“We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.”(1 John 5:20-21)
The apostle John ends his letter with a fundamental truth: Jesus Christ is the true God and eternal life.
In Him alone we find salvation, truth, and the fullness of life.
But immediately after this affirmation, he gives a warning:
“Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.”
Why?
Because anything that takes the place of Christ in our hearts becomes an idol.
Today, idols are not only statues or visible false gods.
They can be invisible, often taking subtle and modern forms: excessive love of money, pursuit of personal glory, dependence on worldly pleasures, pride, or even certain relationships when they occupy the first place above God.
Examples:
•When your phone or social media takes all your time, leaving no room for prayer or reading the Word, it becomes an idol.
•When money and professional success become your only obsession, to the point of neglecting your family and your God, they become idols.
•When you put a person (spouse, friend, child, leader) in the first place above God, you risk elevating them as an idol.
•When you run after the pleasures of this world—parties, fashion, popularity—and all these take more space than Christ, they are idols.
•Even your pride, your thoughts, or your own will can become idols if they dominate over obedience to God.
John reminds us that the true One is Jesus.
Any other source of absolute trust is an illusion.
When our faith clings to anything other than Him, we fall into the danger of idolatry.
To keep ourselves from idols means to guard our hearts against everything that steals God’s place.
It is choosing to say: “Lord, nothing and no one will ever be more important than You in my life.”
Good news:
Jesus came to give us spiritual understanding to discern these traps.
In Him alone we find truth, peace, and eternal life.
Let us not allow anything or anyone to steal this truth from our lives.
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, open my eyes to see the hidden idols in my life. Help me reject them and love You with all my heart, all my soul, and all my strength. You alone are my true God. Amen.
Apostle Dr Jean-Claude SINDAYIGAYA