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Our culture has distanced itself from the whole idea of idolatry. Sadly, so has the Church. We tend to think of it as something from ancient times, consisting of a wood or metal statue. And yet the sin of idolatry is the most frequently discussed and most seriously condemned sin in all of Scripture, both Old and New Testament.

In the fourth session of New Attitude 2007, CJ Mahaney helps us understand and recognize idolatry in our own hearts. Our notes, quotes and updates are below:

Quotes and Scripture

David Powlison: “Idolatry is by far the most frequently discussed problem in the Bible.”

Ligon Duncan: “The whole Bible is written as a full-scale assault on idolatry.”

Os Guiness: “Idolatry is the most discussed problem in the Bible and one of the most powerful and intellectual concepts in the believer’s arsenal. Yet for Christians today it is one of the least meaningful notions and is surrounded by ironies. Perhaps that is why many evangelical are little better at recognizing and resisting idols than modern secular people are. There can be no believing communities without an unswerving eye to the detection and destruction of idols.”

Notes and Summary

Understanding idolatry will give you new eyes. So that you might discern, detect, and destroy the idols that are active and at work in your soul. Understanding idolatry will give you new eyes to appreciate our Savior’s sacrifice on the Cross for our idolatry.

1) Defining Idolatry:

An idol is a substitute for God. A substitute for God that one worships and serves instead of the living God. Anyone and anything you love and serve in place of God. An idol is a false God. As a Christian it is possible to profess love for the living God while functionally serving a false God.

Richard Keyes: “An idol is something within creation that is inflated to function as God. All sorts of things are potential idols, depending only on our attitudes and actions towards them… Idolatry may not involve explicit denials of God’s existence or character. It may well come in the form of an over-attachment to something that is, in itself, perfectly good.. An idol can be a physical object, a property, a person, an activity, a role, an institution, a hope , an image, an idea, a pleasure, a hero—anything that can substitute for God.

John Calvin: “The evil in our desires usually does not lie in what we want but that we want it too much.”

Idols can be gifts from God. Leisure is a gift from God, food is a gift from God, friendship is a gift from God, marriage is a gift from God, job is a gift from God. They are all good gifts from God. But they all have the potential to become idols.

2) Discerning Idolatry:

The source of idolatry is remaining sin within. James 1:14 says, “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.” So how do we identify idolatry in our hearts and lives?

First, through Holy Scripture. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

Second, through the Holy Spirit. The opening of one’s spiritual eyes is the act of God, not the act of man. Psalm 139:23-24 says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”

Third, through the Church. We need the preaching of the Word and we need people close enough to us to discern idols in our lives. Sin deceives and blinds. Our hearts are deceitful. John Calvin wrote, “The human heart is a factory of idols. Everyone of us is, from his mother’s womb, an expert in inventing idols.”

Fourth, through circumstances. How do we test if we want something too much? By measuring our response when we don’t obtain it or when it is taken away. The test of adversity reveals the desires of our hearts, whether it’s applying for a job or pursuing a romantic relationship. These are good things, but idolatry is when we have an over attachment to good things. Yet idols never deliver. They always disappoint. Adversity is a gift from God to allow you to discern sin in your life.

3) The Fruit of Identifying Idolatry:

The fruit of identifying idolatry in our hearts is growth in godliness and growth in gratefulness. In James 4:8 we read, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” Cleansing our hands means to forsake sinful actions. Purifying our hearts means forsaking idolatry. In Luke 7:47 we read, “he who is forgiven little, loves little.” When we begin to discern the “idolatry factory” of our heart, we will realize how much we have been forgiven… And we will love our Savior much.

In the midst of this evening’s worship set, six people came to the front of the stage to share testimonies of what God has done in their lives. It was an emotional and compelling demonstration of the goodness and greatness of our God.

A young woman dealing with chronic illness, finding her strength in God’s Word…

A young father whose son died at four hours old, with a fatal birth defect…

All testifying to the goodness and greatness of our God.

Why are so many professing Christians indistinguishable from the world? How can so many Christians be seduced by sin? It has to be a lack of discernment. In the third session, Dr. Albert Mohler speaks of discerning culture.

Dr. Mohler opens by looking at the the conundrum of the fish. You cannot ask a fish what it is like to be wet. He can’t give you an honest answer, because all he knows is wetness. Most human beings are just like the fish. They’re swimming in culture and they don’t even know that it’s there.

