March 5, 2001
EDITORIAL:
We must worship only one God
___"You shall have no other gods before me." (Exodus 20:3)
___Surely the First Commandment is the hardest to keep. The next nine all seem overt. While the other three that guide our relationship to God are not always as simple as they look, we have a good idea whether we worship idols, misuse the name of the Lord and keep the Sabbath. And the six that direct our relationships with other people are relatively black and white. We basically know whether we honor our parents, murder, commit adultery, steal, lie and covet.
___But the First Commandment--"You shall have no other gods before me"--is downright hard to keep. Of course, if we lock ourselves into a strict reading of the Old Testament, we might think we're doing all right. We don't worship Baal or the shrine to Nebuchadnezzar. We don't even worship Buddha, Rev. Moon or our dead ancestors, much less crystals and white Brahma bulls. No, the gods that are easiest to spot are the easiest to avoid.
___The most seductive gods are the ones that camouflage themselves in goodness. They sneak up on us because serving them begins as a virtue.
___Perhaps you know a couple who worship their children. You're no doubt acquainted with someone who worships his job and career. Lately, you've seen a panic attack by someone who placed her faith in her stock portfolio. As the weather gets warmer, you'll see friends and neighbors who bow before a perfectly manicured lawn and neatly coiffed flower beds.
___Such gods seduce us because their charms are commendable. Caring for children is one of the most important parental tasks. The world would be better off with more conscientious workers. Planning for retirement is prudent. Tending one's home and property is appropriate. But when these endeavors take the place of God--when they become our paramount concern, when they supply our sense of security--they are sinful. We violate the First Commandment.
___Please permit a personal illustration. The seductive nature of "other gods" hit home for me a few weeks ago. I had just finished teaching a series of Sunday School lessons on the prophets and the cycle of sin and rebellion prompted by the worship of false gods among the Hebrew people. Always, we talked about our own "false gods," which no longer are Baal. On a Tuesday morning, as I prepared for work, God revealed that the circulation of the Baptist Standard had become an "other god" for me. The dissemination of religious news is vital for Texas Baptists, and I do well to do my best to see that many people subscribe. But the number of subscribers had become an obsession for me, supplanting my focus on God and robbing me of the joy of my salvation. I had to confess and repent. I should continue to work hard, but my faithfulness, trust and loyalty must be to God.
___More recently, as I have read letters from readers the past few weeks, I have been convinced that for many of us denominational loyalty and convention allegiance have become "other gods."
___Count me chief among sinners. I love the Baptist General Convention of Texas, and I firmly believe God ordained the BGCT as an instrument of blessing for millions of people who need to receive the gospel and to feel Jesus' healing touch. Others can and do say the same thing for Southern Baptists of Texas, the Southern Baptist Convention and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.
___But God alone is God and worthy of our worship. Conventions may be God-blessed, but they are human-made and as such fallible and corruptible. We must worship one God, even as we express the manifestation of what we believe to be God's will in various conventions. Worship and fidelity are reserved for God.
___May we all move forward, serving God through our churches and conventions, but worshipping God alone.
___ Marv Knox
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com
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