Dear Bro.

Eli,

What is God’s main reason why fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil
concupiscence, and covetousness are considered idolatry in His eyes not only
worshipping of graven images as a god?

I hope for your nice answers with biblical supports.

May the Lord always protect you.

Ally of ADD

Dear Ally of ADD,

Idolatry is the worship of image. The Greek word ‘eidoÌ„ lolatreia’ means image
worship.

eidō lolatreia

i-do-lol-at-ri’-ah
From G1497 and G2999; image worship (literally or figuratively): - idolatry.

(Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictiobary)

God prohibits the making of images and the likes.

(Deuteronomy 5:7-9) “Thou shalt have none other gods before me. Thou shalt not
make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above,
or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: Thou
shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God
am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the
third and fourth generation of them that hate me…”

These are called idols in the Bible.

(Psalms 115:4-8)
“Their idols are silver
and gold, the work of
men’s hands. They
have mouths, but they
speak not: eyes have
they, but they see not:
They have ears, but
they hear not: noses
have they, but they
smell not: They have
hands, but they handle
not: feet have they, but
they walk not: neither
speak they through
their throat. They that
make them are like
unto them; so is every
one that trusteth in
them.”

If we are of God, we
will not even think that
these images have
anything divine in them.

(Acts 17:29)
“Forasmuch then as
we are the offspring of
God, we ought not to
think that the Godhead
is like unto gold, or
silver, or stone, graven
by art and man’s device.”

The reason why God does not allow us even just to make graven images (because
other people claims that they do not worship them) is that, it is impossible to reflect
God’s glory on anything except in the being of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(Isaiah 42:8) “I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to
another, neither my praise to graven images.”

(Hebrews 1:3) “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of
his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by
himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high…”

The Lord Jesus Christ is the “express image” of God’s person! The Father dwells in
Him.

(John 14:10) “Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me?
the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that
dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.”

Not even a small amount of breath is present in any graven image.

(Habakkuk 2:18-19) “What profiteth the graven image, that the maker thereof
hath graven it; the molten image, even the teacher of lies, that he that fashioneth
its form trusteth therein, to make dumb idols? Woe unto him that saith to the
wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise! Shall this teach? Behold, it is overlaid
with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it.”

Kneeling before these idols and praying to them constitute the Old Testament term
of idolatry.

(Isaiah 44:13-17) “The carpenter stretcheth out his rule; he marketh it out with a
line; he fitteth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the compass, and maketh
it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man; that it may remain
in the house. He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the cypress and the oak,
which he strengtheneth for himself among the trees of the forest: he planteth an
ash, and the rain doth nourish it. Then shall it be for a man to burn: for he will
take thereof, and warm himself; yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread; yea, he
maketh a god, and worshipeth it; he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down
thereto. He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh; he
roasteth roast, and is satisfied: yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, Aha, I am
warm, I have seen the fire: And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his
graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshipeth it, and prayeth unto it, and
saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god.”
 Why is it that in the New Testament, the term
‘idolatry’ is defined as:

(Colossians 3:5) “Mortify therefore your members

which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness,
inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and
covetousness, which is idolatry…”

Remember that idolatry means ‘image worship’.

Satan, the god of this world, is another god than the
Father. Satan has images or appearances.

(1 Thessalonians 5:22) “Abstain from all appearance

of evil.”

The word appearance used in the preceding verse

means form or shape in Greek.

ει Ì“Í‚ δος

eidos

i’-dos

From G1492; a view, that is, form (literally or figuratively): - appearance, fashion,
shape, sight.

(Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionary)

The image or the form of the devil is reflected in these carnal acts: fornication,
uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness.

Commission of such acts constitutes idolatry or the worship of Satan who is not the
true God. Anyone committing such is called an idolater.

(Ephesians 5:4-5) “Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are
not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no
whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath
any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.”

I hope and pray that you will be enlightened by these verses.

God Bless You.

EFS

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