问题17：什么是偶像崇拜？
答：偶像崇拜就是为了我们的希望、幸福、意义和安全而信靠受造之物，而不是造物主。
儿童版：偶像崇拜就是信靠受造之物，而不是造物主。

Question 17: What is Idolatry?
Answer: Idolatry is trusting in created things rather than the Creator for our hope and happiness, significance and security.
For Kids: Idolatry is trusting in created things rather than the Creator.


歌谱 Lead Sheet

经文

《罗马书》1 章21 节、25 节：

　　因为，他们虽然知道神，却不当作神荣耀祂，也不感谢祂。他们的思念变为虚妄，无知的心就昏暗了……他们将神的真实变为虚谎，去敬拜侍奉受造之物，不敬奉那造物的主……

注解

马丁·路德

　　什么是偶像崇拜？或者，什么是人的偶像？在每次有需要的时候，我们指望从中得到好处或者庇护，这就是「偶像」的含义……许多人认为，只要有钱、资产……，他就拥有了神和他一切所需的。人有了这些就变得自大、有安全感和骄傲，一旦缺乏或者失去就感到绝望，这就是拜偶像的证据。我再说，偶像崇拜就是心完全依赖于某些东西。

　　彻底地质问并探究你的内心，你就会发现它是不是单单只属于神。你的心是否除了神的恩惠以外别无所求，尤其当你遇到麻烦或有需要时？你的心能否放下不是从神而来的一切呢？如果是，那么你拥有了这位独一的真神。另一方面，你的心是否还另有所系？还有别的依靠？你是否希望从那里得到比神给你的更多的好处和帮助呢？当遇到问题时，你是逃向神，还是逃离祂？如果是逃离祂，那么你就有别神、有假神、有偶像。

默想

提摩太·凯勒

　　上一个要理问答提到，罪就是拒绝、忽略、悖逆神，不把神当作神，不把祂所当得的荣耀归给祂。在圣经里，对人们犯罪着墨最多的方式是偶像崇拜。偶像崇拜就是爱其他事物胜过爱耶稣基督。偶像崇拜就是为了自己的私欲，看重其他事物更胜耶稣基督，把这些事物当成你的盼望与喜乐、生命的意义与保障。除掉偶像崇拜的罪之所以如此重要，是因为它会在你的生命中，长期而且非常深入的滋长，但并非马上就能让你意识到，自己是在很明显地干犯神的律法。

　　比如说，如果财富和事业是你最重要的，成为了你的偶像，这会促使你过度工作，使你筋疲力尽，使你变得残酷，辖制你的爱心，不结圣灵的果子，破坏你的人际关系，甚至伤害你与家人的关系、和朋友的关系。所有这些事可能持续很长一段时间最终才会导致问题的发生，如撒谎、欺骗、犯奸淫。以财富为偶像崇拜确实会导致这些后果。

　　所以，你要理解的重点是：罪不只是做坏事，而且是把好的东西当作我们最终极的目标，这会败坏你的灵魂、毁坏社会，亏缺神的荣耀。

祷告

　　造我们的神，赦免我们敬拜祢所造的。我们不该盼望或信靠任何人或事物。唯有祢是自有永有、一无所缺的。愿祢成为我们的一切。阿们。

Scripture

ROMANS 1:21 AND 25

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. . . . They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator. . . .

Commentary

MARTIN LUTHER

What is it to have a god? Or, what is one’s god? Answer: To whatever we look for any good thing and for refuge in every need, that is what is meant by “god.” . . . Many a person imagines that he has God and everything he needs, provided he has money and property. . . . The evidence for this appears when people are arrogant, secure, and proud because of such possessions, but desperate when they lack them or lose them. I repeat, to have a god means to have something on which one’s heart depends entirely.

Question and explore your own heart thoroughly, and you will find out if it embraces God alone or not. Do you have it in your heart to expect nothing but good things from God, especially when you are in trouble and in need? And does your heart in addition give up and forsake everything that is not God? Then you have the one true God. On the other hand, is your heart attached to and does it rely on something else, from which you hope to receive more good and more help than from God? And when things go wrong, do you, instead of fleeing to Him, flee from Him? Then you have another god, a false god, an idol.

Devotional

TIMOTHY KELLER

The last catechism answer showed us that sin is rejecting, ignoring, and rebelling against God, not treating God as God, and not giving him the honor that is his due. In the Bible, the most frequently described way that human beings do that is through the sin of idolatry. Idolatry is loving anything more than Jesus Christ. Idolatry is treating anything as more important than Jesus Christ for your meaning in life, for your happiness, for your security and hope, or for your self-regard. The reason why it’s so important to understand the sin of idolatry is that it can be growing in a part of your life for a long time and get very deep without it right away leading to clear, visible, and easily seen violations of God’s law.

So, for example, if affluence and your career have become too important to you, they’ve become idols, and that can lead you to working too hard and exhaustion. It can lead you to becoming ruthless. It can block the development of a loving heart and the fruit of the Spirit. It can thin out your relationships. It can hurt your family relationships. It can hurt your friendships. And all these things can be going on for a long time before it leads to a real overt example of lying or cheating or adultery, because idolatry can lead to those things.

So what’s important to grasp is this: sin is not just doing bad things. It’s turning good things into ultimate things, because it ruins your soul, destroys community, and dishonors God.

Prayer

Creator God, forgive us for worshiping the things you have made. No person or thing should be our hope or our trust. You alone are self-existent and all sufficient. May you be our all in all. Amen.