Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Idolatry Of The Church
John Piper (HT: Justin Taylor):
It frightens me deeply. The devil does not tempt us to the big stuff, he tempts us in the little stuff. He knows it is hard to make a pornographer of a church-goer, but it is not hard to make a idolater out of one - especially when he can get us to idolize something that seems of God.
What are the idols of your life and ministry?
My caution concerns making theology God instead of God God. Loving doing theology rather than loving God.That may be the deepest truth I have ever read from Piper. And his warning applies not only to theology. Some would idolize church growth - some small groups, and some the charismata.
[...]
Reformed people tend to be thoughtful. That is, they come to the Bible and they want to use their minds to make sense of it. The best of them want to make sense of all of the Bible and do not pick and choose saying, "I don't like that verse. That sounds like an Arminian verse, so we will set it aside." No! Fix your brain, don't fix the Bible.
The kind of person that is prone to systematize and fit things together, like me, is wired dangerously to begin to idolize the system.
It frightens me deeply. The devil does not tempt us to the big stuff, he tempts us in the little stuff. He knows it is hard to make a pornographer of a church-goer, but it is not hard to make a idolater out of one - especially when he can get us to idolize something that seems of God.
What are the idols of your life and ministry?
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