I know the title I chose for this week is offensive to some. I understand. Frankly, it’s a bit offensive to me. Something within the heart of every one of us wants to believe that we are the top. That we are the masters of our own destinies. That we can define our own morality. That we can provide our own security. That we just don’t need a god. As much as we want to believe it, it just isn’t true — and that offends us.
I also know that some of you are offended by the idea that God is male. This article isn’t about that, but I will posit that you probably aren’t wrong. My gut tells me that God is neither male nor female. Rather, He is the perfect embodiment of all. We are made in His image, both male and female. So, when we try to envision what God is, we should see ourselves, both male and female, in Him. The reason we refer to God as Him is because that is the way He chose to present Himself to us — Father, Son, Groom, Husband. Yes, God chose the gender He would present to us — and He had important reasons for doing so. There is much to be said on this topic, but that will have to wait for a future article. In the meantime, let’s just love each other deeply from the heart.
The point is this: the human heart has always been offended by the idea that we aren’t at the top — and that we don’t know or understand it all. It is exactly what got Adam and Eve in trouble. See Genesis 3.
There are two divine traits God has placed within every human that are the source of our temptation to believe we can be God:
Temptation 1: The Imago Dei
God created humans in His own image. See Genesis 1:26. Adam and Eve looked like God, and while we are fallen into sin and greatly damaged by it, we still retain the DNA of that image — and that’s a problem. We are so close to looking like God we believe we are God. The serpent leveraged the truth of the Imago Dei into an effective temptation toward self-worship – and Adam and Eve took the bait.
Temptation 2: The Imperium Dei
God gave humans authority over every living thing on Earth. Again, see Genesis 1:26. We are at the top of the food chain. We have the power to subdue creatures, to bend them to our will, and to take their lives — including human life. It’s pretty heady stuff — and that power fools us into thinking we are God.
Friends, the authority and power that God gave us to rule are greatly limited. Yes, every one of us has the power to take life, but not one of us has the power to give it back. Yes, we have power over the living things on Earth, but we have no power when it comes to the natural forces of Earth. Do you remember what the disciples said in response to Jesus calming the storm? “The men were amazed and asked, ‘What kind of man is this? Even the wind and waves obey him?’” See Matthew 8:27. Yes, God has given us power, but only a fool would believe that power is equal to the power of Almighty God. Take a look across human history, and you’ll find plenty of people who took the bait and became fools.
The Sin: Idolatry
While idolatry is usually understood as putting trust in something other than God — the root cause of idolatry has always been self-worship. We are created so close to being like God, in His image, and with His power, we think we are God. It is the foolish mistake of the created to believe it can be equal to or greater than its Creator. See Romans 9:19-21 and Job 40-42.
The Cure: Giving Glory to God Alone
The first of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3) and the Greatest Commandment (Mark 12:30) specifically describe the cure for the foolish idolatry residing in the human heart: There is only one God — we are to put nothing ahead of Him – and we are to love and please Him with every fiber of our being.
When Job stood under the wrath of God’s omnipotence, his humbled response was: “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’ My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore, I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” That’s repentance — and repentance is always the first step in getting right with God.
In his book, The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren writes what could be the most perceptive first sentence ever written in any book, “It’s not about you.” He then continues, “The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It’s far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by His purpose and for His purpose.”
I encourage you to get off the throne of your life and allow Jesus to take His rightful place as Lord of All. Yielding to His Lordship will be your first step toward being saved from the foolishness that resides in the heart.
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” Romans 9:9-11
