1 Thessalonians 4:13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.
13 Οὐ θέλομεν δὲ ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἀδελφοί, περὶ τῶν κοιμωμένων, ἵνα μὴ λυπῆσθε καθὼς καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ οἱ μὴ ἔχοντες ἐλπίδα.
I think it is pretty obvious that Paul uses "asleep" as a euphemism for "dead." Paul uses the subjunctive mood with the phrase ἵνα μὴ λυπῆσθε. This is the mood of possibility. It is not something that has happened yet, but it might happen. That is why it is translated as "may not grieve." This is one of the instances where it has a weak imperatival force to it. Paul is telling them not to grieve. He contrasts them with οἱ λοιποὶ οἱ μὴ ἔχοντες ἐλπίδα. This could be thought of as "the remaining." In other words, this is everyone else. Everyone who is not a Christian goes through life μὴ ἔχοντες ἐλπίδα. Note that ἔχοντες is a participle. This gives a continuous force to it. He is saying that everyone who is not a believer goes through life in a continuous state of hopelessness.
Of course, hope is big business. That concept got someone elected president. But if our hope is in any person then we are closer to this.I don't care if that person is a Republican or Democrat. There is no hope is a person apart from Christ.
This is a truth that we need to believe deeply. We say we do, but the way we live indicates otherwise. How zealous are we for evangelism? If our zeal is weak then it is because we do not believe this deeply. Do we despair when a brother or sister in Christ dies? We should be sad and miss them, but we should never despair because if they are in Christ then they have real hope. It's the same hope we have if we are in Christ.
But where this gets really tricky is the other side. Every funeral I've ever attended has promised that the deceased is in heaven. But how can someone say that unless he is sure that the person trusted Christ for his salvation? Otherwise, that person was living in hopelessness and will continue to do so for eternity.
It all begins and ends with Christ. He also is everything in between. You want real hope? It's in Christ and nowhere else.
Showing posts with label 1Thessalonians. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1Thessalonians. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
How We Live
1 Thessalonians 3:8 For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord.
8 ὅτι νῦν ζῶμεν ἐὰν ὑμεῖς στήκετε ἐν κυρίῳ.
Paul is writing about how he was concerned for the Thessalonians. He was afraid that they had fallen to the temptation that Satan threw at them. This is how he sums it all up. The word he uses in hope is στήκετε. This word is derived from a word derived from ἵστημι, which indicates strength. That is why it has the sense of standing firm or persevering. In other words, the Thessalonians' perseverance was life to Paul.
I had a hard time relating to this until I got involved in a church plant. The more I interact with people the more I appreciate this. I didn't go to seminary for my sake. I went to seminary so that I could more accurately preach and teach God's Word and help people. I do not exist for myself either. No Christian does. My job is to die to myself daily to help others live. There is nothing so encouraging as trying to help someone and see the good effects of that help.
Of course, this also means that we need to be ready for the converse. There will be times when people do not stand fast and that will be like a slow death to us. Sometimes it will be like a punch in the stomach. You can't have the good without the bad. Nevertheless, I think that Paul clearly emphasizes the positive here. Seeing the Thessalonians live served as a great encouragement to him.
Hopefully anyone out there reading this loves his pastor and wants to serve him. We cannot manufacture obedience to the Word, but when it is manifested in our lives it most certainly is an encouragement to your pastor.
8 ὅτι νῦν ζῶμεν ἐὰν ὑμεῖς στήκετε ἐν κυρίῳ.
Paul is writing about how he was concerned for the Thessalonians. He was afraid that they had fallen to the temptation that Satan threw at them. This is how he sums it all up. The word he uses in hope is στήκετε. This word is derived from a word derived from ἵστημι, which indicates strength. That is why it has the sense of standing firm or persevering. In other words, the Thessalonians' perseverance was life to Paul.
I had a hard time relating to this until I got involved in a church plant. The more I interact with people the more I appreciate this. I didn't go to seminary for my sake. I went to seminary so that I could more accurately preach and teach God's Word and help people. I do not exist for myself either. No Christian does. My job is to die to myself daily to help others live. There is nothing so encouraging as trying to help someone and see the good effects of that help.
