Jesus reminded us that if anyone wants to follow after Him, it means taking up our cross to do so. That means dying to ourselves…is synonymous with following Christ. If your representation of God costs you nothing, then it would be wise to take a second look at the God you claim to be following.

That title might not make sense to you. At first reading, it might seem to be self-contradictory. How can a Christian be an idolater? Christians recognize and believe in the God of the Bible, don’t they? And don’t they willingly confess Jesus as Lord? How, then, can Christians be idolaters?

Pretty easily, actually.

John Calvin once wrote that the human heart is an idol factory, and that is indeed true.

But for the Christian, these idols often aren’t made of wood or stone; they’re not physical representations we keep in our homes to bow down to. Often, these idols are instead versions of God we create for ourselves rather than the true God of the Bible. In other words, we might easily find ourselves worshiping a representation of God, made to our own liking, that still bears the name and many of the attributes of the God of the Bible.

Sound tricky? Absolutely. And yet this is what we are prone to do – to fashion a version of God on our own terms. To our liking. Something smaller we can control. But how do you know? How do you know if you are worshipping the God of the Bible or if, in your heart, you have crafted a distorted image of God?

Here are three diagnostic questions to help:

1. How do you approach the Bible?

As Christians, we believe this is God’s Word. We believe it is inspired by God, and it is the source of all truth because it reveals the nature and ways of God to us. So what attitude do you have when you come to God’s Word? If you find yourself opening God’s Word looking for ammunition to back up the opinions you’ve already formed, then you very well may have manufactured an image of God. That is not the way to approach the Bible.

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