In that light, here are five wrong ways of understanding the culture:

1.) Getting completely wet.

This is the mindset that says, “Let’s just give ourselves to culture. Let’s just assume that it’s all neutral.” No. Culture is never neutral. Everything has an agenda and a worldview.

2.) Trying to stay completely dry.

This is the mindset that says, “We’re going to separate ourselves. We’re just going to avoid culture.” It just doesn’t work. We cannot live entirely disconnected from the world.

3.) Reducing our engagement with culture to “taking a dip.”

This is the mindset of people who think they can “dip” themselves in culture and then just “dry themselves off.” Culture is a system. You can’t touch one part of it without being in contact with the entire system.

4.) Taking a sip.

This is like saying that we’re going to understand what it means to be Italian by going to an Italian restaurant. Or like saying that we’re going to understand a foreign culture by going on a short-term missions trip. Culture is not understood by taking a sip.

5.) Thinking we can understand culture by watching an aquarium.

Dr. Mohler calls this the National Geographic Effect. We can look at other cultures and think they’re really odd, but to them, our culture is just as odd and/or offensive. Culture is not that simple.

Summary: The overall thrust of the session was that avoiding culture is futile. We have unprecedented access to culture today and the most dangerous aspects of culture are the parts that we don’t even notice anymore. It is so easy for us to be seduced in this culture. Discernment means realizing that we are fish swimming in a giant toxic sea. We’re not supposed to jump out of the water. Someday we’ll be snatched out of the water. In the meantime our role is two-fold: loving God and loving neighbor—our two great prioritizing factors in discerning culture.

Sorry for the shortage of notes this session. We got so engaged in listening that it limited our note-taking. Make sure you get a copy of the recording.

What is the difference between compromise and cooperation? How do we discern between primary and secondary doctrines? What is orthodox (right teaching) and how we can encourage one another to hold this truth with humility? How can we discern which doctrines are essential and which are open for disagreement among Christians? Mark Dever will seek to answer these questions in Session Two.

Below are our notes from the session. The entire audio of the session will be made available for free on the New Attitude website after the conference.

1.) Do we follow commands to purify or to unite?

Some Christians are “unity Christians.” They wear t-shirts that says, “Doctrine divides, love unites.” Or as one bishop recently said, “Heresy is better than schism.” On the other hand, some Christian are “purity Christians.” They are the fundamentalists among us. They will contend more quickly than they will cooperate. They seem to believe they have a “prophetic ministry” of correction. How do we take the best of both these positions?

2.) What are some common fights Christian’s have?

There are just so many. Is the Reformation over? Should Protestants and Catholics do their evangelism together? What about the Sabbath? Should we use organs or guitars? Is prophecy still happening today? Who should baptize? Who should be baptized? Are gender roles taught in the Bible for us today? Is the Bible inerrant? Calvinism or Arminianism? We could go on forever.

3.) What are we together for? What is our purpose in this cooperation?

The level of cooperation we want will determine how much agreement is needed. How close will the relationship be? There are different levels of agreement. We need to ask the question: What is the goal (or purpose) of agreeing with this person? For example, if you’re wanting to start a Bible study for the purpose of evangelism, you need to agree on the gospel. But if you want to plant a church, you need a greater level of agreement.

4.) What must we agree upon? What are the essentials?

Christian fellowship can only be had with those who share the Christian faith. We need to understand what must be agreed upon and how serious errors are. Not all errors are equal. A misunderstanding about church membership is not as important as a misunderstanding about Jesus Christ. Some errors have to be corrected, others can be endured. You can do without your appendix or your wisdom teeth, but you can’t go without your heart.

Here are three sources of truth in the area of doctrine, the first is primary, the latter two are sub-categories:

• Through our Bible: This is the ultimate standard and source of Truth.
• Through our Church: God has called us to be in local churches that teach the Bible well and accurately, in fellowship with people whose lives are submitted to God’s Word. It is the duty of the local church to define what must be agreed upon for Christianity and fellowship. Thank God for your elders and teachers. Pray for them and submit to their teaching.
• Through our Conscience: The conscience is inherent, but not inerrant. You cannot assume that your own conscience will always tell you the truth. It’s been effected by the Fall. It must be trained, educated, and strengthened.