Of course, this also means that we need to be ready for the converse. There will be times when people do not stand fast and that will be like a slow death to us. Sometimes it will be like a punch in the stomach. You can't have the good without the bad. Nevertheless, I think that Paul clearly emphasizes the positive here. Seeing the Thessalonians live served as a great encouragement to him.
Hopefully anyone out there reading this loves his pastor and wants to serve him. We cannot manufacture obedience to the Word, but when it is manifested in our lives it most certainly is an encouragement to your pastor.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Pleasing Preaching
1 Thessalonians 2:4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.
4 ἀλλὰ καθὼς δεδοκιμάσμεθα ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ πιστευθῆναι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, οὕτως λαλοῦμεν, οὐχ ὡς ἀνθρώποις ἀρέσκοντες ἀλλὰ θεῷ τῷ δοκιμάζοντι τὰς καρδίας ἡμῶν.
I don't really have a ton of deep exegetical insight about this. This is just a verse that struck me today. I do think that the word πιστευθῆναι is translated "to be entrusted with." This word is πιστεύω, which typically means something like "to believe" or "to have faith in." I don't want to make too big of a deal about it as this would preach really well and I'm not sure it is valid, but you could almost say that God had faith in Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy. But isn't that what "entrusted" is all about? God trusted them. Why could He do that? He is the one who gave them new hearts so that they would be worth trusting. It's not about their inherent character and it's not something that they can manufacture. I fear that would how this could be preached and I would hate to do that.
What is their response? They speak so as to please God rather than man. They are not so concerned about making man happy as they are about making God happy. If you read the rest of this chapter you will see that this is not a license to bring out the big gilded pew bible and use it as a sledgehammer. However, it is a clear call to faithfulness in gospel ministry.
Frankly, that is the call that we all have. Want to make God happy? Preach the gospel. It seems that we look for hoops to jump through. God is not happy with you simply because you dress a certain way, avoid certain movies, and don't drink beer. In this case, Paul emphasizes that his preaching the gospel makes God happy.
Let's focus on that, amen?
4 ἀλλὰ καθὼς δεδοκιμάσμεθα ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ πιστευθῆναι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, οὕτως λαλοῦμεν, οὐχ ὡς ἀνθρώποις ἀρέσκοντες ἀλλὰ θεῷ τῷ δοκιμάζοντι τὰς καρδίας ἡμῶν.
I don't really have a ton of deep exegetical insight about this. This is just a verse that struck me today. I do think that the word πιστευθῆναι is translated "to be entrusted with." This word is πιστεύω, which typically means something like "to believe" or "to have faith in." I don't want to make too big of a deal about it as this would preach really well and I'm not sure it is valid, but you could almost say that God had faith in Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy. But isn't that what "entrusted" is all about? God trusted them. Why could He do that? He is the one who gave them new hearts so that they would be worth trusting. It's not about their inherent character and it's not something that they can manufacture. I fear that would how this could be preached and I would hate to do that.
What is their response? They speak so as to please God rather than man. They are not so concerned about making man happy as they are about making God happy. If you read the rest of this chapter you will see that this is not a license to bring out the big gilded pew bible and use it as a sledgehammer. However, it is a clear call to faithfulness in gospel ministry.
Frankly, that is the call that we all have. Want to make God happy? Preach the gospel. It seems that we look for hoops to jump through. God is not happy with you simply because you dress a certain way, avoid certain movies, and don't drink beer. In this case, Paul emphasizes that his preaching the gospel makes God happy.
Let's focus on that, amen?
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Knowing the Elect
1 Thessalonians 1:4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.
4 εἰδότες, ἀδελφοὶ ἠγαπημένοι ὑπὸ [τοῦ] θεοῦ, τὴν ἐκλογὴν ὑμῶν, 5 ὅτι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ἡμῶν οὐκ ἐγενήθη εἰς ὑμᾶς ἐν λόγῳ μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν δυνάμει καὶ ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ καὶ [ἐν] πληροφορίᾳ πολλῇ, καθὼς οἴδατε οἷοι ἐγενήθημεν [ἐν] ὑμῖν δι᾽ ὑμᾶς.
