Counterfeit God

by Timothy Keller

The difference between sorrow and despair.

During sorrow one can find solace and comfort in other sources of joy.

Despair is inconsolable because it comes from losing the source of your

meaning in life and so your spirit is broken.

This happens when we allow any idol -beauty, power, money, fame,

achievements, health and fitness, to take God’s place as our ultimate

meaning of existence.

Good things, like your marriage, your family, your career, even your ministry,

can become an idol if we put our security, significance and fulfillment on

attaining them.

An idol is anything that is more important to you than God, anything that

absorbs your heart and imagination more than God.

When we allow any idol to take God’s rightful place in our lives, we commit

spiritual adultery.

Our dreams can indicate the presence of idols in our lives.

What we daydream about indicates our desires and obsessions.

What nightmares we have indicate what we fear losing.

Whatever controls us is our “lord”. Things that make us anxious, fearful, angry,

guilty, can indicate an unhealthy fixation on an idol in our lives.

The way to free ourselves from the power of these counterfeit gods is to turn

to the True God and depend on the Holy Spirit to lead and guide our

thoughts and desires.

Our children

Abraham’s test was whether he had made Isaac his son into an idol to take

God’s place as his ultimate source of joy and significance. All his hopes and

dreams hinged on this precious gift from God that would be the channel of

God’s blessing and fulfillment of God’s promises. Abraham was in danger of

putting Isaac above God in his life.

But the fact that he was willing to sacrifice his only beloved child whom God

had blessed him with in his old age showed his right priorities in putting

obedience to God as the first and only principle in life decisions.

God did not ask Abraham to just murder his son without reason, but to offer

him as a sacrifice, meaning to put God first. This act helped Abraham to

see his priorities and to prevent Abraham from idolizing his son.

God is also asking us to offer up all we hold dear to our hearts as a sacrifice

to God. Not that He will necessarily take it away from us, but so that it

occupies a healthy part in our lives. We should be focused on doing God’s

will first. This is in response to God who did not spare His son to be the

sacrifice that takes away the sins of all of us who put our faith in Him.

Our need for intimacy and love

Jacob ran away for fear of Esau and therefore lost his family and friends. He

also initially did not have a personal relationship with God and so he

substituted it with an obsessive love for Rachel. His obsession led him to

being manipulated by Laban into working fourteen years which is much longer

than the usual price for a bride. His obsessive love for Rachel poisoned his

relationships with his family-Leah and all his children.

The need to feel loved by Jacob was Leah’s idol while the need to love Rachel

was Jacob’s idol.

The longings of the heart can only be fulfilled by God. When morning comes,

we wake up and find that what we thought would give us joy and fulfillment

falls short of expectations. Even the best of spouses cannot be perfect and

so we must not allow our spouse or need for love to take God’s place.

It is not that we should try to love our spouse less but rather that we should

learn to love God more above all else.

Wealth

Capitalism has created an explosion in executive and managerial salaries,

emphasis on luxury goods, branded items, and million dollar deals with

outrageous profits to the super rich.

Often we can’t even see our own greed. We replace love for God with love for

money and the finer things in life. We feel good about ourselves when we

climb up the social ladder. Greed is not only love for money but also an

excessive anxiety about it. Some people long for more money while some

people are anxious that they may not have enough or that they may lose what

they have already accumulated. But are forms of financial idolatry though the

second one maybe more subtle.

A person can spend extravagantly to impress others. This kind of idol is

easier to recognize.

But the person who lives modestly, who puts aside his savings prudently

can also be guilty of putting pride in his behavior, while basing his trust

on his financial security rather than on God. This is a form of money idol

that many upper middle class people have but do not see it as a problem at

all.

When Jesus called Zacchaeus, Zacchaeus responded by following Jesus, and

giving away 50% of his income to the poor. He went beyond what the law

required. Money can be a tool for doing good, for serving people.

The only way to escape from the idol of money is to realize that Jesus who

had everything gave up His position to die on the cross for us undeserving

sinners out of love for us. When this reality hits us only then do we realize that

even if we were to give up all that we own we will still never be able to

repay the debt we owe and that we have received much more than we can

ever give to God.

Success

An achievement addiction is like someone who is in a constant cycle of

completing a project and looking for a bigger better project to do.

