Why Guard Against Idolatry?

“Little children, guard yourselves from idols.”​—1 JOHN 5:21.

1. Why is the worship of Jehovah free of idolatry?

JEHOVAH is no idol of metal, wood, or stone. He cannot be housed in an earthly temple. Since he is the almighty Spirit, invisible to humans, it is impossible to make an image of him. Hence, the pure worship of Jehovah must be totally free of idolatry.​—Exodus 33:20; Acts 17:24; 2 Corinthians 3:17.

2. What questions merit our consideration?

² If you are a worshiper of Jehovah, then, you might well ask, ‘What is idolatry? How have Jehovah’s servants been able to avoid it in the past? And why guard against idolatry today?’

What Idolatry Is

3, 4. How may idolatry be defined?

³ Generally, idolatry involves a ceremony or a ritual. Idolatry is the veneration, love, worship, or adoration of an idol. And what is an idol? It is an image, a representation of something, or a symbol, that is an object of devotion. Usually, idolatry is directed toward a real or supposed higher power believed to have animate existence (a human, an animal, or an organization). But idolatry can also be practiced with regard to things inanimate (a force or a lifeless object of nature).

⁴ In the Scriptures, Hebrew words referring to idols often stress worthlessness, or they are terms of contempt. Among these are words rendered “carved or graven image” (literally, something carved out); “molten statue, image, or idol” (something cast or poured out); “horrible idol”; “vain idol” (literally, vanity); and “dungy idol.” The Greek word eiʹdo·lon is rendered “idol.”

5. Why can it be said that not all images are idols?

⁵ Not all images are idols. God himself told the Israelites to make two golden cherubs for the ark of the covenant and to embroider representations of such spirit creatures on the inner covering of ten tent cloths for the tabernacle and on the curtain separating the Holy from the Most Holy. (Exodus 25:1, 18; 26:1, 31-33) Only officiating priests saw these representations that served primarily as a picture of the heavenly cherubs. (Compare Hebrews 9:24, 25.) It is evident that the tabernacle representations of cherubs were not to be venerated, since righteous angels themselves would not accept worship.​—Colossians 2:18; Revelation 19:10; 22:8, 9.

Jehovah’s View of Idolatry

6. What is Jehovah’s view of idolatry?

⁶ Servants of Jehovah guard against idolatry because he is against all idolatrous practices. God commanded the Israelites not to form images as objects of veneration and worship them. Among the Ten Commandments are found these words: “You must not make for yourself a carved image or a form like anything that is in the heavens above or that is on the earth underneath or that is in the waters under the earth. You must not bow down to them nor be induced to serve them, because I Jehovah your God am a God exacting exclusive devotion, bringing punishment for the error of fathers upon sons, upon the third generation and upon the fourth generation, in the case of those who hate me; but exercising loving-kindness toward the thousandth generation in the case of those who love me and keep my commandments.”​—Exodus 20:4-6.

7. Why is Jehovah opposed to all idolatry?

⁷ Why is Jehovah opposed to all idolatry? Principally because he exacts exclusive devotion, as shown above in the second of the Ten Commandments. Moreover, he said through his prophet Isaiah: “I am Jehovah. That is my name; and to no one else shall I give my own glory, neither my praise to graven images.” (Isaiah 42:8) At one time, idolatry ensnared the Israelites to such an extent that “they would sacrifice their sons and their daughters to demons.” (Psalm 106:36, 37) Idolaters not only deny that Jehovah is the true God but also serve the interests of his chief Adversary, Satan, together with the demons.

Loyal Under Test

8. What test was faced by the three Hebrews Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?

⁸ Loyalty to Jehovah also makes us guard against idolatry. This is illustrated by the incident recorded at Daniel chapter 3. To inaugurate a great golden image that he had set up, Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar assembled officials of his empire. His order included Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego​—three Hebrew administrators over the jurisdictional district of Babylon. All present were to bow down before the image at the sound of certain musical instruments. This was an attempt by Babylon’s real god, Satan, to make the three Hebrews bow before an image representing the Babylonian Empire. Imagine that you are on the scene.

