So, what about eating meat that has been offered to idols? Well, we all know that an idol is not really a god and that there is only one God. There may be so-called gods both in heaven and on earth, and some people actually worship many gods and many Lords. But for us, There is one God, the Father, by whom all things were created, and for whom we live. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created, and through whom we live.”
1 Corinthians 8:4-6 NLT
What is an idol? In our minds, an image immediately appears before us of a figurine, perhaps beautifully crafted by a skilled sculptor. We remember the problem Paul had in Ephesus, where a silversmith called Demetrius had a successful and lucrative business manufacturing shrines of the Greek goddess Artemis, for resale to tourists. He stirred up trouble, saying, “But as you have seen and heard, this man Paul has persuaded many people that handmade gods aren’t really gods at all. And he’s done this not only here in Ephesus but throughout the entire province!” (Acts 19:26). He continued in the next verse, “Of course, I’m not just talking about the loss of public respect for our business. I’m also concerned that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will lose its influence and that Artemis—this magnificent goddess worshiped throughout the province of Asia and all around the world—will be robbed of her great prestige!” In the Greek society there were many gods and goddesses all represented with idols which the people worshipped and revered, and in some cases they brought before these “gods” offerings of food. Food offered to idols was typically meat from animal sacrifices, but could also include fruits, flowers, or other items, depending on the tradition. After a deity was thought to have consumed or been blessed by the offering, the food was often eaten at temple banquets, resold in the market, or given to priests. The practice served various purposes, including honouring a deity, seeking blessings, or participating in worship feasts that could also be associated with sexual immorality.
So, the Corinthians believers must have had the opportunity to acquire this meat from animal sacrifices, and they were wondering if this was the correct thing to do. Paul’s first response was that these idols weren’t really gods at all, because “there is only one God”. Perhaps the logical answer to the believers in Corinth was that idols were nothing more than lumps of decorative metal, with no ability to do anything or be anything. Therefore if they were “nothing” then what was the problem if the meat had been offered to “nothing”. Paul wrote to the Galatian believers, “Before you Gentiles knew God, you were slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist” (Galatians 4:8), a verse that sums up the futility of the cults of idol worship.
In Western societies today, the pendulum seems to have swung to the other extreme, where a secular people fail to recognise any sort of “god”, even the God we pilgrims worship, or so it would seem. Inbuilt within human beings is a god-shaped hole that has to be filled by something. To the Greeks, they filled their need for something spiritual by making lots of idols, and they then intertwined their sinful natures with idol worship. But today, mankind is still born with this god-shaped hole within them, a spiritual need that has to be filled in some way, be it by the use of various substances such as drugs, or by sexual misbehaviour, or by the person building their own “idols” for the purposes of worship. We find a mother idolising her children, or a pop fan idolising a singer. We see men worshipping the cult of golf, local football team, or some other sport, so there are probably even more “idols” present in our society today than there were in Greek societies.
So what is an “idol”? To a Christian, an idol is anything or anyone that replaces God as the ultimate focus of their heart, thoughts, and reliance. While it can refer to a physical object, such as a statue or image, it extends to anything — a person, a system, a desire, or a possession — that is loved more than God or is relied upon for blessings, help, or guidance in place of Him. The core issue is a shift in loyalty and trust away from the one true God to something lesser. So, by now, I’m sure we have worked out that an idol is something or someone who takes the place of the one and only true God, but the problem originates in our own hearts. Back in Genesis, we read that God made man in His own image, and it therefore makes sense that the only valid and effective way of filling our need for a god is with the only God who exists. No matter how hard people try, they can never replace their need for a relationship with God with anything that is man-made or false.
Do we pilgrims have any idols in our lives? We may indeed have some. Take, for example, a St. Christopher medallion hung on a necklace. Some people, even Christians, superstitiously believe that this will protect them from danger. Then there is the phrase “retail therapy”. Isn’t this just another way some people replace God with “stuff”? Or how about the weight some people place on their “stars”, even being drawn to horoscopes? Then there are various superstitions, such as touching wood, that some people believe will ward off bad luck or will prevent good fortune from being taken away after making a favourable prediction or boasting about something. While the precise origins are debated, possible explanations include ancient pagan beliefs about tree spirits. Another idol? And we mustn’t forget that the very word “luck” is derived from lucifer, the devil himself.
So, how do we discern if we are being surreptitiously drawn into idolatry? There is only one effective way, and that is to ask God for His guidance and then be obedient to what He says through His Spirit. A quotation from gotquestions.org, “idolatry is a matter of the heart—pride, self-centeredness, greed, gluttony, a love for possessions and ultimately rebellion against God. Is it any wonder that God hates it?” Proverbs 4:23, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life”. Our enemy, the devil, knows that if he can get control of our hearts, then we will lose our effectiveness in our relationship with God, and we mustn’t under any circumstances allow that to happen.
O Lord. Please forgive us, we pray, for the times when we try to replace You with something that is so inferior. We confess our waywardness and pray for Your forgiveness. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 