The Greatest Idol: Self

The Greatest Idol: Self

Scripture says that man is made in the image of God (Gen. 1:27). God has forbidden man to worship any image (Lev. 26:1, Dt. 4:15,16, Dt. 5:7,8). Therefore, man is not to worship man, including that man who is one's self. Yet self worship is by far the most widespread breaking of this commandment of God. This idolatry of self worship can take many forms and often those forms are not seen as worship by those participating in it, yet they are, in essence, putting self before God, and whatever holds first place in a person's life is the god that person worships.

One example of putting self before God is to not accept reality because reality does not fit the perception that one has of it. This is idolatry because it is elevating one's own perception of reality to the highest place instead of submitting to the true nature of reality that God created. Such idolatry is seen in the New Age movement, the occult, and in any of those who think that they can mold or even create reality to fit their own conception of what reality should be like by imagining that reality in their mind, thus making their mind and the imaginations of that mind--self--the ultimate reality. In a word, they make themselves god, although in reality, this is a contradiction in terms and logic, for by definition, God cannot be made at all but must exist from all eternity, unmade and uncreated. That which has been created (a human being) cannot make or become that which is eternally uncreated and self-existent (God).

"Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons" (1 Cor. 10:19,20).

In other words, those who believe that they can create their own reality, thus taking upon themselves a quality that God alone can have, are fooling themselves. They have not become God; they only are deluding themselves into thinking so. Their reality is only a construct in their own minds; it is not real, as the passage quoted above states; it is not anything.

God has pronounced this idolatry of the images of the mind and the imaginations of men to be evil. They claim that they seek the true nature of reality and its highest expression, God; but all along, God is there, available to them and calling out to them:

"I said, `Here am I, here am I.' All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations" (Is. 65:1,2).

But the world will not come to rest in God's outstretched arms and has rejected God's revelation of himself as the highest reality. It has chosen instead to seek out a false reality of its own imagination--paths that are not good for the well being of man because they are not true and therefore lead him down a path to evil and destruction:

"Though God has made men upright, each has turned away to follow his own downward road" (Eccl. 7:29 TLB).

"The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Gen. 6:5 RSV).

In a way, it is understandable that man would seek out another conception of reality than the true nature of reality which God reveals to us in his Word, the Bible. For it must be admitted that there are aspects of this reality that are hard to understand and even harder to experience, suffering being chief among them. Who wouldn't want to escape suffering? It is easy in suffering to ask, "Why should I have to go through this? Why not create another reality by using the powers of my mind to alter reality and create a new one in which I do not have to suffer but only go from joy to joy?"

The power of this temptation is immense, for the soul of man is interested first and foremost in self-preservation, and anything, such as suffering, that threatens to overthrow the soul from its seat on the throne of man's heart is fought against with all the might the soul (which includes the mind and its imaginations) can throw at it. Therefore, when Scripture says that it is not the soul of man (his mind, will and emotions) that is to rule him, but the spirit of man submitted to the Spirit of God--then the soul fights back with all its might, for its very survival as ruler over man is at stake.

Scripture confirms this spiritual warfare that takes place within man, between the desire of soul or self to rule over him and the desire of God that his own Spirit should rule over him through man's spirit:

"For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want" (Gal. 5:17).

What does any normal human being want? He or she wants a world in which there is no pain or suffering and only goodness and joy. There is nothing wrong with such a desire; in fact, God himself put that desire into our hearts:

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men" (Eccl. 3:11).

This beautiful place we so long for is heaven. Once there was heaven on earth, in the paradise of the Garden of Eden, but then man sinned against that reality, in which but one thing was withheld from him and that for his own good, and so man was ousted from that paradise for seeking to substitute his own reality over that which God had created. Nevertheless, the longing to return to that paradise remains:

"We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies" (Rom. 8:22,23).

God has promised to restore this perfect world of no suffering to us and us to it in heaven. But as the passage from Ecclesiastes quoted above states that he has made everything beautiful in its time. The time for the restoration of this paradise to man has not yet arrived.

Just before Jesus returned to the paradise that is heaven, after having been crucified in this world and raised from the dead, the disciples asked him: "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6).

But Jesus replied, "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority" (Acts 1:7).