9, 10. (a) The three Hebrews took what position, and how were they rewarded? (b) What encouragement can Jehovah’s Witnesses derive from the course of the three Hebrews?

⁹ Look! The three Hebrews are standing. They recall God’s law against making and serving idols or carved images. Nebuchadnezzar gives them an ultimatum​—bow down or die! But in loyalty to Jehovah, they say: “If it is to be, our God whom we are serving is able to rescue us. Out of the burning fiery furnace and out of your hand, O king, he will rescue us. But if not, let it become known to you, O king, that your gods are not the ones we are serving, and the image of gold that you have set up we will not worship.”​—Daniel 3:16-18.

¹⁰ These loyal servants of God are cast into the superheated furnace. Amazed to see four individuals walking in the furnace, Nebuchadnezzar calls the three Hebrews out, and they emerge unharmed. At that the king exclaims: “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who sent his angel [the fourth person in the furnace] and rescued his servants that trusted in him and that changed the very word of the king and gave over their bodies, because they would not serve and would not worship any god at all except their own God. . . . There does not exist another god that is able to deliver like this one.” (Daniel 3:28, 29) The integrity keeping of those three Hebrews provides encouragement for Jehovah’s present-day Witnesses to be loyal to God, maintain neutrality toward the world, and avoid idolatry.​—John 17:16.

Idols Lose in Court

11, 12. (a) What record involving Jehovah and idol-gods was made by Isaiah? (b) How did the gods of the nations fare when challenged by Jehovah?

¹¹ Another reason to guard against idolatry is that veneration of idols is useless. Though some man-made idols may seem lifelike​—often with a mouth, eyes, and ears—​they cannot speak, see, or hear, and they can do nothing for their devotees. (Psalm 135:15-18) This was shown in the eighth century B.C.E., when God’s prophet recorded at Isaiah 43:8-28 what is, in effect, a court case between Jehovah and idol-gods. In it God’s people Israel were on one side, and the worldly nations on the other. Jehovah challenged the false gods of the nations to tell “the first things,” to prophesy accurately. Not one could do so. Turning to his people, Jehovah said: “You are my witnesses . . . and I am God.” The nations could not prove that their gods existed ahead of Jehovah or that they could prophesy. But Jehovah foretold Babylon’s ruin and the release of his captive people.

¹² Further, God’s delivered servants would say, as described at Isaiah 44:1-8, that they “belong to Jehovah.” He himself said: “I am the first and I am the last, and besides me there is no God.” There is no rebuttal from the idol-gods. “You are my witnesses,” Jehovah again said of his people, adding: “Does there exist a God besides me? No, there is no Rock.”

13. What does idolatry reveal about an idolater?

¹³ We also guard against idolatry because engaging in it betrays a lack of wisdom. With part of a tree that he chooses, an idolater makes a god to worship, and with another part he lights a fire to cook his food. (Isaiah 44:9-17) How foolish! A maker and devotee of idol-gods suffers shame also because of being unable to give a convincing witness proving their godship. But Jehovah’s Godship is unquestionable, for he not only foretold the liberation of his people from Babylon but also caused this to occur. Jerusalem was reinhabited, the cities of Judah were rebuilt, and Babylon’s “watery deep”​—the Euphrates River—​evaporated as a source of protection. (Isaiah 44:18-27) As God also foretold, Cyrus the Persian conquered Babylon.​—Isaiah 44:28–45:6.

14. In the Universal Supreme Court, what will be proved permanently?

¹⁴ The idol-deities lost that legal case regarding godship. And what befell Babylon is sure to befall her modern counterpart, Babylon the Great, the world empire of false religion. She and all her gods, religious paraphernalia, and objects of idolatry will soon be gone forever. (Revelation 17:12–18:8) In the Universal Supreme Court, it will then be permanently proved that Jehovah alone is the living and true God and that he fulfills his prophetic Word.

