Idol
An idol is an image, object, false god, or substitute devotion that receives worship or trust belonging to God alone. Scripture consistently forbids idolatry and calls God’s people to worship Him only.
At a Glance
An idol is an image, object, false god, or substitute devotion that receives worship or trust belonging to God alone. Scripture consistently forbids idolatry and calls God’s people to worship Him only.
Description
An idol, in biblical usage, is anything treated as worthy of the worship, trust, reverence, or allegiance that belongs to God alone. Often this refers to physical images or representations connected with pagan worship, which Scripture repeatedly forbids and exposes as false and empty in contrast to the living God. At the same time, the Bible’s teaching on idolatry reaches beyond carved objects to the deeper issue of the heart: people may make idols of anything they love, fear, or trust more than the Lord. Scripture therefore presents idolatry as both an outward practice and an inward rebellion, and it calls God’s people to reject every rival to God and to worship Him alone in covenant faithfulness.