“‘All things are lawful for me,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful for me,’ but I will not be enslaved by anything.” 1st Cor 6:12
Dear Friends & Family,
As a born-again child of God, keeping oneself from being “enslaved” is difficult business indeed. Why? Because as John Calvin often said: “The heart of man is an idol factory.” Even in a regenerative state, it literally craves, produces, and seeks out idols that can enslave. What makes this doubly difficult is that the mind of man is also an “excuse-making factory.” Instead of confessing sin and repenting of it, we all-too-often attempt to ignore it, justify it, or slyly divert all attention away from it.
At the risk of injuring your “toesies,” can I share with you a quick list of today’s most prolific, enslaving idols that our hearts are running to? See how many of these are a part of your life in an idolatrous way: Money, success, popularity, beauty, sex, career, pornography, health, romance, technology, social media, entertainment, relationship, education, food, power, family, security, independence, travel, relaxation, politics, government, and the all-encompassing self.
How many did I miss? Plenty, I’m sure. Idols can be subtle. Have you yet perceived how easy it is to fall into the enslavement of idolatry? Anything that we raise above God is an idol. The idea or thought that our minds constantly go to when we have free time to think, is often what we tend to worship instead of God. It’s vitally important that we examine ourselves with brutal honesty if we are ever going to slow down the idol manufacturing plant of our hearts.
When God the Holy Spirit faithfully exposes the idols that fester within us, it’s important that we take that revelation and confess the sin to God. After confession, repentance must get to work. We need to move on it. Confession alone is not enough. Unplug it, cut it off, throw it out, re-do it, replace it, or flat out kill it. A radical amputation of our sin is the calling from God. He is a jealous God and desires solely, devoted followers.
What a grace it is for the children of the Lord to be free from their sin. It is a nepotistic benefit to have the power to stop sin, to resist temptation, to truly change, and to be more like Christ tomorrow than we are today. It is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Gospel alone that has the power to save us initially and to sanctify us ongoingly. This Gospel is the central “heart-cry” of Grace Bible Fellowship.
-Pastor Craig