INTRODUCTION
The gospel collides with all idolatry, whether external shrines or internal obsessions. But idols can be sneaky and even warnings about idolatry can weaponized and misused to steer unthinking Christians. Is it idolatry to love your work, your family, your church, your nation, your ethnicity? The answer is “no,” so long as “love” is defined biblically, so long as your love is obedient to God. Idolatry is disobedient love. And obedient love is at war with every disobedient love.
The Text: “After these things were ended, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem…” (Acts 19:21-41)
SUMMARY OF THE TEXT
When Paul determined that he would go back through Macedonia before going to Jerusalem, hoping to ultimately go to Rome, he sent Timothy and Erastus ahead of him (Acts 19:21-22). Meanwhile, Demetrius, a silversmith, raised a stir in Ephesus about Paul’s preaching and its impact on all the business related to the shrine of Diana/Artemis (Acts 19:23-28). This turned into a very confused mob, and Paul’s friends prevented him from trying to talk to them (Acts 19:29-34). After two hours of chanting, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!” the town clerk admonished the crowd for not bringing charges in an orderly fashion and dismissed them (Acts 19:35-41).
CONFUSION REIGNS
This episode highlights the fundamental confusion of idolatry. Scripture says that when men serve some part of creation rather than the Creator, they become vain in their imaginations and foolish, while professing themselves to be wise (Rom. 1:21-25). And this confusion about God and idols inevitably leads to confusion about sexuality and life in general (Rom. 1:26ff), including the confusions of greed, business scams, and people pleasing.
Notice too that riots are commonly the language of confused idolaters (Acts 19:32) – idols are deaf and blind and must be “awakened” by rage and violence (cf. 1 Kgs. 18:28), and when that chaotic churn burns down some buildings or leaves a few people dead (or more), those effects and the cathartic release can be attributed to the gods, including gods named “democracy” and “equality” and “justice.” When you see mobs and riots in the streets, you should think “idols.” Idolatry is inherently violent.
THE ECONOMY OF IDOLS
In Ephesus, as everywhere, the economy was built around the values of the city. Food, clothing, housing, other goods and services, various hobbies, and worship all create various economies of exchange in societies. If the values of a society revolve around Christ, that will create one sort of economy, but if the values revolve around idols, that will create other sorts of economies. Statist idols create statist economies. Hedonistic idols create envious economies. The worship of Artemis and her shrine permeated the economy of Ephesus and those regional markets (Acts 19:27).
When the gospel comes, it collides with all idols simply by declaring these parts of creation are not gods (Acts 19:26). But wherever cultures are oriented to those gods and their shrines made with human hands, the gospel is certainly a danger to that part of the culture (Acts 19:27). But remember, as we saw in Corinth, idolatrous cultures are enslaving and unjust (Acts 16). The great wealth of the silversmiths was a superstitious scam. Idols “unman” the people who serve them (Ps. 115), while worshipping the living God restores the image of God and creation to its rightful glory (cf. 2 Cor. 3). The gospel comes to restore and heal human society, but it disrupts the economies and cultures of idols. Some idols must be completely destroyed and many must be demoted and reformed.
APPLICATIONS
Many modern Christians misplace the contrast between idols and the true God. The difference between the living God and Mammon is not amount of stuff or money or power or beauty. Romans 1 says that the fundamental difference is between giving thanks and refusing to give thanks. God gives richly all things to enjoy (1 Tim. 6:17), but they are meant to teach us to trust Him and thank Him. When you trust Him completely, you can give thanks in all things, whether in plenty or in want (Phil. 4:11-13).
This is how the gospel collides with and re-orders human cultures. And the difference is in obedience to God or not. Since this gift is from God, how does He want us to use it and enjoy it? Food, clothing, housing, sports, money, work, sex? The Ten Commandments are the guard rails. Don’t serve these things or let them run your life. Don’t let them get in the way of serving God, honoring His name, keeping Sabbath, honoring parents, life, marriage, property, and the truth. Is your love for that gift causing you to disobey God? Is your favorite sport causing you to miss worship many Sundays? Do you read your Bible as much as you study your other loves? Is your desire for another house, different clothing, a spouse giving you a bad attitude? Don’t be confused (or cause confusion) about who your God is.
It has become fashionable to warn Christians about making an idol of marriage, family, and nation, but why not the church? Why so few warnings about being overly committed to church programs? But many of these warnings are misplaced, sort of like warning a prison camp about the dangers of gluttony. The real idol is often the opinions of non-Christians and liberal Christians. But love of God means an obedient love of the gifts of God. No one loves “enough,” but we can love more or less obediently.
One commentator says that Christians “do not want to replace Artemis and become the next official religion of Ephesus, because in that case they would be under the thumb of the city and its special interests,” and there is a legitimate warning here: Erastianism (state run churches) has a poor track record. But the Reformed and American solution was not a godless state, but rather a truly Christian nation with a separate government from the churches.
The gospel does not come to a city in order to drive out the idols only to leave the official religion empty or neutral. Some God or gods will always be the center of value and culture. Which God is it? Neutrality and secularism are simply sophisticated names of humanism, another idol of human hubris. But Christ is Lord of all, everywhere. There is no other way to have true social peace and justice, order or harmony. The clerk is quoted perhaps ironically, but every pagan city is in danger of causing riots and commotions unless or until they turn to Christ. And this is also true for every heart, every home, every church.