Scripture tells us that humanity is created with an
awareness that God exists. Mankind is made to worship, and if he does not know
the true God of the Bible; he will find something else to idolize. Nearly all (if
not all) civilizations in history have had gods of some sort. They have either
prayed to the sun and stars or bowed before graven images made from wood or
stone. This is idolatry, in that is consists of worshiping something that can
be seen or handled; something tangible. We must worship God as He is, rather
than crafting a false idol from our fallen imaginations. I bring to your
memory, that we have been called upon to walk by faith and not by sight.
Jesus had an
interesting conversation with a woman he met at a well in Samaria who was
confused on the idea of who God is, which in turn, warped her view of what
worship was. She knew God existed and had her own ideas of how He should be
worshiped. Here is a portion of their conversation;
John 4:24 God is spirit, and those who
worship him must worship in spirit and truth.
Note the words of
our Lord in this Text: “God is Spirit.” He is teaching that God is a Spirit
Being. In other words, He is without physical composition. That does not mean
that God is merely a “force” or some imperceptible power, for God is a
Self-conscious, Intelligent, Moral Agent, yet He is not composed of material
matter.
Both John 1:18 & John 6:46 clearly state: “no man hath seen God at any time.”
There have been many people who have claimed to have “had a vision of God;” to
have been given a “divine revelation” of God. But this is contrary to the clear
teaching of Holy Writ. 1 Timothy 1:17 states that God is Eternal, Immortal, and
Invisible. Again, 1 Timothy 6:16
speaking of God the Father reads: “whom
no man hath seen, nor can see.” God is spirit, and we must worship Him with
our spirits.
Rather than
depending on what the natural eye observes, we must love and depend on the
unseen God as revealed in His Word.
It is much easier
for people to bow to an idol or hold a relic than to worship God in spirit and
truth. Yet, God as Spirit; desires to be worshiped by and with our spirits. Our
inner man, our spiritual man. The Triune God has been worshiped all over this globe.
Not by the cunning crafts of men’s hands, but by Holy Spirit filled men and
women humbly bowing with their hearts ablaze for their Heavenly Father.
God can be worshiped in a building or a barn – it isn’t
the building, but the bowing. God can be worshiped behind stained glass, or
broken glass. It isn’t the colored glass, but the contrite heart that God
accepts. (Psalms 34:18)
We do not need
crosses and crucifixes or statues and sculptures to aid in worship. God is not
worshiped by the works of men’s hands as Acts 17:25 says. We should never bow
before any graven image; less we break His moral law.
Mankind may
fashion lifeless gods after their imagination, but any god that can be made by
fallen hands, is not much of a god. Let men bow before idols and pay homage to
the moon and stars if they will, but any object that can neither hear nor help
is a poor deity. We cannot see our Creator, but we can see His creation. His
works declare His existence and our conscience bears witness to this.
Meditating on this
truth should cause us to marvel at the Incarnation of Christ. That the Eternal
Son of God, took on flesh, and walked among men. He alone could truly say, “He
that has seen me, has seen the Father.” For He is the image of the Invisible
God (Colossians 1:15) And in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily
(Colossians 2:9) Jesus of Nazareth is the brightness of God’s glory and the
express image of His Person.
Pastor Lewis Kiger
Memorial Heights Baptist Church
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