1819 verses about Idols

Jesus entered into the temple of God, and drove out all of those who sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the money changers’ tables and the seats of those who sold the doves.

But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise,

He answered them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

“For you set aside the commandment of God, and hold tightly to the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and you do many other such things.”

He would not allow anyone to carry a container through the temple.

If you therefore will worship before me, it will all be yours.”

Jesus answered him, “Get behind me Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.’” Deuteronomy 6:13

No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. You aren’t able to serve God and Mammon.”

He entered into the temple, and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it,

Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?” They answered, “Caesar’s.”

He found in the temple those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, and the changers of money sitting.

He made a whip of cords, and threw all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew their tables.

until there arose a different king, who didn’t know Joseph.

to whom our fathers wouldn’t be obedient, but rejected him, and turned back in their hearts to Egypt,

saying to Aaron, ‘Make us gods that will go before us, for as for this Moses, who led us out of the land of Egypt, we don’t know what has become of him.’ Exodus 32:1

They made a calf in those days, and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their hands.

But God turned, and gave them up to serve the army of the sky, as it is written in the book of the prophets, ‘Did you offer to me slain animals and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?

You took up the tabernacle of Moloch, the star of your god Rephan, the figures which you made to worship. I will carry you away Amos 5:25-27 beyond Babylon.’

However, the Most High doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says,

‘heaven is my throne, and the earth a footstool for my feet. What kind of house will you build me?’ says the Lord. ‘Or what is the place of my rest?

The people shouted, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!”

When the multitude saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voice, saying in the language of Lycaonia, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!”

They called Barnabas “Jupiter”, and Paul “Mercury”, because he was the chief speaker.

The priest of Jupiter, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and would have made a sacrifice along with the multitudes.

But when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of it, they tore their clothes, and sprang into the multitude, crying out,

“Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to the living God, who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them;

Even saying these things, they hardly stopped the multitudes from making a sacrifice to them.

but that we write to them that they abstain from the pollution of idols, from sexual immorality, from what is strangled, and from blood.

that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality, from which if you keep yourselves, it will be well with you. Farewell.”

Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw the city full of idols.

Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also were conversing with him. Some said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be advocating foreign deities,” because he preached Jesus and the resurrection.

Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus, and said, “You men of Athens, I perceive that you are very religious in all things.

For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ What therefore you worship in ignorance, this I announce to you.

The God who made the world and all things in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands,

Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold, or silver, or stone, engraved by art and design of man.

The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked. But now he commands that all people everywhere should repent,

There were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did this.

Many of those who practiced magical arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. They counted their price, and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver.

About that time there arose no small stir concerning the Way.

For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen,

You see and hear, that not at Ephesus alone, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are no gods, that are made with hands.

Not only is there danger that this our trade come into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be counted as nothing, and her majesty destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worships.”

When they heard this they were filled with anger, and cried out, saying, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

The whole city was filled with confusion, and they rushed with one accord into the theater, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul’s companions in travel.

Some therefore cried one thing, and some another, for the assembly was in confusion. Most of them didn’t know why they had come together.

But when they perceived that he was a Jew, all with one voice for a time of about two hours cried out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

When the town clerk had quieted the multitude, he said, “You men of Ephesus, what man is there who doesn’t know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great goddess Artemis, and of the image which fell down from Zeus?

For you have brought these men here, who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of your goddess.

But concerning the Gentiles who believe, we have written our decision that they should observe no such thing, except that they should keep themselves from food offered to idols, from blood, from strangled things, and from sexual immorality.”

But they expected that he would have swollen or fallen down dead suddenly, but when they watched for a long time and saw nothing bad happen to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.

Because, knowing God, they didn’t glorify him as God, neither gave thanks, but became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless heart was darkened.

and traded the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed animals, and creeping things.

who exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

You who say a man shouldn’t commit adultery. Do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?

They have all turned away. They have together become unprofitable. There is no one who does good, no, not so much as one.” Psalms 14:1-3; 53:1-3; Ecclesiastes 7:20

But I ask, didn’t Israel know? First Moses says, “I will provoke you to jealousy with that which is no nation, with a nation void of understanding I will make you angry.” Deuteronomy 32:31

But how does God answer him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 1 Kings 19:18

Now I mean this, that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,” and, “I follow Christ.”

For Jews ask for signs, Greeks seek after wisdom,

yet not at all meaning with the sexual sinners of this world, or with the covetous and extortionists, or with idolaters; for then you would have to leave the world.

But as it is, I wrote to you not to associate with anyone who is called a brother who is a sexual sinner, or covetous, or an idolater, or a slanderer, or a drunkard, or an extortionist. Don’t even eat with such a person.

Or don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s Kingdom? Don’t be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals,

Now concerning things sacrificed to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.

Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that no idol is anything in the world, and that there is no other God but one.

For though there are things that are called “gods”, whether in the heavens or on earth; as there are many “gods” and many “lords”;

However, that knowledge isn’t in all men. But some, with consciousness of the idol until now, eat as of a thing sacrificed to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.

For if a man sees you who have knowledge sitting in an idol’s temple, won’t his conscience, if he is weak, be emboldened to eat things sacrificed to idols?

and were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.

Don’t be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” Exodus 32:6

Let us not commit sexual immorality, as some of them committed, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell.

Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

Consider Israel according to the flesh. Don’t those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar?

What am I saying then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?

But I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God, and I don’t desire that you would have fellowship with demons.

You can’t both drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You can’t both partake of the table of the Lord, and of the table of demons.

Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

Whatever is sold in the butcher shop, eat, asking no question for the sake of conscience,

But if anyone says to you, “This was offered to idols,” don’t eat it for the sake of the one who told you, and for the sake of conscience. For “the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.”

Give no occasion for stumbling, either to Jews, or to Greeks, or to the assembly of God;

You know that when you were heathen, you were led away to those mute idols, however you might be led.

What agreement has Christ with Belial? Or what portion has a believer with an unbeliever?

What agreement has a temple of God with idols? For you are a temple of the living God. Even as God said, “I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” Leviticus 26:12; Jeremiah 32:38; Ezekiel 37:27

Therefore “‘Come out from among them, and be separate,’ says the Lord. ‘Touch no unclean thing. I will receive you. Isaiah 52:11; Ezekiel 20:34,41

For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? For if I were still pleasing men, I wouldn’t be a servant of Christ.

However at that time, not knowing God, you were in bondage to those who by nature are not gods.

You observe days, months, seasons, and years.

idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies,

envy, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these; of which I forewarn you, even as I also forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit God’s Kingdom.

Know this for sure, that no sexually immoral person, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God.

whose end is destruction, whose god is the belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who think about earthly things.

Be careful that you don’t let anyone rob you through his philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the elements of the world, and not after Christ.

Put to death therefore your members which are on the earth: sexual immorality, uncleanness, depraved passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry;

For they themselves report concerning us what kind of a reception we had from you; and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God,

he who opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshiped; so that he sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself up as God.

For we hear of some who walk among you in rebellion, who don’t work at all, but are busybodies.

Besides, they also learn to be idle, going about from house to house. Not only idle, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they ought not.

You adulterers and adulteresses, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

For we have spent enough of our past time doing the desire of the Gentiles, and having walked in lewdness, lusts, drunken binges, orgies, carousings, and abominable idolatries.

Don’t love the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the Father’s love isn’t in him.