Over the past few days we have been exploring the definition and danger of idolatry. The Apostle John in 1 John 5:21 warns his readers to "guard yourselves against idols." In this short series we discovered first of all that idolatry is whenever you exalt yourself, exchange God and elevate comfort above Him. We then considered John's discussion of sins that do not lead to death and those that do lead to death as warnings for avoiding idolatry in 1 John 5:16-17. Today we will finish up our series on idolatry by considering the best way to guard against it.
Encouraging provisions of grace for guarding against idolatry
1 John 5:18-20 lays out positive encouragements for combatting the seductive danger of idolatry. The overwhelming thrust is to love Jesus and hate idols. How can you and I dear Christian guard ourselves against idolatry?
1. Presence of the Holy Spirit. 1 John 5:18a
1 John 5:18a reads - "We know that no one who is born of God sins". The word translated "sins" is a present tense verb in the Greek that speaks of habitual sin or an ongoing lifestyle of sin. Christians can still sin after salvation, as John mentions in 1 John 1:8-10. However a true believer in Jesus Christ will not keep on engaging in a prolonged regiment of sinful behavior without falling under the Lord's discipline and without falling under eventual sorrow for their sin that leads to repentance. (2 Corinthians 7; Hebrews 12:5-6; 2 Timothy 2:24-26). The Holy Spirit is the Agent of the new birth and he is also the One who prevents the Christian from falling into such a state that would result in the loss of their salvation. (John 1:12-13, 16:8-11; Ephesians 1:11-14)
2. The Preserving work of the Father. 1 John 5:18b
1 John 5:18b reads - "but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him. " With the Holy Spirit being the Agent who is present when a person is born again by grace through faith, the Father above is the Author of the new birth. (James 1:18) Being that God is the beginner of salvation, scripture reveals that He is also the finisher thereof. (Philippians 1:6) Now this is important to note, since the Father is the one who preserves the believer from drifting so far into sin as to result in irretrievable loss of their salvation. (1 Peter 1:5)
The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 notes:
All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end. Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, and bring reproach on the cause of Christ and temporal judgments on themselves; yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.
3. Power of the scriptures. 1 John 5:19
1 John 5:19 states - "We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one." Three times in 1 John 5:16-20 we see this repeating phrase: "we know". Question: how is it that you know anything about the necessary means for guarding yuorself against idolatry? The scriptures. The Word of God not only gives you the contents to understand the Christian life, but also the power needed to live it. (Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:6; 2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16-17) The Bible reminds you of who you are and Whose you are. Our trouble anytime we sin is forgetting who we are and Whose we are. This is why we need constant, daily exposure to the scripture in order to combat sin and walk in victory. (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 119:11; 1 Corinthians 2:10-13)
4. Person of Jesus Christ. 1 John 5:20
Having seen the provisions of the Presence of the Holy Spirit, the Preserving work of God the Father and power of the scriptures as constituting the way in which we can guard against idolatry, lets consider one more provision of grace: The Person of Jesus Christ. 1 John 5:20 states - "And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life." Two other passages of scripture can be used to shed light on the significance of this verse. The first scripture is John 17:3 - "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." Then secondly, Hebrews 12:2-3 "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." It is Christ Himself in Whom and by Whom we are able to guard ourselves against idolatry. Whenever you think about it, the only reason why we can be tricked and duped is whenever we fail to take advantage of God's grace ever made available to us. Thankfully even when we are faithless, He is faithful, for he cannot deny Himself. (2 Timothy 2:13)
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