatry. We have allowed something else to take God’s rightful place in our lives. It has been said that we can look at our checkbook or calendar and see who our God really is. People don’t write a lot of checks these days, but the point is that how we spend our money and how we spend our time is likely somewhat indicative of what we prioritize in our lives. And what we prioritize is an indication of what we deem most valuable. What we value most is our God. Jesus said it this way, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
Anything that hinders our relationship with God or threatens to replace God as the focal point and chief priority of our life is an idol. Idolatry is perhaps the most common sin and is the root cause of other sins.
The apostle John had been with Jesus, lived a long time, had seen, heard, learned much, and knew what was of greatest danger and paramount importance. He had it right. “Little children, guard yourselves against idols.
As Lent commences on Ash Wednesday, we are entering a time of introspection and prayer leading to Easter. Let us reflect on the significance of death preceding resurrection, urging readers to embrace a daily practice of surrendering self in preparation for our spiritual transformation.