Part Three
By Nick Bibile
At the beginning of our study, we saw the enmity between fallen man and God. Because of this enmity, fallen man does not love God. In this section, we will see that fallen man’s affections are directed toward his idols.
Before we proceed, we must return once more to the beginning, for a right understanding of man’s present condition can only be gained by seeing what man once was.
When God first created man, he was united to his Creator. The Lord God was truly his God. Adam was holy, without sin, upright, and perfect. Therefore, his worship was pure and untainted. God Himself was the supreme object of Adam’s love, delight, and obedience.
Adam was able to love the Lord his God with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his mind. His entire being—body and soul—was subject to God. There was no divided affection, no rival love.
But when man fell, everything changed.
Man departed from the true and living God. The spiritual union between his heart and his Creator was broken. He lost his governing principle of love to God. Spiritually dead, he became enslaved to sin and obedient to the devil. His love, reverence, and trust were redirected away from God and toward other gods—idols of his own choosing.
This was the great apostasy of mankind: a turning away from the living God to serve created things.
John Calvin writes:
“Man’s
nature, so to speak, is a perpetual factory of idols.”
(Institutes
of the Christian Religion,
1.11.8)
Because idolatry strikes at the very heart of man’s relationship with God, the Lord strictly forbade it. The history of Israel in the Old Testament clearly shows that every departure from God was rooted in idolatry.
The First Commandment stands at the head of the law because it governs all the rest:
Exodus
20:3–6
“Thou
shalt have no other gods before me… for I the LORD thy God am a
jealous God…”
If men have other gods, they cannot love the true God. Idolatry is not merely external—it is rooted in the heart. Fallen man’s affections are set on another object.
Israel repeatedly fell into idolatry by imitating the nations around them:
Isaiah
2:8
“Their
land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own
hands.”
Leviticus
26:1
“Ye
shall make you no idols nor graven image…”
Surrounded by pagan nations, Israel intermarried with them, adopted their customs, and embraced their gods. What began as compromise ended in open rebellion against the Lord.
Many believe idolatry refers only to statues and images. Scripture teaches otherwise. Idolatry begins in the heart.
As long as Israel remained devoted to God, they were secure. But when they formed alliances with the world—adopting its values, customs, and affections—they committed spiritual adultery.
Ezekiel
14:3
“These
men have set up their idols in their heart…”
This is spiritual idolatry: setting the heart on earthly things rather than heavenly ones.
Thomas Watson wrote:
“An
idol is anything that takes away the heart from God.”
(The
Ten Commandments)
In Ezekiel 14, the elders of Israel come to the prophet, appearing outwardly religious and sincere. Yet God, who sees the heart, exposes their hypocrisy.
Though they sought prophetic counsel, their hearts were filled with idols—wealth, security, and worldly prosperity. God declared:
“I the LORD will answer him according to the multitude of his idols.”
Outward religion cannot hide inward corruption. The Word of God exposes the heart:
Hebrews 4:12–13
God says they were estranged from Him through their idols—alienated not by circumstance, but by choice.
John Owen observed:
“Sin
aims always at the utmost; every time it rises up to tempt or entice,
might it have its own course, it would go out to the utmost sin.”
(Of
the Mortification of Sin)
God calls these men to repentance—to cast away the idols of their hearts. Yet hypocrites prefer religion without repentance.
Hypocrisy is dangerous because it deceives others while inviting God’s judgment. Jesus sharply rebuked such men:
Mark
7:6–9
“This
people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.”
The fallen man loves outward religion but hates God’s authority. He follows tradition rather than truth.
Matthew Henry wrote:
“Hypocrisy is the homage which vice pays to virtue.”
Man cannot serve two masters.
Matthew
6:24
“Ye
cannot serve God and mammon.”
There are only two kingdoms: the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. They are in total opposition. Fallen man, by nature, belongs to Satan’s kingdom and is therefore an enemy of God.
Adam obeyed Satan and disobeyed God, and Satan became the god of this world.
The devil tempted Christ by offering the glory of the world:
Matthew 4:8–9
Satan still tempts fallen man the same way—through money, comfort, success, and pleasure. Fallen man readily says “yes” because his heart is fixed on earthly things.
But the believer is commanded:
Colossians
3:2
“Set
your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”
Covetousness is clearly identified as idolatry (Col. 3:5).
Richard Baxter warned:
“That which you love most is your god.”
Fallen man has many lovers: money, entertainment, sports, pleasure, ambition, and even family when loved more than God.
The apostle John summarizes all idolatry as love for the world:
1 John 2:15–16
The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life describe the whole corrupt nature of fallen man.
John Calvin aptly said:
“The human heart is, as it were, a vessel full of pride and ambition.”
James speaks plainly:
James
4:4
“Friendship
of the world is enmity with God.”
Wars, strife, envy, and hatred all flow from sinful desires rooted in pride. Even prayer becomes selfish when the heart is ruled by idols.
Worldliness is not harmless—it is hostility toward God.
All sin is committed in the service of idols. God utterly hates idolatry because it robs Him of His rightful glory.
God is holy and jealous. He demands the whole heart, not divided affection. He will not tolerate rival loves. Idols must be cast away completely.
Thomas Brooks wrote:
“God will not be content with a corner of the heart; He must have the throne.”
The natural man hates this demand because he loves his idols. Yet God will accept no payment, no tears, no religious effort as atonement. Only true repentance and faith in Christ bring forgiveness.
The fallen man is religious outwardly but dead inwardly. His heart belongs to the world, not to God. Until his idols are torn down and his heart is renewed by grace, he remains at enmity with God.
The wages of sin is death—but thanks be to God, there is mercy for idolaters who repent and turn to Christ alone.