Hey, Church in Society, ‘No Graven Image’ Still Applies!
Do churches believe the Bible is God’s truth in written form? If the answer to this question is “Yes”, then why are so many churches willing to abandon the ONLY transforming power they possess? For what crock of lentils is Esau so quick to part with his birthrite? If the answer is “No” or “Not completely”, then why call themselves a church and bother to meet at all? You can get pancakes and baked beans anywhere.
Many churches seem to have forgotten the first of the Ten Commandments, and since the Nones and their cohorts the Liberals seem hell-bent on expunging them from every public place, here’s a refresher on the first two.
“I am the Lord your God. You shall have NO other gods before me.” The term “other gods” applies to anything that supplants or takes precedence over Him and His truth. The second commandment is just as unambiguous.
“You shall make no graven image or other likenesses to worship.” This is the commandment upon which many churches have drifted away from orthodoxy, to their detriment and likely damnation.
They have willingly elevated such cultural icons as “tolerance” or other trendy terms that please the pop culture in place of holiness and other aspects of God’s character they find offensive or difficult. “Tolerance” is just as false a god as a golden calf …. and no less ridiculous. When a church or “Christian” decides which of God’s attributes are or are not “acceptable”, they have replaced Him with something manufactured. When that happens, scripture is clear that the presence and power of God will depart, leaving the cultural collaborators to their idolatry. There is no transforming power contained in shallow doctrine full of sickening platitudes and cohabitation with sin.
The sad part is that many churches have so marginalized and watered down God that they are completely unaware of His departure. Pass the tolerance and smugness, please.
As Reno points out, “The Church did not need constitutional protections in order to take root in a hostile pagan culture two thousand years ago.” We will overcome and persevere, as long as we hold fast to the truth that has transformed us. The Church will prevail if it refuses to abandon God’s truth. It has the real power to perform extreme makeovers, one soul at time.
Image: January 2009 photo by John Stephen Dwyer; Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license