One fairly common criticism of Calvinism is that it squelches evangelism. The argument goes that if God elects people from before the world began why bother with evangelism? Won't He save the people He means to save no matter what?
The short answer to that is of course a simple "yes," but that is woefully inadequate. This verse gives a little more insight into the issue. The phrase τὴν ἐκλογὴν ὑμῶν is translated "he has chosen you," but technically it is "your election" or "your choosing." Verse 5 explains this. How do we know about your election? It is because the gospel came to them ἐν δυνάμει καὶ ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ καὶ [ἐν] πληροφορίᾳ πολλῇ. What Paul means is that the gospel was not mere words to the Thessalonian believers, but it had true power to them.
How do we know who the elect are? They are the ones who respond to the gospel. It is our job to pray, preach, persuade, and do whatever we can to clearly communicate the gospel to people. But we cannot save anyone. All we can do is put the gospel out there. Their acceptance is between them and the Lord. We know the elect by the fruit of the gospel in their lives?
Does that mean that everyone who appears to live a godly lifestyle is saved? No. But we can be pretty sure that anyone who is not changed by the gospel is not saved. We can never be certain about anyone's future state. This is why we keep preaching the word. We put it out there. My prayer is that my preaching today would fall on fertile soil and produce fruit.
4 εἰδότες, ἀδελφοὶ ἠγαπημένοι ὑπὸ [τοῦ] θεοῦ, τὴν ἐκλογὴν ὑμῶν, 5 ὅτι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ἡμῶν οὐκ ἐγενήθη εἰς ὑμᾶς ἐν λόγῳ μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν δυνάμει καὶ ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ καὶ [ἐν] πληροφορίᾳ πολλῇ, καθὼς οἴδατε οἷοι ἐγενήθημεν [ἐν] ὑμῖν δι᾽ ὑμᾶς.
One fairly common criticism of Calvinism is that it squelches evangelism. The argument goes that if God elects people from before the world began why bother with evangelism? Won't He save the people He means to save no matter what?
The short answer to that is of course a simple "yes," but that is woefully inadequate. This verse gives a little more insight into the issue. The phrase τὴν ἐκλογὴν ὑμῶν is translated "he has chosen you," but technically it is "your election" or "your choosing." Verse 5 explains this. How do we know about your election? It is because the gospel came to them ἐν δυνάμει καὶ ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ καὶ [ἐν] πληροφορίᾳ πολλῇ. What Paul means is that the gospel was not mere words to the Thessalonian believers, but it had true power to them.
How do we know who the elect are? They are the ones who respond to the gospel. It is our job to pray, preach, persuade, and do whatever we can to clearly communicate the gospel to people. But we cannot save anyone. All we can do is put the gospel out there. Their acceptance is between them and the Lord. We know the elect by the fruit of the gospel in their lives?
Does that mean that everyone who appears to live a godly lifestyle is saved? No. But we can be pretty sure that anyone who is not changed by the gospel is not saved. We can never be certain about anyone's future state. This is why we keep preaching the word. We put it out there. My prayer is that my preaching today would fall on fertile soil and produce fruit.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Final Exhortations
1 Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
16 Πάντοτε χαίρετε, 17 ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθε, 18 ἐν παντὶ εὐχαριστεῖτε· τοῦτο γὰρ θέλημα θεοῦ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ εἰς ὑμᾶς.
I'm a big fan of Scripture memorization. If you have never memorized any verses I would recommend these as they are short and you can say that you've memorized three verses. Verses 16 and 17 are even shorter than the famous John 11:35, at least in Greek. I don't have any magical exegetical insights here, nor do I need to. The verses are very straightforward. What does Πάντοτε mean? It means at all times. In other words, there is no time when we are not to be rejoicing. What does ἀδιαλείπτως mean? It's an adverb that means unceasingly. We are to pray at all times without giving up. What does ἐν παντὶ mean? It's the same word as verse 16. We are always to give thanks.
So what do we do with this? I tend to read through these passages kind of quickly because I see them just as Paul saying good-bye to his friends at whatever church. But these are three very powerful admonitions that I don't always obey very well. Always means always. Always means when work isn't going well. Always means when you or a loved one is sick. Always means when people you love die. We who are in Christ are to keep on rejoicing.
