My God is Yahweh. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  The God of Israel.  The Almighty Creator.  The King of king David.  The Father of Jesus Christ.  The Author of redemption and my faith.

And I sin.  I have grown in my confidence that the church has overused the word idolatry.  Not every sin is a sign that I am worshiping an idol.  God is the one who I worship when I am thoughtful about worship.  I confess to Him.  I sing His praises.  And I measure my spiritual vitality in relationship to His standards and His ways.

I have observed the tendency to water down the severity of idolatry, by equating it with any and all sin. There are lies, there is gossip, there is a gluttony, and there is a lust that is NOT equal to idolatry.  I’m not seeking to become n apologist for any sin.  It is all corrupt, it is all an affront to a holy God.  It is all dangerous and worthy of judgment.

And yet it is not all sin is tantamount to idolatry.  Idolatry is a rejection of God.  More than a moral lapse, idolatry is an issue of allegiance.  When I sin, I turn to my GOD and apologize to Him.  I confess to HIM.  And He grants forgiveness and grace.  If I’m committing idolatry, I’ve rejected God, and am looking elsewhere for my hope and help.

The idolater turns to the bottle to solve their drunkenness.  The one who worships porn turns to porn to solve their problem with porn.  The idolater turns to their god to solve whatever they perceive as broken.

I think we have done a disservice in the church by using language that dumbs down idolatry.  Salvation comes to us by accepting the work that God has done through Jesus Christ to forgive us of our sins through His cross.  The person who accepts the work of Jesus Christ to pay for their sins takes God to be their God.

Does God cease to be their God every time they commit a discrete act of sin?  Of course not!  I haven’t slid into idolatry by lying.  I’ve slid into lying!

The issue of ongoing sin in the life of a believer is a tricky discussion.  If a person belongs to Christ, and God is their God, then their own sin will be a source of sorrow.  But if God is truly their God, then they will run TO Him with confession and repentance.  And he will cleanse and wash us.

I am thankful that God reveals Himself in Scripture as faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  He doesn’t have yo-yo relationships with people.  Either He is your God and you keep running to Him when you fail.  Or He is NOT your God and you run to other things.

Which is it for You?  Who is your God?