Do You Have An Idol?

• Why can't you forgive someone?
  
• Why do you lie?
  
• Why do you feel threatened?
  
• Why do you get so angry?

The answer to these questions are related to idolatry. So, how can you tell if you have an idol?

The sign of idolatry is always inordinate anxiety, inordinate anger, inordinate discouragement when we lose our "idol" of choice. Idols are good things (family, achievement, work and career, romance, talent, etc) that we turn into ultimate things in order to get the significance and joy we need. Then they drive us into the ground because we have to have them. If we lose a good thing, it makes us sad. If we lose an idol it devastates us. Why?

We are functionally expecting our idol to do what only God is able to do. We are trying to find our joy, significance, hope, and security in something other than Christ. These "things"are functionally our god, our idol. If we try to achieve our sense of self by our performance (as we Christians might do with our work and ministry) then we are putting something in the place of Christ as a Savior. That is an ‘idol’ by definition.

We never break any of the 2nd to 10 commandments without first breaking the 1st commandment: "You shall have no other gods before me." For instance:

• Why can't you truly forgive someone who hurt you? It's because you're expecting that person to give you what only God can give you: love, honor, respect, approval, etc.
• Why do you lie? It's because your reputation (I'm an honorable person), or your money or whatever is more foundational to your self and happiness than the love of God.
• Why are so many so bothered inordinately with the economic recession? It's because they functionally regard their financial well being as the source of their security, rather than God.
  

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God is Man's Salvation (Isaiah 12)

Isaiah concludes chs. 6-12 by foreseeing the day when God's people will praise him for the abundant joys of his salvation.

God's salvation (Isa 12:1,2)

God was angry with his people when they rejected God (Isa 1:2-4), God's law and God's word (Isa 5:24,25). But "in that day, you will say: 'I will praise you, Lord. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me'" (Isa 12:1). God's anger turned away was not on account of his people, but of his own initiative, based on his mercy and grace (Isa 6:6,7; 53:4-6). Only God's supernatural deliverance takes away our fear, and is our true source of strength, song and salvation (Isa 12:2,3).

Man's response (Isa 12:3-6)

Man's only appropriate response to God's salvation is to give praise and thanks to him with shouts of joy and exhilaration for all the glorious things that he has done for us. And we sing of God's greatness "among the nations" and "to all the world" (Isa 12:4,5). Because of God's gracious intervention, the sinner's greatest dread (Isa 6:3-5) becomes his ultimate joy.

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Paradise (Isaiah 11)

As Isaiah portrays God's destructive judgment as the felling of a vast forest (Isa 10:33,34), he portrays the Messiah as a shoot or twig growing from a stump remaining after God's judgment (Isa 4:2, 6:13, 53:2).

The Righteous Reign of the Messiah (Isa 11:1-5)

The Messiah, referred to as "a branch," will come from the house of Jesse, the father of David (Isa 11:1,10). This continues the theme of the coming heir of David, who is Immanuel--God with us (Isa 7:10-14), and a son (Isa 9:1-7). As David was empowered by the Holy Spirit (1 Sam 16:13), the Messiah is more richly endowed with a 3-fold fullness of the Spirit (Isa 11:2):

• "wisdom and understanding" for leadership
• "counsel and might" to carry out his wise plans
• "knowledge and the fear of the Lord" for holiness
  

In sharp contrast with faulty human leaders including David, the Messiah will delight "in the fear of the Lord" (Isa 11:3a; Prov 1:7), and thus promote reverence among those he rules. Unlike human leaders who judge by what they see or hear (Isa 11:3b), the Messiah judges and decides by righteousness and justice (Isa 11:4,5; 2:4). Human leaders like strong and impressive people who will benefit them, but the Messiah treasures the poor and the needy who are generally despised or ignored.

No Predators but Peace when the Messiah Rules (Isa 11:6-10)

Stronger men oppress weaker men, just as predatory wolves go after docile lambs. But where the Messiah rules, "The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them" (Isa 11:6). This is so because when the Messiah reigns, "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea" (Isa 11:9).

The Messiah will recover the remnant of his people (Isa 11:11-16)

God's power, expressed as "his hand" (Isa 11:11,15), will gather in all his people--the "remnant of his people" (Isa 11:11,16), and no earthly power can prevent God from doing so. Even mighty enemy Assyria becomes an avenue for the salvation of God's remnant (Isa 11:16).

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7 Counterfeit Gospels

Counterfeit gospels are ways we try to justify and "save" ourselves apart from the gospel of grace. Paul Tripp, in his book, How People Change, identifies 7 counterfeit gospels (the quotes are mine):

1. Formalism. "I faithfully participate in our church meetings. I'm judgmental and critical of those who are not as committed as I."
   