It is not for us to know when the reality we yearn for--one with no pain or suffering--will rule the creation as it once did. But we have God's promise that it will come.

"For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay" (Hab. 2:3).

Whether the revelation given to the ancient Israelites of Habakkuk's day or the promise of heaven to come, it will come when all things that must pass before that time have come to fulfillment. That is the promise of God. We have only to believe it and trust in it.

But that promise is not good enough for many in this world, for it means that until that promise comes to fulfillment, they must go through suffering before that glorious moment arrives, and this they are not willing to do. They want that ultimate, paradisiacal reality now. And if God is unwilling to change reality to remove suffering from them, they will remove themselves from the reality that includes suffering. They will use the power of their minds and imaginations to create, they falsely think, a different reality.

Taken to its extreme, this is madness, a state of being in which one lives in a dream world of one's own making but which has no reality, only a false perception within one's mind--the essence of insanity, that is, being out of touch with reality. Such a madness, insanity or being fooled by that which is not real, has been given expression in the movie "The Matrix" and other such symbolic representations of this desire for a reality other than that one which is perceived. Such films portray the extreme level of this idolatry--choosing to live in a fantasy world that does not really exist except in one's mind. But whether it is this kind of idolatry or another, there is still only one real and true reality and one real and true God of that reality. We know this because God has told us this in his Word:

"We know that 'an idol has no real existence,' and that 'there is no God but one' (1 Cor. 8:4).

There is only one ultimate, supreme reality: that reality which has God as its ultimate, supreme ruler over that reality. But if one is not willing to accept this truth about reality, it is possible to imagine an alternate reality in one's mind, sometimes with the help of physical substances that alter the mind's perception of reality. Alcoholism is one such very common and real example, in which a person seeks to numb the painful aspects of the world about him through drink. Other drugs besides alcohol can produce a similar effect, and their powerful effects on the body and mind can be even more alarming, as their users also seek to alter reality to a form more to their liking--although, of course, they never really alter reality at all, just their perception of reality.

But surely the most serious form of this idolatry is to seek to escape reality entirely and permanently through the ending of one's life altogether. Suicide is the most extreme form of this idolatry, for it is possible to recover from alcoholism and drug usage and other such abuses of the body and mind. But suicide has a finality about it that is frightening and which those who attempt it have not fully considered, even though they may think they have. For it is an irreparable, final rejection of reality and the God of that reality that results in death and from which there is no possibility of realizing one's mistake and then rectifying it. The time for all such repentance and recovery has ended with a finality that is terrifying.

"See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears" (Heb. 12:16,16).

To kill one's self is the supreme act of self-worship and idolatry. It is the ultimate act of denial of reality and the God of that reality. It sets one's self up as the ultimate decider of what should and should not happen to that self. It is to make one's self god. But as has been said, such a god is not real; it is an idol. For the truth is:

"No man has power over the wind to contain it; so no one has power over the day of his death. As no one is discharged in time of war, so wickedness will not release those who practice it" (Eccl. 8:8).

But wait a minute. Scripture here tells us that no one has power over the day of his death, yet in suicide that person himself decides when that day will be. Isn't this a contradiction to what Scripture says, which claims to be God's revelation of the way reality really is?

No, it is not a contradiction, for the one who seeks to be in control of the reality of his life by deciding himself when that life will end is, in reality, only falling victim to a power that has ruled over him and led him to this final act and moment: the power of sin. He is not in control but being controlled by the power of his sinful rebellion, reaping the final fruit of his decision to reject God's reality--a decision he made long ago, long before the last moment of life approached him. For, in reality, he died long before that final day of life ended. He was a dead man even while he was alive.

This is the same truth that Scripture records in the original act of rebellion in the Garden.

"And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, 'You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die'" (Gen. 2:16,17).

Adam and Eve did not die the day they ate of that fruit, yet this is no contradiction to God's words, since the death spoken of there is spiritual death or separation from God, not physical death.

When speaking of the true nature of life and death, Jesus said:

"He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (Jn. 11:25,26).