The person is usually driven and super productive. A model employee who

climbs up the corporate ladder very quickly and has a bright future. He could

also be a person in church who gets things done efficiently and plays an

important role in church leadership.

But unfortunately this person attaches his identity and self worth to his

successes. This will usurp God’s place as our ultimate aim and goal.

Naaman was a general who was successful but contracted leprosy. He used

money and position to try and get a cure from God but Elisha did not even

have the courtesy to meet him in person. Naaman had to learn humility and

to see that God heals not because we are important or have an important

position (or hold a key church leadership position) but that healing comes from

obedience and is a free gift from God.

Power and popularity

Desire for power and position can make a person make even unpopular

choices in order to gain influence.

However, a person who is motivated by approval, popularity and

appreciation, can make poor choices just to satisfy others.

These are both subtle idols of influence and popularity.

Excessive love of your own countrymen can lead to hatred towards others.

Nations can suffer from superiority complexes. Racism also begins like

that-excessive pride in the achievements of your own race.

On the other hand, excessive emphasis on equality can lead to hatred against

people who have led a privileged life.

In the garden of Eden man chose to resent the limits God had put on us,

(you shall not eat of the tree...) to seek to be “as God” by taking power over

our own destiny rather than to be dependent on God.

People who are “at the top” are eager to attribute their position to their own

intellect and hard work. Nebuchadnezzar was a successful general and king

whom God appeared in a dream to remind him that it is God who gives

kingdoms to anyone he wishes. This means that anyone who is

successful or powerful is simply a recipient of God’s favour.

Power and pride often go together, but a man of God must come before Christ

in humility, to raise our eyes to heaven,recognize that all we have belongs to

God alone.

Idols may not only be personal but can be cultural- affecting a nation,

corporate- affecting the way we conduct businesses and systemic-

affecting our whole worldview and thinking.

Counterfeit gods within religion

Even religion itself can have idols. Some churches have elevated doctrinal

truth into a false god. These churches rely on their “holier than other

churches” attitudes to feel superior rather than to rely on God himself and

grace.

Spiritual gifts can also become an idol. Preaching abilities, leadership,

musical talents, counselling are all wonderful gifts from God but we must

guard ourselves from feeling pride or from heaping excessive

compliments on these people who are servants of God, less we cause

them to stumble.

Even a good moral life can become an idol when we look at another person

with judgement, and lose sight of our sinfulness in the sight of a pure and

holy God. We must never be tempted to feel that we deserve our place with

God based on our faithfulness and righteousness.

Jonah was called to preach to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, the most

powerful nation in the region. From Jonah’s point of view, it would never end

well. Either he would be mocked, or even physically harmed, or if were to be

successful and the Assyrians repented, then the enemy of Israel would

prosper and escape God’s judgement. Jonah had a religious idol. He had

simple moral self righteousness. He didn’t want the Ninevites to be saved.

He put the national interests of Israel over obedience to God.

In the belly of the fish he realised his mistake. Salvation comes only from the

Lord and grace is freely given to all, not just one race.

At the end of the book of Jonah we see his motives laid bare. Jonah was

angry at God for having mercy on the Assyrians. He had wanted God to

punish and judge the Assyrians and for his prophecy to come true.

The End of Counterfeit Gods

When we depend on our own wisdom, look to satisfy our own desires and to

guard our own reputation rather than to please God, we set ourselves up for

subtle idolatry.

Idols cannot simply be removed, they must be replaced by a living relationship

with God.

Jacob after wrestling with God finally discovered that blessings only come

from God alone and became a new person. We too need to encounter God

in a personal way and then to be a new creation in Christ. (2 Cor 5:17)

When we read about idols, our minds conjure images of people burning joss

sticks to statues and images. But idolatry can come in many other forms,

which we must be made aware of, so that we can surrender them to God.

Then, with the power of the Holy Spirit, we can remove these idols from our

lives (put to death the evil desires of the heart Colossians 3:5) and establish

God as our true Lord. We must plant the love of Christ in place of the idol

or else it will grow back again.

Finally walking with God is not simply obeying a set of rules and having

good outward conduct. It is setting our heart on Christ as our peace and our

life- this is the road to freedom from counterfeit gods.