Articles
"Guard Yourselves from Idols"
The book of 1 John closes with the warning, “Little children, guard yourselves from idols” (5:21).
Interestingly, there is not a word anywhere in the book about statues. There are no references to the multitude of gods the Greeks and Romans worshiped. Unlike 1 Corinthians, there are no allusions to idols, their temples, or feasts held in honor of them.
The idolatry John had in view was a different sort. It is the kind of idolatry that claims to believe in God but redefines Him in one’s own terms; the kind that accepts some of the things God reveals about Himself and His will but rejects other elements. It is an idolatry that results when human reasoning about God supplants what God’s word actually says. Whenever that occurs, God is reduced to an imaginary being in our minds—a mere idol.
The false teachers in John’s day claimed that they knew God. John replied that those who genuinely know God listen to the apostles (4:6), keep God’s commandments (2:3-6), and love others (4:8). Anything less betrays one as an idolater.
