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Deuteronomy 7:23 - Does God accept worship using any idol? - Day 154

Dear Friends,

Treading water today.  Still a day or two behind.

As some of you may know, Ligonier Ministries (R. C. Sproul) does a periodic survey of evangelical Christians.  One of the questions is "Does God accept the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism and Islam?"  Roughly 65% said they strongly disagree (i.e. God definitely does not accept all religions).  So a total of 35% have varying degrees of agreement or are not sure.  Let's see what today's passage points to.

I am interested in your thoughts, so please post a comment on the blog.

Blessings,

Jeff

The thread of the second commandment and prohibition of idols and images reappears in the context of the upcoming conquest of Canaan.  Can you hear the Israelites saying, "we didn't make these idols and God only told us not to make our own"?  So Moses elaborates that the second also prohibits using idols that someone else has made.

When every culture around them used idols in worship of their gods, it is hard for us to understand how different Israel was supposed to be.  Calvin said "The human heart is an idol factory"  Maybe I don't fully appreciate how different the Church is supposed to be.  

Idols are a matter of the heart.  Paul makes the point in Romans 7 that the law cannot sanctify us.  He uses the example of covetousness.  But even without physical idols, my heart would dwell on something other than God.  Ultimately, only a regenerate heart can worship God in accordance with what he has appointed in His word.

I think that this passage speaks to the question of God accepting the worship of other faiths.  The first and second commandments are exclusive.  Man can only worship God as he has appointed in his Word.  This precludes all other faiths.  While Christians are not under the law as an external requirement to gain God's approval, God does write them on our hearts so that we obey out of love for what He has done in saving us.  God as revealed in the Bible is object of worship.

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