Here are three things we must agree upon in order to believe in God and to be saved. These are essential—without which you cannot be saved:

• God: We have to believe in the one true God, that He is three-in-one, self-existing, morally perfect, characterized by holiness and love, and that He is by His own will our sovereign Creator, our Lord and our Judge.
• The Bible: We must believe that the Bible is how we know the truth about God. We can know what God is like because He has spoken—He has revealed Himself in His word. That is why you should attend a church that regularly practices expositional teaching.
• The Gospel: We must agree that Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became incarnate—without this understanding we couldn’t uphold the truth of God’s triune nature—we must also confess Christ’s substitutionary death on the Cross, His bodily resurrection, His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and that He is returning someday. You will find that if you center your Christianity on the Cross you will find fellowship with others who also have the Cross at the center. You will share the same joy, even if you disagree on minor issues.

5.) What may we disagree about?

There are four questions we should ask ourselves when we disagree with a brother or sister in Christ: 1.) How clear is it in Scripture? 2.) How clear to is it among your fellow believers? 3.) How near is it to the gospel? 4.) What would the effects be if we allowed disagreement in this area?

Here are three test cases for discernment on non-essential doctrines:

• The Millennium: Revelation 20:2-3 talks about a millennium. So what is John referring to? Let’s take it through the four questions: How clear in Scripture? Not very. There are only two verses about it. How clear among others? Not very. Theologians and teachers are divided or uncertain. How near is it to the gospel? Not very. It may be important, but it is not an essential doctrine. What would be the effects of disagreement? In the case of Mark Dever’s church, none. They have a 150-year-old statement of faith, with nothing about the millennium. They have not experienced any division among the elders or the congregation.
• Prayers for the Dead: This is one that may seem insignificant. Maybe some think “it feels good to feel the communion of the saints throughout the ages.” Or perhaps they feel “close to those who have passed away.” A yet it suggests that justification is not complete. That the prayers of others are needed. This makes it a significant concern.
• Complementarianism and Egalitarianism: This is not an issue that is essential to the gospel. But sometimes non-essentials have added implications because of our time. As Ligon Duncan has said: “If there were a verse in 1 Timothy saying, ‘I do not permit an infant to be baptized’, we wouldn’t be having a paedo- versus credo-baptism debate. But there is one that says a woman may not serve as a teacher or elder.” It has been Mark Dever’s sober conclusion that this issue has become a watershed for the authority of Scripture. And when the authority of Scripture is undermined, the gospel is undermined.

6.) How can we disagree well?

How do we achieve the daunting command to love in all this? What do we owe to the person who differs form us? What can we learn from those who differ from us? You owe them love. You owe them respect.

When you’re in disagreement make it clear that you care more about them than you care about winning an argument. Listen carefully to what they say. Relate to them charitably, understanding what they mean, not just catching them on what they said. You’re goal shouldn’t just be to win points. You always want to represent the opposite perspective in such a way that you opponent would feel well represented. Figure out the goals you share.

Ask yourself the question: “What can I learn from this person?” If we’re more interested in winning an argument and saving our reputation than we are about learning the truth, then we need to recognize that in ourselves.

Disagreement between Christian friends allows us opportunity to express our love and to center together on the Cross of Jesus Christ.

Is this your witness? Are you known for being argumentative and quarrelsome? We want to be known more by what we’re for than by what we’re against. We should be known for being for the Gospel. In essentials unity. In non-essentials diversity. In all things love.

At the start of each session, attendees are given a short list of the next speaker’s favorite things — after which the Na Courtesy “Ninjas” hand (or throw) those things to the audience. Here are the lists, to be update through the conference:

Josh Harris:

Tennis Balls
Chewy Peps

Mark Dever:

Beethoven’s Fifth
Caffeine-Free Diet Coke

Albert Mohler:

Good pens (i.e. writing instruments)

CJ Mahaney:

Maryland Terrapins

Eric Simmons:

Chips and Cottage Cheese
T-Shirts

Family Worship: Devon Kauflin (guitar) leads worship along with his father Bob Kauflin (keyboard) and his brother Jordan (drums).

Bob Kauflin: “We can’t just come to New Attitude and say ‘great is the
Lord’ and then go home to live however we want.”