2. Legalism. "I live by the rules I create for myself and for others. I'm upset with those who don't live up to the standards I set for them."
   
3. Mysticism. "I constantly need an emotional experience with God. If I don't feel it, I'm discouraged."
   
4. Activism. "I live for mission and I expect others to live for mission. I need to fix those who are not missional."
   
5. Biblicism. "I'm critical of those who don't know the Bible well."
   
6. Therapism. "I view hurt as a greater problem than sin, and I view Christ as more Therapist than Savior."
   
7. Social-ism. "I replace fellowship with fellow Christians in church with fellowship with Christ himself."
   

I think that we default so easily to one of these counterfeits because of our sinful inclination to always depend on something else other than Jesus. We depend on our faithfulness, our rules, our feelings, our mission, our church, etc, more than Jesus, often without realizing it. The evidence is that we get quite angry and defensive when our counterfeit gospel idols are pointed out.

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FROG: Fully Rely On God (Isaiah 10:20)

God Judges the Corrupt in Israel (Isa 10:1-4)

The rulers of God's people imposed "unjust laws" and "oppressive decrees" upon the weak (Isa 10:1,2). God would one day judge and punish them in his anger through the hand of Assyria (Isa 10:3,4).

God Judges the Arrogant Assyrians (Isa 10:5-19)

Although Assyria was only God's instrument to punish his people Israel (Isa 10:5,6), they thought that they conquered others by their own might (Isa 10:7-11, 13-15). God would punish the king of Assyria for their pride and arrogance (Isa 10:12), and Assyria would be reduced to near nothing (Isa 10:16-19). Assyria fell in 612 B.C.

God Preserves his Remnant (Isa 10:20-34)

God's anger and wrath toward his people Israel was for the sake of preserving from among them a remnant of those who fully rely on God [FROG] (Isa 10:20-23; Rom 9:27,28). Isa 10:20 says, "In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down but will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel." Even under God's heavy disciplinary hand, God's people can be confident in the promises of God (Isa 10:24-34).

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The "Order" of Redemption

This book, Redemption Accomplished and Applied by John Murray, is an excellent book in the area of soteriology. Murray splits the topic into 2 parts: Redemption Accomplished, and Redemption Applied. In Redemption Accomplished, Murray covers the necessity, the nature, the perfection and the extent of the atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Redemption Applied, Murray covers the order of application of redemption's benefits, following which he covers each of the application more or less in their order of application (below).


A review which I agree with says that the best part of the book is part II Redemption Applied, chapter 1 (p. 79-87). The logical arguments for placing the various applications of redemption are impeccable, and done via deriving the order from first principles. Murray starts off with no order present, then slowly from the bottom up derive the logical and temporal order of each component with respects to the others through the teachings of Scripture. Such makes the chapter itself a valuable piece of theological apologetics indeed, which would be very helpful for Christians to see how the Reformed Ordo Salutis is created from scratch through deduction from the Scriptures alone. This section alone is well-worth the read, and mark this work as a classic indeed in Reformed theological works.


The accomplishment of redemption, or the atonement, is central to our Christian faith. It comprises a series of acts and processes. The order in the application of redemption (each with its own distinct meaning, function, and purpose in the action and grace of God) is as follows:

1. Effectual Calling
2. Regeneration
3. Faith and Repentance
4. Justification
5. Adoption
   
6. Sanctification
7. Perseverance
8. Glorification

This is another brief summary from Ligonier.

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For to Us a Child Is Born (Isaiah 9)

Birth and Reign of the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:1-7)

By not trusting God, God's people experienced anguish and humiliation, darkness and defeat (Isa. 9:1), yet God himself would bring forth a great deliverance by shining upon them a great light (Isa. 9:2). God would restore their joy (Isa. 9:3) in 3 ways by breaking off all human oppression (Isa. 9:4), by bringing an end to war, and by the gift of a special son (Isa. 9:6), who is a descendant and the rightful heir of David's throne (Isa. 9:7), who will establish the kingdom of God "with justice and with righteousness." This son would be called by 4 names of God himself:

• Wonderful Counselor: He is wise, unlike intelligent but foolish Ahaz.
  
• Mighty God: As a warrior, God protects his people.
  
• Everlasting Father: The benevolent Father and King cares for his subjects.
  
• Prince of Peace: His government beings peace, not distress.
  

God's Anger with Israel's Arrogance (Isa. 9:8-10:4)

Pride and arrogance is the source of all the nation's disasters (Isa. 9:9). Because of their pride and arrogance to preserve and glorify themselves, God's "anger is not turned away" (Isa. 9:12,17,21,10:4; 5:25). The principle of retribution is an important biblical teaching. People reap what they sow, whether to destruction or benefit (Isa. 10:1-4; Gal. 6:7,8).

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