A question on the minds of the Christians in ancient Rome was one we face in different yet similar ways today—that is:
Can I outwardly pledge allegiance to the gods of the Roman people in order to maintain good standing in the marketplace and still worship Christ in my heart?
The question, however you look at it, is not an easy one to answer. The early church faced a situation that Revelation tells us will be faced again during a time of great tribulation on the earth. Buying or selling could get very difficult for those who refuse to worship the ruling power at that time.
The thing is, whether we recognize it or not, we all face the choice of who to worship. Even if we claim no faith, we still worship something, even if it is our own ideals.
Most early Christians came from Jewish roots. They knew the Law and the call to worship, which said,
“Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.”
And they also knew the greatest commandment:
“Love the Lord Your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength.”
And the very first of the Ten Commandments:
“You shall have no other gods before me.”
So when they had to decide whether they should act one way and believe another, they knew the truth. God made His Word on the matter pretty clear.
Zephaniah, a prophet under King Josiah of Judah, didn’t have a lot of good things to say about the condition of Judah’s faith during his time.
He said, “For they go up to their roofs and bow down to the sun, moon, and stars. They claim to follow the Lord, but then they worship Molech, too. I will destroy those who used to worship me but now no longer do. They no longer ask for the Lord’s guidance or seek my blessings.”
You shall have no other gods before me.
Jesus said, “You can’t serve God and money.”
The truth is, we can’t serve God, worship God, and worship anyone (including our families) or anything else, and still think we are right with God, Maker of heaven and earth. We either both love and obey Him or we don’t. There are no fence stragglers when it comes to knowing and loving God.
Will God forgive us if we have tried to mix faith in Jesus Messiah with faith in other gods, other things? Can we return to the faith we once knew, rather than face the ominous prediction Zephaniah gave the people of his day?
If you continue reading the short book, Zephaniah also gave the people a call to repentance, to those who were humble and would follow God’s commands. He offered hope that perhaps God would protect the humble from the day of His coming destruction of evil.
The thing that the ancient Israelite Christians may not have truly grasped is that God takes our worship pretty seriously. He takes the fate of our souls seriously. And our souls were created to worship Him, so He made it clear that no other god would ever be able to fill that space.
What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?
God doesn’t make commands to be a killjoy. He didn’t delight in the misfortune or even torture of people who suffered because they couldn’t buy or sell. God disdains evil and those who inflict it do await coming judgment from Him.
But He is also a compassionate God who longs for people to obey Him so that He can bless them beyond their wildest imagination. Zephaniah concludes that very thought saying,
“For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a might savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”
He won’t share space in our hearts with other gods. We can’t worship one on the outside and another on the inside, for ultimately we will hate the one and love the other. Like a man married to two women (it never worked in Scripture, by the way), you cannot love them equally. God is the lover of our souls and He wants us with undivided love.
To be solely His. To love only Him.
That doesn’t mean we cannot love other people. Quite the contrary. We simply cannot make them the gods of our hearts. People cannot fill the void that only God can fit into. They aren’t big enough and will always let us down. He alone can fill the place He created for Himself. Anything that would squeeze Him out, will cause us untold grief.
A heart divided between two choices—to worship God alone or to worship God and…is a heart that is never satisfied.
Our choice will cost us—either in this life or the life to come—and maybe in both. What will you choose?
#aheartdivided #trueworship #lovetruth #livegrace
