Question 17: What is idolatry? Answer: Idolatry is trusting in created things rather than the Creator for our hope and happiness, significance and security. One reason ancient people were drawn to idols is because idolatry was much more like a business transaction than it was a covenantal commitment. You could bring a sacrifice to a god as a form of payment in exchange for his or her favor, and your relationship with that god did not extend to much more than that. The gods of

Question 17: What is idolatry? Answer: Idolatry is trusting in created things rather than the Creator for our hope and happiness, significance and security. God has given us many wonderful gifts, and we glorify God when we receive those gifts with thanksgiving and truly enjoy them. Above all people, Christians should delight the most in marriage, children, good food, sunsets, baseball, music, books, movies, and on and on the list goes. May we take the most delight in what God

This week we begin with Question 17 of the New City Catechism, found in Part 1 (questions 1-20), which focuses on God, creation and the fall, and the law. Question 17: What is idolatry? Answer: Idolatry is trusting in created things rather than the Creator for our hope and happiness, significance and security. Chances are you have never been tempted to bow down to a carved image and worship it. But in the ancient world that was a very common practice. Why do you think people

Question 16: What is sin? Answer: Sin is rejecting or ignoring God in the world he created, rebelling against him by living without reference to him, not being or doing what he requires in his law—resulting in our death and the disintegration of all creation. The catechism defines sin, in part, as “living without reference” to God. Did you realize that you can be a “good” person who keeps all the rules of society, who always treats other people with kindness, who never acts s

This week we come to Question 10 of the New City Catechism, found in Part 1 (questions 1-20), which focuses on God, creation and the fall, and the law. NOTE: I am modifying the answer on this question somewhat because my position on the Sabbath, together with my fellow elders at Cornerstone, represents a somewhat different understanding of the Sabbath than is presented in the catechism. Question 10: What does God require in the fourth and fifth commandments? Answer: Fourth, t

Question 9: What does God require in the first, second, and third commandments? Answer: First, that we know and trust God as the only true and living God. Second, that we avoid all idolatry and do not worship God improperly. Third, that we treat God’s name with fear and reverence, honoring also his Word and works. True and proper worship of God is something that he takes very seriously. The second commandment, which forbids images as objects of worship, makes this point abund

This week we come to Question 8 of the New City Catechism, found in Part 1 (questions 1-20), which focuses on God, creation and the fall, and the law. Question 8: What is the law of God stated in the Ten Commandments? Answer: 1. You shall have no other gods before me. 2. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below—you shall not bow down to them or worship them. 3. You shall not misuse the name

Idolatry often demands less from us than the true worship that God requires, and this is one reason we might be attracted to it.

Of all people, Christians should take the most joy in the blessings of this world while also holding on to them with the loosest grip.

Why did ancient people worship carved images? What did they think they gained from idolatry, and what can that teach us today?

Is it possible to live in such a way that is outwardly morally upright but still in completely rebellion against God?

What does the command to remember the Sabbath day mean for Christians in the new covenant era?

Beware of using images in worship. True worship must be shaped according to God's revelation of himself in his Word.

The Ten Commandments are the heart of God's covenant with Israel. The first four speak of duties toward God.