Without ceasing means that we never sell God short. We never give up on Him saving someone we love. We never give up on praying for our families, whether we are parents or children. We never stop praying for our country. We never stop praying for our churches. We never stop praying for the advance of the gospel.
All circumstances means that we should always give thanks, no matter what. Nothing happens apart from God's will. Therefore, any trial that comes into our lives is part of His plan for us. If we are His children it is for our sanctification. If we are not His children it may be so that we die to ourselves and trust completely in Him. Whatever it is, we are to give thanks. Pick the most horrific thing you can imagine happening in your life. We're still to give thanks when that happens. We don't have to know why it happens except that it is part of God's will for us.
My prayer is that anyone reading this will obey. Would you pray that for me as well?
16 Πάντοτε χαίρετε, 17 ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθε, 18 ἐν παντὶ εὐχαριστεῖτε· τοῦτο γὰρ θέλημα θεοῦ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ εἰς ὑμᾶς.
I'm a big fan of Scripture memorization. If you have never memorized any verses I would recommend these as they are short and you can say that you've memorized three verses. Verses 16 and 17 are even shorter than the famous John 11:35, at least in Greek. I don't have any magical exegetical insights here, nor do I need to. The verses are very straightforward. What does Πάντοτε mean? It means at all times. In other words, there is no time when we are not to be rejoicing. What does ἀδιαλείπτως mean? It's an adverb that means unceasingly. We are to pray at all times without giving up. What does ἐν παντὶ mean? It's the same word as verse 16. We are always to give thanks.
So what do we do with this? I tend to read through these passages kind of quickly because I see them just as Paul saying good-bye to his friends at whatever church. But these are three very powerful admonitions that I don't always obey very well. Always means always. Always means when work isn't going well. Always means when you or a loved one is sick. Always means when people you love die. We who are in Christ are to keep on rejoicing.
Without ceasing means that we never sell God short. We never give up on Him saving someone we love. We never give up on praying for our families, whether we are parents or children. We never stop praying for our country. We never stop praying for our churches. We never stop praying for the advance of the gospel.
All circumstances means that we should always give thanks, no matter what. Nothing happens apart from God's will. Therefore, any trial that comes into our lives is part of His plan for us. If we are His children it is for our sanctification. If we are not His children it may be so that we die to ourselves and trust completely in Him. Whatever it is, we are to give thanks. Pick the most horrific thing you can imagine happening in your life. We're still to give thanks when that happens. We don't have to know why it happens except that it is part of God's will for us.
My prayer is that anyone reading this will obey. Would you pray that for me as well?
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
A Holy Calling
1 Thessalonians 4:7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.
7 οὐ γὰρ ἐκάλεσεν ἡμᾶς ὁ θεὸς ἐπὶ ἀκαθαρσίᾳ ἀλλ᾽ ἐν ἁγιασμῷ.
This concludes a passage where Paul tells the Thessalonians to abstain from sexual impurity. The word translated "sexual impurity" in verse 3 is τῆς πορνείας (in the genitive). This is where we get our word "pornography." He then goes on to tell them that they need to be in control of their bodies.
This stands in stark contrast with how our society operates. Men, are you feeling hungry sexually? Just look at some porn and gratify yourselves. Women, are you feeling depressed? Have something to eat or buy something. Of course, these temptations go for both sexes, but these are two of the big ones that our culture propagates. In verse 5 Paul talks about not being like τὰ ἔθνη τὰ μὴ εἰδότα τὸν θεόν. The word τὰ ἔθνη has a fairly wide semantic range in that it can mean a group of people, a nation, or the Gentiles as it is translated in the ESV. The point is that Paul uses it pejoratively. You don't want to act like those people.
Just as in that day there are believers and unbelievers. Here in verse 7 Paul makes a very important statement. We were not called to behave like everyone else. Our lives should be different. Put another way, if Christianity became illegal under American law would there be enough evidence to convict you of being one? I don't mean the holy hardware you can buy at Lifeway, but would there be enough evidence in your life? Do you consume media differently than unbelievers? Do you eat differently? Do you exercise differently? Do you guard your eyes differently? Do you spend your money differently?
