Sanctifying Our “Churchy” Idols

How We Manufacture Doctrine, Church, and Theology Into False Gods

Many of us Protestants are quick to condemn icons and images that lead to idolatry. Yep, it’s easy to point fingers at Catholic or Orthodox groups for such things. But to think that because you criticize other Christian belief systems makes you immune to idolatry is far from true.

In fact, the truth is that idolatry is not limited to golden calves, icons, or carved statues. As Johnny Calvin warned, the human heart is a perpetual factory of idols, and our most dangerous idols are often invisible, intellectual, or institutional. You don’t have to be a black coffee Calvinist to see this, but it is subtle.

Anything… no matter how noble or spiritual it may seem… that replaces the living God or limits Him with human definitions becomes an idol. Even our theology, our traditions, and our churches can become objects of worship if they overshadow the God they claim to serve.

Many of the Reformers insisted that only God can describe Himself. He cannot be defined by human hands or by philosophical systems. When we attempt to reduce God to an image… whether visual, verbal, or conceptual… we cross into idolatry.

The second commandment forbids making graven images, not just as a prohibition against paganism, but as a warning against the deeper human tendency to put limits around a limitless God. The simplest wooden statue and the most intricate theological system both become idols when they presume to define what only God can reveal.

God Cannot Be Fenced In

The Bible is clear: we know God not as an object to be analyzed, but as the One in whom we live, move, and have our being. As Rushdoony noted, even when Moses asked God for His name, God did not offer a definition.

He said, “I AM THAT I AM.” He is the One who defines all things, yet is defined by none. To define something is to draw a boundary around it… to limit it. God is limitless. We can only describe Him as He has revealed Himself in Scripture, not through human imagination or reason.

To know God truly is not to know Him exhaustively. Just as we cannot fully know another human being… let alone all creation… we certainly cannot fully or exhaustively comprehend the Creator. Yet we can know Him faithfully and truly, because He has chosen to reveal Himself. Still, the temptation remains to build intellectual or institutional structures and call them and treat them as though they are God. The result is always idolatry.

The Subtle Nature of Turning Theology into Idolatry

Even Scripture itself can be used to build idols. When portions of the Bible are emphasized to the exclusion of others, we create a partial picture of God and worship that limited version.

My friends who are Arminians, for instance, often overemphasize man’s autonomous free will choices, creating an image of a God who exists primarily to serve man. Many hyper-Calvinists stress God’s sovereignty and eternal decree to the point of portraying a God indifferent to human suffering and irrelevant to history.

In both cases, the result is an idol… a distortion of the living God. We must resist the urge to magnify one aspect of God’s character at the expense of the rest. God is not merely sovereign, nor merely loving. He is holy, just, merciful, omnipotent, triune… revealed in the totality of Scripture. A one-sided view, no matter how orthodox the terms and how clever the rhetoric, becomes a false god.

Confusing the Church with Christ

One of the most dangerous modern idols is the demand for an unqualified allegiance to the local church when it is or is becoming apostate.

Many believers, especially in historic traditions, view the church as some type of continuation of Christ’s incarnation. Even Protestants, claiming to stand on Scripture alone, often speak of the institutional church as the unqualified “the body of Christ.”

But when Paul speaks of the body in 1 Corinthians 12, his focus is not on an institution but on the community of believers in vital union with Christ.

Christ alone is the head and the body. We are members by grace… grafted into His life, not inherently part of Him. To conflate the institution with the body of Christ is to claim divine status for a human organization. Theological versions of this are everywhere, and it’s idolatry. It elevates the church above its calling as a vessel of God’s grace and makes it the object of devotion rather than the means of pointing to Christ.

The Language of Scripture Is Precise

Scripture speaks carefully. To call the church “the body of Christ” is not to say the institution itself is divine. The life of the church is in Christ, not in its structures, hierarchies, traditions, or history. Again, subtle, right?

The term “church” in the New Testament refers broadly to the congregation, the people of God, the assembly called out for His purposes. It can refer to a local gathering, to families, to governing bodies, and even to the general assembly in heaven. But we misread Scripture when we reduce “church” to a building or denomination and mistake it for the kingdom of God.

This confusion, deeply rooted in both Catholic and Protestant traditions, has led many to mistake the institution for the presence of God. The church is a part of the kingdom of God… but so are Christian families, schools, and even governments when they submit to Christ. To isolate one part and call it the whole is to create an idol. I would add that it’s also a logical fallacy.

Idolatry Begins with Self

At the root of all idolatry is self-worship. Again, Calvin was clear: man does not drift into idolatry from ignorance or from ancestor worship; rather, his pride drives him to create a god in his own image. We all do this. It’s the very nature of sin, after all.

We define God according to what makes sense to us, what comforts us, or what serves our interests. We transfer to ourselves or to our institutions what belongs only to the Deity.

Even the best theology and the most faithful church can become idols if they replace God as our focus. Again, as Rushdoony pointed out years ago, “whatever belongs to the Deity should not be transferred to another.” The name of God, the worship of God, and the attributes of God must never be applied to human creations. The reason should be obvious… as sinners, we create constructs that drift. We have to admit that churches do drift and often become apostate. So do families and civil governments.

A Call to Faithful Worship

True knowledge of God leads to true worship. It recognizes our limitations and honors God’s revelation without trying to contain Him. It resists the urge to define or domesticate God, to try to train God like you would a Labrador Retriever.  It holds fast to all of Scripture, not isolated doctrines or traditions. And it keeps Christ… not the church, not the creeds, not the community… at the center of our faith.

Ultimately, we must continually guard our hearts and minds against idolatry in all its subtle and sophisticated forms. The church must serve Christ, not compete with Him. And our theology must describe God as He has revealed Himself, never as we or our churches wish Him to be.

As Scripture warns, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” That command includes every image… intellectual or institutional… that claims what belongs to God alone.

Lastly, I didn’t write this to offend anyone. I’m only saying that the checks and balances we would like to apply in the case of civil government should also be applied… to not just the church, but in all areas of life. The checks and balances are, of course, found in Scripture alone.

Thanks for your patience. I’m definitely not saying I’m right and everyone else is wrong. I’m a sinner just like you and full of all kinds of foolish notions that I’ll retract as sanctification leads.

Blessings Ahead!

Source: https://www.offthegridnews.com/religion/sanctifying-our-churchy-idols/