The Real Deal

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.

– John 4:23

For many tourists in New York City, buying a fake Rolex watch or Gucci handbag from a street vendor is as big a part of their trip as visiting the Empire State Building or taking the Staten Island Ferry. Picking up a bargain is always fun. And who knows? Your friends just might think your inexpensive bling is the real deal.

However, it turns out that buying counterfeit goods is hardly a harmless diversion. A 2021 study for the Buy Safe America Coalition reveals that imports of phony products cost U.S. retailers about $54 billion per year in lost sales. What’s more, there’s also a huge problem — particularly in low- and middle- income nations — with counterfeit pharmaceuticals containing sketchy ingredients that can kill.

There are obvious parallels between the dangers of counterfeit goods and God’s warnings about idolatry, or what we might call fake worship. When it comes to buying clothing, jewelry, auto parts, or medicine, we’re often quick to look the other way and settle for cheap imitations. The truth is that we idolize expensive luxury goods. But we’d rather avoid paying the real price for authenticity.

This comparison is no exaggeration. First, let’s consider that an idol is anyone or anything that means more to us than following God and his true ways. Likewise, idolatry means settling for the illicit rather than the real deal. For example, pleasure is one of God’s gifts that we can easily idolize. The entertainment industry’s message is that if it feels good, it’s OK to do it. Watch almost any popular TV show or movie these days and you’ll see pleasurable — but destructive — behaviors and lifestyles that God expressly condemns. Since society no longer shuns adultery and other long-prohibited relationships, we’re told that they’re private activities that hurt no one. But if Christ-followers dare to say otherwise, they’re likely branded as intolerant, bigoted, or narrow-minded. After all, the advocates of such progressive behaviors ask, “What does the Bible have to do with living in the 21st century?”

Quite a bit, it turns out.

In fact, the Creator’s word to us through Scripture reveals that things haven’t changed much over the years when it comes to illicit relationships and the destruction they render. Just as our ancestors did centuries before us, we’ll often look the other way to accept and justify our behaviors and those we fear to offend. Meanwhile, we might also claim that we want God in our lives. But we actually want him to share the throne of our heart with what’s cheap, gaudy, and second-rate.

This approach is totally unacceptable to our Maker. After all, he holds a jealous love for his children. And he also wants only the very best for us. So, what should be our response? To fully acknowledge his love, we must simply turn away from our false idols — those things, attitudes, behaviors, or people — that hold us back from worshiping him. It’s when we finally change our priorities and focus on God that we’ll find true pleasure — one that’s both lasting and the real deal.