Surface and Source Idols
Paul says in Romans 1:22-23, “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.” Our hearts are, as the great theologian John Calvin said, idol factories. We have traded the glory of our Creator for his created things. In doing so we have made good things the best thing and turned things like our careers, bank accounts, friendships, spouse, kids into an idol.
However, each of these surface idols (i.e. work, spouse, money) can be traced back to one of four core or source idols. Much work has been done by great pastors (see Tim Keller’s work Counterfeit Gods) to help us understand what is going on beneath the surface of our heart. Take time this week to prayerfully read through the following four source idols (Power, Approval, Comfort, and Control). Use the chart below to identify which of these you tend to struggle with and then prayerful ask the Lord to help remove that core/source idol from your life.
