Name the wrong
Making or serving an idol as a source of divine power.
Commandment 2 · Worship God alone
A god you can control
Fictional teaching case · Consider your response
A business contact invites you to a private ceremony. A crafted object is to receive offerings, promises, and devotion in exchange for prosperity. “Keep your church,” they say. “This is just another source of power.” You are offered a god whose demands appear negotiable and whose benefits seem measurable.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.Exodus 20:4 · King James Version · Opening verse of this commandment
Read the full commandment · Exodus 20:4–6 · KJV
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Can worship be divided without being surrendered?
Choose the response you are prepared to defend. Then examine the cost.
What follows
Act with integrity
Refusing to give worship to a created object or rival spiritual power.
Read beyond the excuse
This is a case about actual worship and service. It does not label every artwork, possession, or business interest an idol.
What will change after this page?
Where have you called a spiritual compromise “just practical”? State the difference between respecting a person and joining their act of worship.