The Bible teaches that worship is reserved for God alone.
In the Old Testament, the first commandment given to the Israelites in the book of Exodus is, “You shall have no other gods before me.”(Exodus 20:3)
This means that God does not share glory or worship with anything else, whether it be physical idols, people, or other priorities.
Unfortunately, many people today, consciously or unconsciously, place their devotion and energy into various things that can act as substitutes for a traditional form of spirituality.
Indeed, in the Old Testament, idols were often statues or objects that people surrounded with worship, but in the New Testament, idolatry is also linked to immaterial things like the love of money, power or personal desires.
These “modern idols” can take different forms:
1. Celebrity and the worship of public figures:
Many individuals idolize celebrities, whether actors, musicians or influencers.
These figures often embody ideals of success, beauty or charisma, and can become role models, often to the detriment of deeper or spiritual values.
2. Materialism and consumerism:
The worship of money, the possession of material goods or social status is also common.
In some societies, the search for material comfort, luxury or social recognition can become a form of worship, sometimes replacing spiritual concerns.
3. The “self” or individualism:
A growing trend, especially in Western societies, is self-worship, or the relentless pursuit of personal fulfillment, often through social media, personal development, or well-being.
This can sometimes lead to a cult of the ego and self-image, which replaces collective or transcendent values.
4. Technology and innovation:
The adoration of technology and scientific progress, like the cult of productivity, efficiency, or artificial intelligence, is also a modern form of devotion.
Many people believe that technical innovation will solve all human problems, and this hope can replace a more humanistic or spiritual vision of life.
5. Ideologies and social causes:
Finally, the adoration of political, social, or environmental causes can also become a form of devotion.
While this can be beneficial to society, some people can identify so much with these ideologies that they find a form of salvation in them, sometimes to the detriment of personal or spiritual reflection.
6. Witchcraft:
This is a phenomenon that is regrettably observed especially in Africa where some Christians, when leaving their cults, also consult sorcerers.
Yet to consult a sorcerer in order to have or be anything is to worship Satan himself.
Ultimately, it is essential to ask ourselves what we devote our thoughts, time, and efforts to.
This “worship” can reveal what we deeply value and determine who we really are.
It is an invitation to reflect on our priorities and to question the true source of our inner fulfillment.
In the Bible, worship and veneration play a central role and are clearly oriented toward God.
The Scriptures teach that God alone deserves our worship and that worshiping anything else, whether idols, people, or material things, is sinful. This is why God constantly calls His people to turn away from idols and return to Him.
In the book of Isaiah, God says:
« I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. » (Isaiah 45:5)
This verse reaffirms the idea that God is the only one worthy of veneration and adoration.
Apostle Jean-Claude SINDAYIGAYA