Sacrifices to Demons

15. What did the holy spirit and the first-century governing body indicate regarding Jehovah’s people and idolatry?

¹⁵ Jehovah’s people also guard against idolatry because they are guided by God’s spirit and organization. The first-century governing body of Jehovah’s servants told fellow Christians: “The holy spirit and we ourselves have favored adding no further burden to you, except these necessary things, to keep abstaining from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication. If you carefully keep yourselves from these things, you will prosper. Good health to you!”​—Acts 15:28, 29.

16. In your own words, how would you express what Paul said about things sacrificed to idols?

¹⁶ Another reason to guard against idolatry is to avoid demonism. Regarding the Lord’s Evening Meal, the apostle Paul told Corinthian Christians: “Flee from idolatry. . . . The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of the Christ? The loaf which we break, is it not a sharing in the body of the Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, although many, are one body, for we are all partaking of that one loaf. Look at that which is Israel in a fleshly way: Are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers with the altar? What, then, am I to say? That what is sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? No; but I say that the things which the nations sacrifice they sacrifice to demons, and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers with the demons. You cannot be drinking the cup of Jehovah and the cup of demons; you cannot be partaking of ‘the table of Jehovah’ and the table of demons. Or ‘are we inciting Jehovah to jealousy’? We are not stronger than he is, are we?”​—1 Corinthians 10:14-22.

17. In the first century C.E., under what circumstances could a Christian eat meat sacrificed to idols, and why?

¹⁷ Part of an animal was sacrificed to an idol, a portion went to priests, and the worshiper got some for a feast. However, part of the flesh might be sold in a market. It was inadvisable for a Christian to go to an idol temple to eat meat even though he did not eat as part of a rite, for this could stumble others or draw him into false worship. (1 Corinthians 8:1-13; Revelation 2:12, 14, 18, 20) Offering an animal to an idol did not change the flesh, so a Christian could buy some at a market. He also did not have to ask about the source of meat served in a home. But if someone said it had been “offered in sacrifice,” he would not eat it, to avoid stumbling anyone.​—1 Corinthians 10:25-29.

18. How could those eating something sacrificed to an idol get involved with the demons?

¹⁸ It was often thought that after the sacrificial rite, the god was in the meat and entered the body of those eating it at the worshipers’ feast. As people who ate together forged a bond between themselves, so those partaking of the sacrificial animals were sharers in the altar and had communion with the demon-god represented by the idol. Through such idolatry, demons kept people from worshiping the only true God. (Jeremiah 10:1-15) No wonder Jehovah’s people were to keep abstaining from things sacrificed to idols! Loyalty to God, acceptance of guidance by his holy spirit and organization, and determination to avoid involvement with demonism also prove to be powerful incentives to guard against idolatry today.

Why a Need to Be on Guard?

19. What kind of idolatry existed in ancient Ephesus?

¹⁹ Christians diligently guard against idolatry because it has many forms, and even one idolatrous act can compromise their faith. The apostle John told fellow believers: “Guard yourselves from idols.” (1 John 5:21) This counsel was needed because many forms of idolatry surrounded them. John wrote from Ephesus, a city steeped in magical practices and myths about false deities. Ephesus had one of the seven wonders of the world​—the temple of Artemis, a place of asylum for criminals and a center of immoral rites. The philosopher Heracleitus of Ephesus likened the dark approach to that temple’s altar to the darkness of vileness, and he considered temple morals worse than those of beasts. Thus, Ephesian Christians had to stand firm against demonism, immorality, and idolatry.

20. Why was it necessary to avoid even the slightest idolatry?

²⁰ Christians need strong determination to avoid even the slightest idolatry because just one act of worship to the Devil would lend support to his challenge that humans would not remain faithful to God under test. (Job 1:8-12) When showing Jesus “all the kingdoms of the world and their glory,” Satan said: “All these things I will give you if you fall down and do an act of worship to me.” Christ’s refusal upheld Jehovah’s side of the issue of universal sovereignty and proved the Devil a liar.​—Matthew 4:8-11; Proverbs 27:11.