My call is not one of legalism. Anyone can change their behavior for a time. My call is to examine your heart. If you cannot answer yes to my questions then perhaps you need to examine your own salvation. None of us is perfect and I don't want to imply that the saved all have this nailed down perfectly. What do you see when you ask yourself these questions and then look at your heart?
7 οὐ γὰρ ἐκάλεσεν ἡμᾶς ὁ θεὸς ἐπὶ ἀκαθαρσίᾳ ἀλλ᾽ ἐν ἁγιασμῷ.
This concludes a passage where Paul tells the Thessalonians to abstain from sexual impurity. The word translated "sexual impurity" in verse 3 is τῆς πορνείας (in the genitive). This is where we get our word "pornography." He then goes on to tell them that they need to be in control of their bodies.
This stands in stark contrast with how our society operates. Men, are you feeling hungry sexually? Just look at some porn and gratify yourselves. Women, are you feeling depressed? Have something to eat or buy something. Of course, these temptations go for both sexes, but these are two of the big ones that our culture propagates. In verse 5 Paul talks about not being like τὰ ἔθνη τὰ μὴ εἰδότα τὸν θεόν. The word τὰ ἔθνη has a fairly wide semantic range in that it can mean a group of people, a nation, or the Gentiles as it is translated in the ESV. The point is that Paul uses it pejoratively. You don't want to act like those people.
Just as in that day there are believers and unbelievers. Here in verse 7 Paul makes a very important statement. We were not called to behave like everyone else. Our lives should be different. Put another way, if Christianity became illegal under American law would there be enough evidence to convict you of being one? I don't mean the holy hardware you can buy at Lifeway, but would there be enough evidence in your life? Do you consume media differently than unbelievers? Do you eat differently? Do you exercise differently? Do you guard your eyes differently? Do you spend your money differently?
My call is not one of legalism. Anyone can change their behavior for a time. My call is to examine your heart. If you cannot answer yes to my questions then perhaps you need to examine your own salvation. None of us is perfect and I don't want to imply that the saved all have this nailed down perfectly. What do you see when you ask yourself these questions and then look at your heart?
Monday, August 09, 2010
A Pastor's Heart
1 Thessalonians 3:8 For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord.
8 ὅτι νῦν ζῶμεν ἐὰν ὑμεῖς στήκετε ἐν κυρίῳ.
There isn't a lot of devotional material in this chapter. However, I do think that it shows us what a pastor's heart should look like. Paul decided that it was more important to get news about the Thessalonians than it was to enjoy Timothy's company. He sent Timothy to get word about them. This was how Paul expressed his feelings about their church. Their steadfastness was obviously very important to him. ζῶμεν is a present active indicative verb. It seems that the ESV translates this perfectly.
When I read this I think back to my time at Setting Captives Free. When I started working as a mentor I think that this verse pretty well described how I felt. But as I proved myself faithful I got more work piled on me. Eventually I was working with so many guys that I was basically just processing them. I couldn't really counsel them and, therefore, I stopped caring. I just wanted to see them get through the course. I stopped following-up with them and really didn't even notice when they disappeared.
It seems terrible to look back on it that way. It's not the fault of Setting Captives Free either. There just simply was not enough time to work with all the men who came through. But I think back to those early days and I miss that. I would love to get into a ministry where I could actually work with people. We'll see if that happens.
8 ὅτι νῦν ζῶμεν ἐὰν ὑμεῖς στήκετε ἐν κυρίῳ.
There isn't a lot of devotional material in this chapter. However, I do think that it shows us what a pastor's heart should look like. Paul decided that it was more important to get news about the Thessalonians than it was to enjoy Timothy's company. He sent Timothy to get word about them. This was how Paul expressed his feelings about their church. Their steadfastness was obviously very important to him. ζῶμεν is a present active indicative verb. It seems that the ESV translates this perfectly.
