We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us. We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy. [1 John 1.1-4]
For any person consistently following my writing of late, I am going to start off this article predictably; I will point out that the wording above in the opening paragraph of 1 John should alert us to idolatry. Notice the phrases heard and seen and seen and heard in the passage above. John is using these references to confirm that Jesus is indeed NOT an idol, affirmed by seeing and hearing.
I will also support my statement above again with profound scriptures from the Psalms:
Their idols are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by human hands. They have mouths but cannot speak, and eyes but cannot see. They have ears but cannot hear, and noses but cannot smell. They have hands but cannot feel, and feet but cannot walk, and throats but cannot make a sound. And those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them. [Psalm 115.4-8]
The idols of the nations are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by human hands. They have mouths but cannot speak, and eyes but cannot see. They have ears but cannot hear, and mouths but cannot breathe. And those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them. [Psalm 135.15-18]
Jesus pointed out the absolute necessity of seeing and hearing when it came to Himself:
For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes— so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’ [Matthew 13.15]
So, it is indeed significant that John would insist that he had actually seen and heard Jesus in the opening of his 1st letter. This wording informs us that what follows the opening paragraph of 1st John should be understood as it pertains to idolatry. The flow of John's letter makes much more sense if we understand it as it relates to idolatry:
This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. [1 John 1.5-7]
Compare the passage above to this Old Testament passage:
“I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. “You must not have any other god but me. “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. “You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name. [Exodus 20.2-7]
The spiritual darkness John writes about in 1 John 1.5-7 is the darkness of idolatry that accommodates having any other god but God. To hold to idols (and their spiritual darkness), even while claiming to hold to God, is a lie - it is not practicing the truth.
We also see the telltale earmarks of idolatry in the 2nd chapter of 1 John:
Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. [1 John 2.15-17]
Idols of the world offer things independent of God. Idols inspire cravings ("lust" in NKJV) and pride. I would be amiss if I failed to point out that debt, insurance, medicine and technology inspire lustful cravings and pride; just watch their advertisements...
Today's One Year Chronological Bible reading carries a depth of meaning many will never see and hear. Why? Because they do not know Jesus - they have not intentionally rid themselves of blinding and deafening idols by giving up their own way (every way that is of man's ingenuity and reason), taking up their cross (signifying their willingness to die instead of enjoying the pleasures of sin), and following Jesus ALONE.
“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]
I encourage you, dear reader, to read again today's One Year Chronological Bible reading. Read it as it pertains to idolatry. There is a revelation waiting for you if you do. And, if you are still not convinced, then I challenge you to process what tomorrow's One Year Chronological Bible reading reveals as it contains the last sentence in John's first letter:
Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. [1 John 5.21 NKJV]
Where did that come from?
Father, help us to see how important it is to understand that from the beginning to Jesus' teachings all the way to John's letter, that at no time in history has idolatry NOT been a (the) problem. Help us adjust our lives accordingly! Help us rid ourselves of the idols in our lives! So be it.
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