21. With regard to the Roman emperor, what did faithful Christians refuse to do?

²¹ Neither would Jesus’ early followers do an act of worship supporting Satan’s side of the issue. Though they had proper regard for governmental “superior authorities,” they would not burn incense in honor of the Roman emperor, even if it cost them their lives. (Romans 13:1-7) In this regard Daniel P. Mannix wrote: “Very few of the Christians recanted, although an altar with a fire burning on it was generally kept in the arena for their convenience. All a prisoner had to do was scatter a pinch of incense on the flame and he was given a Certificate of Sacrifice and turned free. It was also carefully explained to him that he was not worshiping the emperor; merely acknowledging the divine character of the emperor as head of the Roman state. Still, almost no Christians availed themselves of the chance to escape.” (Those About to Die, page 137) If similarly tested, would you completely resist all idolatry?

Will You Guard Against Idolatry?

22, 23. Why should you guard against idolatry?

²² Clearly, Christians must guard against all forms of idolatry. Jehovah demands exclusive devotion. The three faithful Hebrews provided a fine example in refusing to idolize the great image set up by Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. In the universal court case recorded by the prophet Isaiah, Jehovah alone was shown to be the true and living God. His early Christian witnesses had to keep abstaining from things sacrificed to idols. The many loyal ones among them did not succumb to pressure to perform even a single idolatrous act that would constitute denial of Jehovah.

²³ So, then, are you personally guarding against idolatry? Are you giving God exclusive devotion? Do you support Jehovah’s sovereignty and extol him as the true and living God? If so, it should be your determination to continue standing firm against idolatrous practices. But what further Scriptural points can help you to guard against idolatry of every sort?

Guard Against Idolatry of Every Sort

“What agreement does God’s temple have with idols?”​—2 CORINTHIANS 6:16.

1. What was typified by Israel’s tabernacle and temples?

JEHOVAH has a temple that does not house idols. It was typified by Israel’s tabernacle constructed by Moses and by the temples later built in Jerusalem. Those structures represented “the true tent,” Jehovah’s great spiritual temple. (Hebrews 8:1-5) That temple is the arrangement for approaching God in worship on the basis of Jesus Christ’s ransom sacrifice.​—Hebrews 9:2-10, 23.

2. Who become pillars in God’s great spiritual temple, and what position is enjoyed by the great crowd?

² Each anointed Christian becomes “a pillar in [God’s] temple,” receiving a place in heaven. “A great crowd” of Jehovah’s other worshipers is “rendering [God] sacred service” in what was represented by the courtyard of the Gentiles at the temple rebuilt by Herod. Because of faith in Jesus’ sacrifice, they have a righteous standing that results in preservation through “the great tribulation.”​—Revelation 3:12; 7:9-15.

3, 4. To what is the congregation of anointed Christians on earth likened, and of what defilement must it be free?

³ The congregation of anointed Christians on earth is also figuratively likened to another temple free of idolatry. To such ones ‘sealed with the holy spirit,’ the apostle Paul said: “You have been built up upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, while Christ Jesus himself is the foundation cornerstone. In union with him the whole building, being harmoniously joined together, is growing into a holy temple for Jehovah. In union with him you, too, are being built up together into a place for God to inhabit by spirit.” (Ephesians 1:13; 2:20-22) These 144,000 sealed ones are “living stones” being “built up a spiritual house for the purpose of a holy priesthood.”​—1 Peter 2:5; Revelation 7:4; 14:1.

⁴ Since these underpriests are “God’s building,” he does not allow this temple to be defiled. (1 Corinthians 3:9, 16, 17) “Do not become unevenly yoked with unbelievers,” warned Paul. “For what fellowship do righteousness and lawlessness have? Or what sharing does light have with darkness? Further, what harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what portion does a faithful person have with an unbeliever? And what agreement does God’s temple have with idols?” Anointed Christians, who belong to “Jehovah the Almighty,” must be free of idolatry. (2 Corinthians 6:14-18) Those of the great crowd must also avoid idolatry of every sort.

