When do possessions become idols?

I was recently asked:

When do our possessions become idols?

Which is an amazingly deep question for one so short. So let’s start with a short definition. For Christians, an “idol” is something — anything! — that we worship that is not God. But that definition requires us to go a step deeper: what does it mean to worship?

Worship is paying reverent honor or high regard to something. When we worship God, we are paying Him reverent honor and holding Him in high regard. We are saying that the Word of God is our highest truth. As we sing in the Canticle of Praise, “power and glory and wisdom and strength and honor and blessing and glory are His” which comes from Revelation 5:11-12:

Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, singing with full voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”

Imagine all of those creatures, the angels, the elders, millions of them gathered together to express their utmost trust, regard, and love for God! When we sing praise to God, we are joining in this song across time and space with all of the people of God.

But notice the word I underlined in the Bible passage above: “worthy.” The words “worship” and “worthy” come from the same root. To worship is to say that something is worthy, that is, it has “commendable excellence or merit; deserving of one's time, attention, interest, work, trouble, etc…” (Dictionary.com)

So when we say that something is utmost in our lives, that it deserves all of our time, attention, interest, work, or trouble, that is what we are worshipping.

Or, as the quote attributed to Martin Luther put it:

Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God.

So to answer the question: Our possessions become idols when we cling to them and confide in them more than we cling to and confide in God. When we look to created things — money, time, possessions, or even our spouse or children! — as being #1 in our lives, most important to us, or most worthy of our time, attention, interest, work, or trouble, we have a false god. That’s when our possessions become idols.

We should, as Christians, regularly take stock of our relationship with time, money, and possessions and strive to keep our priorities straight. Thanks for the question!

The way we spend our time and money, the things we prioritize in life, and even smartphones or TV can become idols when we put them above our relationship with God.