Jesus here moves back and forth between physical life and spiritual life, without verbally making a clear distinction between the two. This is a distinction of which not everyone in this world is aware; most equating physical life with real life. Yet Jesus did clearly and firmly denounce such a limited, earthly view of life elsewhere in Scripture, deriding the religious Pharisees for their appearance of having life but in reality having none:

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity" (Mt. 23:27,28).

It is possible to appear to be alive and yet already be dead. Again, in another example, Jesus called a man to come and follow him, but the man wanted first to go bury his father. Jesus told him to "leave the dead to bury their own dead" (Mt. 8:22), thus once again showing that there are people who are spiritually dead long before their physical death.

Therefore, it is clear that one who commits suicide does not really have control over the day of his death, for he has been dead long before. He is only fooling himself into thinking that he has some control over his life, when, in reality, he has been controlled by the power of sin all along and that same power is now leading him to the ultimate act of loss of all control. Far from being a god in charge of his own life, he has become a helpless pawn subject to forces far greater than he ever imagined or knew about. Those who contemplate such a drastic action should consider soberly those last words of Ecclesiastes 8:8 quoted earlier:

"As no one is discharged in time of war, so wickedness will not release those who practice it."

Make no mistake about it, killing one's self is wickedness, and those who practice it will not find release from suffering but rather be doomed to an eternity of it. That is why it is a falsehood and fantasy and not reality when anyone who is suffering thinks that by ending his physical life he will escape further suffering, that it will all be over. Such people think that ending life will end the pain. It will not; it will increase it, For life does not end at death; it only assumes a new form. Once created as a work of God, as we are, we cannot cease to exist. For:

"Everything God does will endure forever" (Eccl. 3:14).

As a work of God, our soul or life endures forever. We can kill only the physical body, which is not our real self. To recall what Scripture has reminded us, quoted earlier: "No one has power over the day of his death" (Eccl. 8:8), because no one can actually kill his true self, his soul--only kill his body. Only God has the true power to kill:

"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell" (Mt. 10:28).

Thus the one falsely thinking that he can overturn the way reality operates, as designed by God, by ending his own life is sadly mistaken. For him, the sad and frightening words of Scripture thus ring out plaintively over his death:

"Will you still say, 'I am a god,' in the presence of those who slay you, though you are but a man, and no god, in the hands of those who wound you?" (Ezk. 28:9).

The answer to suffering, whether it be in one's own life or in the world in general, is not to reject the way things actually work, but to submit to the greater wisdom of God and how he has created reality. To do otherwise, to cling to one's own, limited vision of reality, is to set one's self above God, saying that your own perception and conception of reality is greater and truer than God's. It is to put one's self above God. And that is the essence of idolatry. And really, what profit does a person obtain from such a vain and foolish action?

"What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, a metal image, a teacher of lies? For the workman trusts in his own creation when he makes dumb idols!" (Hab. 2:18).

Two examples from Scripture show the folly of trusting in one's own creation, whether it be an actual physical idol or one erected in the imagination of the mind. One example is found in a king, King Saul, and the other in the son of a king, Absalom, son of King David:

"During his lifetime Absalom had taken a pillar and erected it in the King's Valley as a monument to himself, for he thought, 'I have no son to carry on the memory of my name.' He named the pillar after himself, and it is called Absalom's Monument to this day"(2 Sam. 18:18).

"Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor" (1 Sam. 14:12).

Both of the scripture passages quoted above reveal the true nature of idolatry: worship of self, honoring of self, instead of God. It is a rejection of the reality in which one finds one's self because God is the ruler of that reality and not self. But, again, the question must be asked, "What profit does a person acquire by rejecting God's world of reality and creating a false one of his own, even if he thinks he sits as ruler over that illusory world?

"My mind to me a kingdom is;
Such perfect joy therein I find
That it excels all other bliss
Which God or nature hath assign'd."

Such are the words of poet Sir Edward Dyer. But now hear the words of the Lord:

"For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?"(Mark 8:36 RSV).

"Will you then say, 'I am a god,' in the presence of those who kill you? You will be but a man, not a god, in the hands of those who slay you. You will die the death of the uncircumcised at the hands of foreigners. I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord" (Ezk. 28:9,10).