5. Aware that Jehovah deserves exclusive devotion, true Christians do what?

⁵ There are both outright and subtle forms of idolatry. No, idolatry is not limited to the worship of false gods and goddesses. It is the worship of anything or anyone other than Jehovah. As the Universal Sovereign, he rightly requires and deserves exclusive devotion. (Deuteronomy 4:24) Aware of this, true Christians heed Scriptural warnings against all idolatry. (1 Corinthians 10:7) Let us consider certain forms of idolatry to be avoided by Jehovah’s servants.

Christendom’s Idolatry Foreshadowed

6. What detestable things did Ezekiel see in vision?

⁶ While in Babylonian exile in 612 B.C.E., the prophet Ezekiel had a vision of detestable things practiced by apostate Jews at Jehovah’s temple in Jerusalem. Ezekiel saw a “symbol of jealousy.” Seventy elders were observed offering incense in the temple. Women were seen weeping over a false god. And 25 men were worshiping the sun. Of what significance were these apostate acts?

7, 8. The “symbol of jealousy” may have been what, and why did it incite Jehovah to jealousy?

⁷ The idolatry of Christendom was foreshadowed by the detestable things that Ezekiel saw in vision. For instance, he said: “Look! to the north of the gate of the altar there was this symbol of jealousy in the entranceway. And [Jehovah God] went on to say to me: ‘Son of man, are you seeing what great detestable things they are doing, the things that the house of Israel are doing here for me to become far off from my sanctuary?’”​—Ezekiel 8:1-6.

⁸ The idolatrous symbol of jealousy may have been a sacred pole representing the false goddess that the Canaanites viewed as the wife of their god Baal. Whatever the symbol was, it incited Jehovah to jealousy because it divided Israel’s exclusive devotion to him in violation of his commandments: “I am Jehovah your God . . . You must not have any other gods against my face. You must not make for yourself a carved image or a form like anything that is in the heavens above or that is on the earth underneath or that is in the waters under the earth. You must not bow down to them nor be induced to serve them, because I Jehovah your God am a God exacting exclusive devotion.”​—Exodus 20:2-5.

9. How has Christendom provoked God to jealousy?

⁹ Worshiping the symbol of jealousy in God’s temple was one of the great detestable things being done by apostate Israelites. Similarly, Christendom’s churches are defiled with God-dishonoring symbols and images that divide the exclusive devotion they claim to give to the One they profess to serve. God is also provoked to jealousy because the clergy reject his Kingdom as mankind’s only hope and idolize the United Nations​—“the disgusting thing . . . standing in a holy place,” where it should not stand.​—Matthew 24:15, 16; Mark 13:14.

10. What did Ezekiel see inside the temple, and how does this compare with what is noted in Christendom?

¹⁰ Entering the temple, Ezekiel reports: “Look! there was every representation of creeping things and loathsome beasts, and all the dungy idols of the house of Israel, the carving being upon the wall all round about. And seventy men of the elderly ones of the house of Israel . . . were standing before them, each one with his censer in his hand, and the perfume of the cloud of the incense was ascending.” Just think! Israelite elders in Jehovah’s temple, offering up incense to false gods, represented by detestable wall carvings. (Ezekiel 8:10-12) Comparably, birds and wild animals are used to symbolize Christendom’s countries, to which people give devotion. Moreover, many of the clergy are guilty of helping to mislead the masses by advocating the erroneous theory of man’s evolution from subhuman, animal life-forms instead of upholding the true Bible account of creation by Jehovah God.​—Acts 17:24-28.

11. Why were apostate Israelite women weeping over Tammuz?

¹¹ At the entrance of the gate of Jehovah’s house, Ezekiel saw apostate Israelite women weeping over Tammuz. (Ezekiel 8:13, 14) Babylonians and Syrians viewed Tammuz as the god of vegetation that grows in the rainy season and dies during the dry period. Its death pictured that of Tammuz, annually bewailed by his worshipers at the time of the greatest heat. With the reappearance of vegetation during the rainy season, Tammuz supposedly returned from the underworld. He was represented by the first letter of his name, the ancient tau that was a form of the cross. This may well remind us of Christendom’s idolatrous reverence for the cross.

