1 John 5:20,21 - Keep yourselves from idols

5:20

John closes his letter with more reassurance to his readers that they are on the right path. It is them, not the gnostics, who have true understanding and know the truth. The Son of God has come. This is fundamental to the gospel. God Himself has sent His Son to us. The gospel comes straight from the source, all other religions and ideas come from the corrupt hearts and minds of men. And Jesus gives us understanding. Look at the gospels and see how different Jesus lived, and how different His teaching was. He gives us understanding, and this understanding will stand out against the world. But the goal is not mere head knowledge (though it definitely includes that), it is to know Jesus Himself, and to be in Him. We are meant to be in deep fellowship with the Lord. If we are in Christ then we are in the true God and we have eternal life. There are no better deals on offer!

5:21

“Keep yourselves from idols”. It might seem a little odd for John to suddenly introduce this instruction, and indeed to close his letter with it, for there has been no mention of idols has there? The thing is that we are so prone to making idols. The gnostics made an idol out of “knowledge” or “understanding”. We can make idols out of things that are good, but as soon as we make an idol out of them they become harmful. Calvinism is perhaps an example. Now Calvin was one of the greatest Christian thinkers, and if you wanted to put a label on my theology there is a great deal of leaning towards “Calvinism”. However, there are those who then make an idol out of it. So Calvin’s teaching becomes the thing, rather than how Calvin can help us understand the Bible. The difference can be very subtle, but we need to be wary of it. Or take evangelism. Some church somewhere will find they are having great success, and what will we do? We will look for the Method, and we will make an idol out of the method, thinking that it is the method that brings success, rather than it being the message of the gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit who brings success. We are very good at making idols and that is why the second of the ten commandments (Ex 20:4) warns us against such things. We need to be on our guard.