Can you just say this?

After all the foregoing, the question undoubtedly arises whether you can say all these things just like that.

The first commandments

First we must think again how terrible it is for God when His people commit idolatry. The Ten Commandments already start with it:

“You shall have no other gods before Me. Thou shalt make for thyself no image, no image whatsoever of what is in heaven above, or on the earth below, or in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them nor serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God.” (Exodus 20:3-5).

God immediately qualifies this as a "crime" (verse 5) and those who do it as "those who hate Me." He presents Himself as the God who shows mercy to those who love Him and keep His commandments. To love God is to keep His commandments, just as the Lord Jesus said (John 14:23). And the first and greatest of those commandments is that they should not serve idols!

God calls it a crime and hatred of Him When someone commits idolatry. It is the greatest humiliation anyone of the people can inflict on God, and He is deeply offended by it. How clear do we want it to be?

Then comes the verse warning not to take God's name in vain (verse 6). Of course we can think here of the misuse of God's name when swearing, but given the context we should especially think here of the use of the name of the Lord in a vain[1] way, that is, emptying the mind. It's the same thing the Lord Jesus says in Matthew 6:7 and we discussed above; the meaningless repetition of God's name, bringing you into a state of higher consciousness in which you are open to the unseen world. That's the way the Gentiles pray, saith the Lord.

The abhorrence of the Lord went so far that the Israelites were not even allowed to think of or pronounce the name of other gods (Exodus 23:13).

“Whoever sacrifices to the gods, and not to the Lord alone, must be banished.” (Exodus 22:20). Here we see what was to happen to someone who still sacrificed to the gods: he was to be put to death. Such a person was no longer allowed to be part of the people of God. The apostle Paul also says the same thing when, in 1 Corinthians 5:11-13, he calls an "idolater" an "evil-doer" who must be excluded. There is no place for such a person among the people of God.

If this is so serious, how can you be silent about it? Then don't you want as many Christians as possible to take note of this? The responsibility to remain silent is simply too great!

Just like that

Furthermore, it is a misunderstanding to think that someone writes these things down "just like that.

In the first place, not because you realize that your words may not convey what you mean to say. That then causes misunderstandings and reactions that would not have occurred if I had worded things better. If you come across such things, I would like to hear them, to clarify matters where possible.

Second, you realize that there will be readers who heartily disagree with you. The reasons may be very different, which is why it is difficult to respond to them in generalities. But I unfortunately cannot prevent difference in views. The words I use are human words, not perfect and flawed. But what matters is the question of what God's Word says! So my request to the reader is to seriously ask yourself if God says and means these things this way in His Word. The matters in question are serious, they determine our spiritual ups and downs and are vital.

Another point is that you are not writing these things for fun. Nobody does that for fun. It is precisely with great trepidation that you put these things on paper, because you know that the mass of Christians will not agree. They are things that go against the views of 'mainstream' Christianity. And that is not pleasant. But they are things that must be said, they are necessary, because they are the things that God communicates to us in His Word. Whether we agree or not.

But are they believers?

You often hear this comment when it comes to things like this. It is an important point and here too the Bible has something to say. You cannot of course determine from the outside to what extent there are true believers in a particular Christian community. It may be that a large part of a community or church actually belongs to the Lord Jesus. Then you still have to name the things that happen that the Bible calls idolatry. Not to accuse or hurt the believers there, but to let them know how awful God thinks it is. Of course you then hope and pray that they will repent and continue on a path that is according to God's will.

Finally, God's Word is current, also for the time in which we live. The chaos in Christian yard is so great – and the end is not in sight yet,”it will metastasize like cancer" (2 Timothy 2:17) - that it is necessary to understand the message of the Bible anew. I hope all who read this can say it with the psalmist:

I have not turned aside from Your ordinances, for You have taught me. How sweet are Your words to my palate, sweeter than honey to my mouth. By Your commandments I gain understanding, therefore I hate every false path. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (Psalm 119:102-105)