12. What did Ezekiel see 25 apostate Israelite men doing, and what similar action takes place in Christendom?

¹² In the temple’s inner courtyard, Ezekiel next saw 25 apostate Israelite men worshiping the sun​—a violation of Jehovah’s command against such idolatry. (Deuteronomy 4:15-19) Those idolaters also held out to God’s nose an obscene twig, perhaps representing the human male organ. No wonder God would not answer their prayers, even as Christendom will seek his help during the “great tribulation,” but in vain. (Matthew 24:21) As those apostate Israelites worshiped the light-giving sun with their backs to Jehovah’s temple, so Christendom turns her back on light from God, teaches false doctrines, idolizes worldly wisdom, and winks at immorality.​—Ezekiel 8:15-18.

13. In what ways do Jehovah’s Witnesses avoid the forms of idolatry seen in Ezekiel’s vision?

¹³ Jehovah’s Witnesses avoid the forms of idolatry practiced in Christendom, or antitypical Jerusalem, as foreseen by Ezekiel. We do not idolize God-dishonoring symbols. Though we show respect for governmental “superior authorities,” our subjection to them is relative. (Romans 13:1-7; Mark 12:17; Acts 5:29) Our heart devotion is given to God and his Kingdom. We do not substitute the evolution theory for the Creator and his creation. (Revelation 4:11) Never do we adore the cross or idolize intellectualism, philosophy, or other kinds of worldly wisdom. (1 Timothy 6:20, 21) We also guard against all other forms of idolatry. What are some of these?

Other Sorts of Idolatry

14. What position do Jehovah’s servants take with regard to the “wild beast” of Revelation 13:1?

¹⁴ Christians do not share with mankind in idolizing a symbolic “wild beast.” Said the apostle John: “I saw a wild beast ascending out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, and upon its horns ten diadems . . . All those who dwell on the earth will worship it.” (Revelation 13:1, 8) Beasts can symbolize “kings,” or political powers. (Daniel 7:17; 8:3-8, 20-25) So the seven heads of the symbolic wild beast stand for world powers​—Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and the Anglo-American combine of Britain and the United States of America. Christendom’s clergy show great disrespect for God and Christ by leading mankind in idolizing the political system of Satan, “the ruler of this world.” (John 12:31) As Christian neutrals and Kingdom advocates, however, Jehovah’s servants reject such idolatry.​—James 1:27.

15. How do Jehovah’s people view worldly stars, and what did one Witness say in this regard?

¹⁵ God’s people also refrain from idolizing the world’s stars of entertainment and sports. After becoming a Witness of Jehovah, one musician said: “Music for entertainment and for dancing can arouse wrong desires . . . The performer sings about happiness and tenderness that many listeners may feel is missing in their partner. The artist often comes to be identified with what he is singing about. Some professionals I know are for this reason real favorites with women. Once someone is submerged in this world of fantasy, it can lead to his idolizing the performer. It may begin quite harmlessly by a person’s asking for an autograph as a souvenir. But some come to view the artist as their ideal, and by putting him on a pedestal, they make him into an idol. They may hang the star’s picture on the wall and begin to dress and groom themselves as he does. Christians need to keep in mind that adoration belongs only to God.”

16. What shows that righteous angels reject idolatry?

¹⁶ Yes, only God deserves adoration or worship. When John “fell down to worship before the feet of the angel” that showed him amazing things, that spirit creature refused to be idolized in any way but said: “Be careful! Do not do that! All I am is a fellow slave of you and of your brothers who are prophets and of those who are observing the words of this scroll. Worship God.” (Revelation 22:8, 9) Fear of Jehovah, or deep reverence for him, makes us worship him alone. (Revelation 14:7) Thus, true godly devotion safeguards us from idolatry.​—1 Timothy 4:8.

