There is only One True God!
The statue of Liberty in New York harbor is one of the most recognizable icons of our country. In another country, such a large statue might become an object of worship. Some of the largest statues in the world are monuments depicting false deities. China for example, has five huge statues of Buddha, each of which rival the Statue of Liberty in height. Generations of humanity have felt compelled to make a statue to bow down to. There are numerous examples of this in the Bible. Sometimes the statue depicts a mythical creature, like the statues of Baal and Molech worshiped by pagans in the Old Testament.
Sometimes the statues were depictions of real people, like the giant gold colossus of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon described in the book of Daniel. The King had a ninety foot high statue of himself constructed, and he demanded that everyone bow down to it. You’d have to have a pretty healthy ego to make such a huge image of yourself, then make everyone bow down and worship it!
We tend to scoff and say “That’s ridiculous! I’d never worship to a statue!” We tend to think of idol worship as something that superstitious, ignorant cultures do, and we think ourselves beyond primitive practices like that. But are we?
The Ten Commandments represent God’s measure of holiness. It’s the standard by which all of us will be judged. In the first commandment God says, “You shall have no other gods before me.” In the second commandment He says, “You shall not make for yourself an idol.” Hold on to that thought.
You’re probably familiar with some of the other commandments:
“You shall not steal.”
“You shall not murder.”
“You shall not commit adultery.” etc, etc, etc.
These are God’s laws. Tell me this; Have you broken any of them? Before you answer, consider this: in Matthew chapter 6, Jesus said that hating someone is the same kind of sin as murdering them. He also said that to lust after someone is the same kind of sin as adultery. So, have you broken God’s laws? If your answer is yes (which, if you’re honest, it has to be!), then consider: If God judges you by the ten commandments on Judgement Day, will you be innocent or guilty? Every one of us stands guilty before a Holy God, because we have all fallen short of His Holy standard. Are you worried about that? Jesus declared that, on Judgement Day, multitudes will hear God say, “Depart from me, I never knew you.” They will be removed from God’s presence and cast into outer darkness, into hell, for all eternity. Does that concern you?
Many people say something like:
“No it doesn’t, because I think God is kinder than that. I know that the Bible says that God punishes sin, but when it comes right down to it, I think God will forgive me, even though I never sought forgiveness, or turned from my sin.”
Do you know what you’ve just done? You’ve broken both of the first two commandments. You’ve constructed an idol in your mind, and you’ve put it before the One True God. The god you’re trusting in, the one who will overlook your sin without any repentance on your part, doesn’t exist. It’s a false god.
•Acts 17:30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.
He’s calling you to repent, to turn away from your sin, to turn from all pride, and lust and addiction, and thievery and dishonesty. The penalty for those things is death and Hell, and we’ve already committed the crimes. We’ve already earned the sentence. But God loves you and I so much, that He allowed His only Son, Jesus, to die in our place, and take the punishment for us.
But Jesus did more than die for our sin. He rose from the dead after three days, and because of that, we have the confidence that He has conquered death.
And now He’s calling you to put your trust in Him, to let go of all of your sin, turn from it, and trust the Savior. By doing so, your sins will be forgiven, and you will gain the assurance of everlasting, eternal life with God in Heaven, instead of eternal separation from Him in hell. He will also give you His own Spirit, which takes the form of a new nature a nature that has the desire and ability to turn from sin and live for righteousness.
Don’t fall back on the familiar excuses to avoid making a decision. Follow Christ today. If your heart and conscience is convicting you, then simply talk to God.
•Tell him that you’re aware that you are guilty of sin, and have broken His Holy Laws. Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
•Tell Him you know you deserve judgement and punishment. Romans 6:23 The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
•Even though you know this is true, tell Him that you believe that Jesus, His Son, became a man, and suffered and died to pay for your sin. 1 Peter 2:24 He Himself bore our sins in His Body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.
•Tell Him that you want to receive the forgiveness that Jesus offers, and that you want to turn from your sin and become His follower for the rest of your life.
•Start reading your Bible and doing what it says. Find a Christ-centered church that teaches the Bible, and start attending regularly, as often as you possibly can. Worship God and serve Him and His people, and right away, begin telling others about what God has done in your life!
Don’t deceive yourself into thinking you can worship a god created in your own mind. Know and worship the One True God. He loves you, and will be faithful to guide you all of your days!