When I read this I think back to my time at Setting Captives Free. When I started working as a mentor I think that this verse pretty well described how I felt. But as I proved myself faithful I got more work piled on me. Eventually I was working with so many guys that I was basically just processing them. I couldn't really counsel them and, therefore, I stopped caring. I just wanted to see them get through the course. I stopped following-up with them and really didn't even notice when they disappeared.
It seems terrible to look back on it that way. It's not the fault of Setting Captives Free either. There just simply was not enough time to work with all the men who came through. But I think back to those early days and I miss that. I would love to get into a ministry where I could actually work with people. We'll see if that happens.
Saturday, August 07, 2010
Turn or Burn
1 Thessalonians 1:9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,
9 αὐτοὶ γὰρ περὶ ἡμῶν ἀπαγγέλλουσιν ὁποίαν εἴσοδον ἔσχομεν πρὸς ὑμᾶς, καὶ πῶς ἐπεστρέψατε πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἀπὸ τῶν εἰδώλων δουλεύειν θεῷ ζῶντι καὶ ἀληθινῷ
I've always wanted to say that, but I haven't been in a church setting quite country enough for it. Yet that is basically what Paul is getting at here. He's still greeting the Thessalonians and his greetings are usually pretty upbeat. Here he tells of how the Thessalonians became Christians. They ἐπεστρέψατε πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἀπὸ τῶν εἰδώλων. The word ἐπεστρέψατε is 2nd person plural aorist active indicative. I don't want to make too big of a deal about the aorist tense, but basically it means that there was some time in the past where they were serving idols, but they turned from them δουλεύειν θεῷ ζῶντι καὶ ἀληθινῷ.
We can find a myriad of applications to this and I write from experience. I can remember my idolatry to sexual sin when I was enslaved to pornography and self-gratification. I remember my idolatry to food and ease when I was mired in gluttony and laziness. There were dead idols.
This is not to imply that I have no idols. I am continually reminded of how I can make an idol out of my schoolwork. I still have leanings toward making sex into an idol. The heart is a factory for idols.
The good news is that there is a living and true God out there. Serving Him is always better than serving idols. Before we can do that we need to turn from our idols. Another word for that is to repent. It has to be a 180 degree turn. You can't turn 179 degrees. Basically, there are 359 degrees of idolatry and 1 degree that points to God. Any sailor can tell you that a minor course deviation makes a huge difference over a long voyage.
I pray that we all run straight to God. Why serve idols when we can serve the living and true God?
9 αὐτοὶ γὰρ περὶ ἡμῶν ἀπαγγέλλουσιν ὁποίαν εἴσοδον ἔσχομεν πρὸς ὑμᾶς, καὶ πῶς ἐπεστρέψατε πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἀπὸ τῶν εἰδώλων δουλεύειν θεῷ ζῶντι καὶ ἀληθινῷ
I've always wanted to say that, but I haven't been in a church setting quite country enough for it. Yet that is basically what Paul is getting at here. He's still greeting the Thessalonians and his greetings are usually pretty upbeat. Here he tells of how the Thessalonians became Christians. They ἐπεστρέψατε πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἀπὸ τῶν εἰδώλων. The word ἐπεστρέψατε is 2nd person plural aorist active indicative. I don't want to make too big of a deal about the aorist tense, but basically it means that there was some time in the past where they were serving idols, but they turned from them δουλεύειν θεῷ ζῶντι καὶ ἀληθινῷ.
We can find a myriad of applications to this and I write from experience. I can remember my idolatry to sexual sin when I was enslaved to pornography and self-gratification. I remember my idolatry to food and ease when I was mired in gluttony and laziness. There were dead idols.
This is not to imply that I have no idols. I am continually reminded of how I can make an idol out of my schoolwork. I still have leanings toward making sex into an idol. The heart is a factory for idols.
The good news is that there is a living and true God out there. Serving Him is always better than serving idols. Before we can do that we need to turn from our idols. Another word for that is to repent. It has to be a 180 degree turn. You can't turn 179 degrees. Basically, there are 359 degrees of idolatry and 1 degree that points to God. Any sailor can tell you that a minor course deviation makes a huge difference over a long voyage.
I pray that we all run straight to God. Why serve idols when we can serve the living and true God?
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