The Idol

The Egyptian god Anubis stands at mall entrance

Anthony is like most people I meet while sharing my faith. I began my conversation with him just like I often do by asking if he had a Christian background. Of course, he replied. However it did not take long to figure out this was only skin deep. We went through the law and he agreed he had broken the commandments, just like the rest of us, but he still did not agree that he deserved hell. God knows my heart and he knows I’m a pretty good person, Anthony insisted. Your right, I said, He does know your heart and that’s the problem.

The photo above is of a statute that towered above us as we spoke. It’s part of the décor for the mall’s movie complex. It helps illustrate Anthony’s problem. Like this statue he had created an idol. Not one of stone but one in his mind. He had an image of God that is completely contrary to how God describes Himself in His word. Despite showing this gentlemen passages in the Bible that demonstrate that God see us as lawbreakers, that our hearts are wickedly deceitful, and that we deserve Hell, he continued to proclaim his goodness. (See Proverbs 20:6)

Don’t make the same mistake. Confirm your impression of who God is with His word. Go over His commandments and read Mathew 5:21-30 and make sure you have not created an idol for yourself.

On a side note: The idol above depicts the Egyptian god Anubis who was the “keeper of the scales” in Egyptian mythology. After death he would weigh the dead man’s heart on his scales. On one side would be all your sins and the other side was a feather. But God does not use a scale but instead measures you by His standard. His standard is to be perfect as He is perfect. Do you measure up? Take this test to see. The Good Person Test