Will those who would rather rule in hell (though that is impossible) rather than serve in heaven still remain defiant to God's reality when the unalterable reality of eternity apart from God in hell or its equivalent refuses to bend to their mind's attempts to alter that horrible reality? They only imagine that they rule this altered reality they have created in their minds. But at death, the true reality asserts itself in unalterable finality:

"Their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs, and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken" (Ps. 141:6).

The symbolism here is strong and dramatic. Some elevate their own imagined reality above God's reality, so that they can rule that reality as they please. But at death, they will be thrown down from the heights, like that of cliffs, to which they have elevated themselves, for at death they must face the judgment of God for how they exalted themselves instead of him:

"Though they climb up to the heavens, from there I will bring them down" (Amos 9:2).

When a person has to confront the unyielding and unalterable reality of his own death, then he will finally see and learn that reality is stronger than the mind's supposed power to alter reality. But, alas! Then it is too late.

The time to learn that the reality that God has created is the right reality, the true reality, the way things must be and should be, is now. If there are parts of that reality we do not like, such as suffering, it is better to defer to his infinite wisdom that it must be so and is actually for our good, than to rebel against that infinite wisdom. Such rebellion is actually saying that we know better than God. Such rebellion is idolatry. It would be far better to humble one's self and acknowledge the supremacy of God in all his ways, including the fact that evil and suffering exist, than to reject his ways and depart from the pathway of God. We need to trust God, no matter what, as Job said:

"Though he slay me, yet will I trust him" (Job 13:15).

When we encounter suffering in this world, it is important to remember that God has not left us alone to suffer but has given us a way to win victory over that suffering. There are, in fact, two ways to do everything: God's way and our way.

It has already been discussed at length here the world's way of handling suffering: We can seek to alleviate it through works of mercy or seek to end it all (falsely perceived) through death. But there is yet a better way to alter reality that includes suffering, the way that Scripture and God want us to use: the way of prayer.

Prayer is a powerful weapon that can even alter reality. In fact, what else is prayer--at least petitional prayer--but that? When we see something that needs to be changed in this world, we can jump into our work garb and get to it, seeking to alter reality through what we do. That is one way, and it is not to be despised. But it is insufficient. It is insufficient because the needs and suffering of this world are too much for us; we cannot handle all that we encounter in this area by what we are able to do to remedy it. Reality is too strong for us. In fact, it is often man's attempts to "fix" this world that have made it worse. Man is not the solution, he is the problem.

But there is another way. When we pray, we are acknowledging this superior strength of reality that is too strong for us to change, but we go over reality's head, so to speak. We may be too weak, but God is not. Man may have marred the perfect reality created by God, and man may not be able to fix that wound, but man can appeal to the One who created reality to alter it for us. What we cannot do, God can. And he does--when we ask him to in prayer.

But we must ask in accordance with his will, not ours, to seek to have reality be changed to the way he wants it to be, not the way we would like it to be. Otherwise, we are right back to the notion that we are in charge, not him, and that is idolatry. It all comes down to whose will is to be supreme, God's or ours. Now, some people, perhaps many people, say that they want to do right, to do God's will. But how can the truthfulness of that assertion be known unless that will is tested? How can it be known that a person really wants to do God's will unless that profession of submission to God's will is put to the test?

Abraham said that the Lord was his God. But anyone can say words. So God put those words to the test. He told Abraham to sacrifice his only son to him. When Abraham followed through his words with deeds and was ready to sacrifice his only son, though God stopped him at the last moment, of course, that testing proved the truth of Abraham's will and words. That is just one example of the way that God uses suffering for his own good purposes. It is not the only reason God allows suffering, but it is one and it is a valid one out of which good can come--if we will let it.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Rom. 8:28).

All things. All things is another way of saying reality, for reality is the sum total of all things, all that exists. Substituting the word reality in the above verse, then, we have, "in reality God works for the good of those who love him." Do you believe that? Or do you join the many of this world who reject this fundamental truth about reality and seek to form your own reality? Do you want reality or fantasy, truth or fiction, Jesus--or self? That is the ultimate question of life. For Jesus is the truth and self is an idol.

"I am . . . the truth. . . ." (John 14:6).

Choose the truth. Choose Jesus.

Choose the truth. Choose Jesus.