1 - Introduction - Living like a real Christian Heart - Three Ways to Live | Page 6
This is why the word “epithumiai”shows up in so many of the New Testamentsections
that treat Christian character, such as the “fruit of the Spirit” passage(see Galatians 5 v
22–26). Author and counsellor David Powlison explains:
“If “idolatry” is the characteristic and summary Old Testament word for our driftfrom
God, then “desires” (epithumiai) is the characteristic and summary NewTestament
word for the same drift.Both are shorthand for the problem of humanbeings… [T]he
New Testament merges the concept of idolatry and the concept ofinordinate, life-ruling
desires. Idolatry becomes a problem of the heart, a metaphorfor human lust, craving,
yearning, and greedy demand.”
Read: Romans 1 v 18 – 25
This passage tells us that the reason we create idols is because we want to control our
lives, though we know that we owe God everything. “For although they knew God, they
neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him” (verse 21). Verse 25 describes
the strategy for control: taking created things and setting our hearts on them and
building our lives around them. Since we need to worship something because of how
we are created, we cannot eliminate God without creating God-substitutes. “They
exchanged the truth of God for a lie” (Romans 1 v 25).
Read: Galatians 4 v 8 – 9
Paul is saying, “Don’t go back to idolatry.” Paul reminds the Galatians that they had
once been enslaved “to those who by nature are not gods. But…how is it that you are
turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by
them all over again?” (Galatians 4 v 8–9). The danger to the Galatians is following
those who are telling them to be circumcised and who are trying to lure them into
moralism, thereby clouding their understanding of salvation. Paul talks of this as a
return to idolatry. The implications are significant. If anything but Christ is your source
of salvation, you are falling into idolatry. Whether you sacrifice to a statue or seek to
merit heaven through conscientious morality, you are setting up something besides
God as your ultimate hope, and it will enslave you.