Wherefore, the dearly beloved of God are commanded to run completely away from idol worship and from all idolatry. The command is the conclusion drawn from the history of Israel, whose sins and overthrow in the wilderness happened as examples and were written for admonition of those upon whom the ends of the world are come. To flee idolatry is to refuse to be idolaters as some of them were who sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. With that refusal goes not lusting after evil things, not committing fornication, not tempting Christ, and not murmuring, sins for which many were overthrown in the wilderness and destroyed, including being destroyed by serpents and by the destroyer.
No one is to rely on his own sense of standing, but he who thinks he stands is to take heed lest he fall. No temptation taken is more than is common to man, and God is faithful not to allow temptation beyond ability but to make with the temptation a way of escape to bear and endure it. The warning applies to God's people now, who are in danger of mingling with the world and its practices. They are therefore called to remain separate from the world as a distinct, consecrated people who heed God's commands and avoid evil.
Fleeing idolatry includes separating from worldly customs and fashions rather than following or encouraging them. Hoops and clothing designed to imitate the world's fashions belong to that forbidden conformity, and making fashion an object of devotion is itself idolatry. Such conformity blurs the distinction between those who serve God and those who do not, as when ancient Israel followed the practices of surrounding nations. Fleeing idolatry means rejecting not only idol worship but also selfishness, love of ease, and gratification of appetite and passion. Profession of faith and knowledge of truth do not make a person Christian if religion caters to the senses or permits harmful self-indulgence, and festivals and amusements in which church members imitate worldly customs and pleasures amount to joining themselves with God's enemies. The command to flee idolatry is given as a matter to be judged by wise judgment.
Wherefore, the dearly beloved of God are commanded to run completely away from idol worship and from all idolatry. The command is the conclusion drawn from the history of Israel, whose sins and overthrow in the wilderness happened as examples and were written for admonition of those upon whom the ends of the world are come. To flee idolatry is to refuse to be idolaters as some of them were who sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. With that refusal goes not lusting after evil things, not committing fornication, not tempting Christ, and not murmuring, sins for which many were overthrown in the wilderness and destroyed, including being destroyed by serpents and by the destroyer.
No one is to rely on his own sense of standing, but he who thinks he stands is to take heed lest he fall. No temptation taken is more than is common to man, and God is faithful not to allow temptation beyond ability but to make with the temptation a way of escape to bear and endure it. The warning applies to God's people now, who are in danger of mingling with the world and its practices. They are therefore called to remain separate from the world as a distinct, consecrated people who heed God's commands and avoid evil.
Fleeing idolatry includes separating from worldly customs and fashions rather than following or encouraging them. Hoops and clothing designed to imitate the world's fashions belong to that forbidden conformity, and making fashion an object of devotion is itself idolatry. Such conformity blurs the distinction between those who serve God and those who do not, as when ancient Israel followed the practices of surrounding nations. Fleeing idolatry means rejecting not only idol worship but also selfishness, love of ease, and gratification of appetite and passion. Profession of faith and knowledge of truth do not make a person Christian if religion caters to the senses or permits harmful self-indulgence, and festivals and amusements in which church members imitate worldly customs and pleasures amount to joining themselves with God's enemies. The command to flee idolatry is given as a matter to be judged by wise judgment.