17. How can we guard against idolatrous sexual immorality?

¹⁷ Sexual immorality is another form of idolatry rejected by Jehovah’s servants. They know that “no fornicator or unclean person or greedy person​—which means being an idolater—​has any inheritance in the kingdom of the Christ and of God.” (Ephesians 5:5) Idolatry is involved because the craving for illicit pleasure becomes an object of devotion. Godly qualities are imperiled by improper sexual desires. By inclining his eyes and ears to pornography, a person jeopardizes any relationship he might have with the holy God, Jehovah. (Isaiah 6:3) To guard against such idolatry, then, God’s servants must avoid pornography and corrupting music. They need to cling to strong spiritual values based on the Scriptures, and they must keep on “the new personality which was created according to God’s will in true righteousness and loyalty.”​—Ephesians 4:22-24.

Avoid Greed and Covetousness

18, 19. (a) What are greed and covetousness? (b) How can we guard against idolatrous greed and covetousness?

¹⁸ Christians also guard against greed and covetousness, which are closely related forms of idolatry. Greed is inordinate or rapacious desire, and covetousness is greediness for anything belonging to someone else. Jesus warned against covetousness and spoke of a covetous rich man who could not benefit from his wealth at death and was in the sad state of not being “rich toward God.” (Luke 12:15-21) Paul appropriately counseled fellow believers: “Deaden . . . your body members that are upon the earth as respects . . . covetousness, which is idolatry.”​—Colossians 3:5.

¹⁹ Those obsessed with love for money, with voraciousness for food and drink, or with ambition for power make such desires their idols. As Paul pointed out, a greedy person is an idolater and will not inherit God’s Kingdom. (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10; Ephesians 5:5) Hence, baptized individuals who practice idolatry as greedy persons could be disfellowshipped from the Christian congregation. By applying the Scriptures and praying earnestly, however, we can avoid greediness. Says Proverbs 30:7-9: “Two things I have asked of you [Jehovah God]. Do not withhold them from me before I die. Untruth and the lying word put far away from me. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Let me devour the food prescribed for me, that I may not become satisfied and I actually deny you and say: ‘Who is Jehovah?’ and that I may not come to poverty and I actually steal and assail the name of my God.” Such a spirit can help us to guard against idolatrous greed and covetousness.

Guard Against Self-Idolatry

20, 21. How do Jehovah’s people guard against self-idolatry?

²⁰ Jehovah’s people also guard against self-idolatry. In this world it is common to idolize oneself and one’s own will. Desire for fame and glory causes many to act in devious ways. They want their will done, not God’s. But we could have no relationship with God if we yielded to self-idolatry by deviously seeking to get our own way and trying to lord it over others. (Proverbs 3:32; Matthew 20:20-28; 1 Peter 5:2, 3) As Jesus’ followers, we have renounced the world’s underhanded things.​—2 Corinthians 4:1, 2.

²¹ Instead of seeking fame, God’s people comply with Paul’s admonition: “Whether you are eating or drinking or doing anything else, do all things for God’s glory.” (1 Corinthians 10:31) Being Jehovah’s servants, we do not idolatrously insist on our own way but joyfully do the divine will, accepting direction from “the faithful and discreet slave” and cooperating fully with Jehovah’s organization.​—Matthew 24:45-47.

Keep on Guard!

22, 23. In what way can we keep on guard against idolatry of every sort?

²² As Jehovah’s people, we do not bow down before material idols. We also guard against subtle forms of idolatry. In fact, we must continue to avoid idolatry of every sort. We therefore comply with John’s counsel: “Guard yourselves from idols.”​—1 John 5:21.

²³ If you are one of Jehovah’s servants, always exercise your Bible-trained conscience and perceptive powers. (Hebrews 5:14) Then you will not be contaminated by the world’s idolatrous spirit but will be like the three faithful Hebrews and loyal early Christians. You will give Jehovah exclusive devotion, and he will help you to keep on guard against idolatry of every sort.