Conversion from idol to the living God

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“For they themselves tell of us, of the reception we found among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus, who saves us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10)

In his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul testified to the young church that others reported turning from idols to the true God. But what did it mean for Christians to turn from idols to God? What about us today? Is a conversion from idols to God also necessary?

A new community is being created

The missionary team for the second missionary journey consisted primarily of Paul, Silas, and Timothy. After the Holy Spirit prevented them from continuing their ministry in Asia Minor (the area of present-day western Turkey) and Paul had a vision during the night, they traveled to Macedonia, the northern part of modern-day Greece. The Gospel now reached Europe. Paul and his companions traveled to Philippi along the Via Egnatia, the eastern continuation of the Via Appia, which was the direct route between Rome and Byzantium. The missionaries' preaching in Philippi established the first European church. Via Amphipolis and Apollonia, and continuing along the Via Egnatia, Paul and his companions arrived in Thessalonica, the capital of the province.

Thessalonica had about 100,000 inhabitants at that time and was a large city by the standards of the day. Its location on the Via Egnatia and its port brought the city wealth through trade. Unlike Philippi, where the Jews met by the river to pray, Thessalonica had a synagogue. Following his custom, Paul went to the synagogue first and brought the good news to the Jews. The preaching of the gospel by Paul, Silas, and Timothy led to the conversion of some Jews and many Greeks, and a largely Gentile Christian community was established in Thessalonica. It was the second such community in Europe after Philippi.

To the church, which proved its true faith and conversion through persecution and hardship, Paul wrote two letters only a short time later: the first and second letters to the church in Thessalonica.

A visible discharge

The conversion from idols to the true and living God was a visible phenomenon for all people at that time. Christians avoided all encounters that confronted them with sin or idolatry. Thus, they no longer participated in public sports and gladiatorial games, because these were held to honor gods. They avoided public office and military service, as these were associated with sacrificial obligations to pagan gods.

The imperial cult, which venerated the Roman emperor as a kind of human-god, was intended to unite the many peoples of the Roman Empire. Christians rejected this as well. Naturally, Jews also did not participate in these social gatherings. However, the fact that native Romans and Greeks behaved in this way was viewed with suspicion. Rumors and slander arose about these people who led such a different kind of life.

But that is precisely what the word "ekklesia," used in the New Testament for the church, means. It has the meaning of "set apart" and "called out." This does not mean that all contact with non-Christians is avoided, but rather that places and societies where sin takes place are avoided.

Idolatry in everyday life

Several passages in the New Testament illustrate how prevalent idolatry was in everyday life during the time of the first churches:

After preaching the gospel in Thessalonica and fleeing persecution, Paul traveled via Beroea to Athens. Arriving alone in Athens, he was astonished by the countless statues of gods and altars he saw. He began preaching the gospel in the synagogue and in the marketplace. He was arrested and taken to the Areopagus, a high rock in Athens dedicated to Ares, the Greek god of war. Here, the city's highest council met to carry out administrative and governmental duties and to administer justice. Religious questions were also discussed on the Areopagus. It was here that Paul addressed the worship of an unknown god and thus brought the good news to the Athenians. A city full of idols heard the gospel.

Through Paul's preaching in Ephesus during his third missionary journey, all the people of Asia Minor heard the gospel. Ephesus was famous for the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Many people came to faith, and the business of the silversmiths who crafted silver Temples of Artemis collapsed. The economic success and prosperity of the artisans were threatened. Many people depended on idolatry for their livelihood. The artisans' outrage at Paul's preaching sparked a revolt that engulfed the entire city.

Furthermore, we can read in the first letter to the Corinthians that even the meat was often sacrificed to idols before being sold in the market.

Idolatry was deeply ingrained in people's daily lives during the time of the early Christian communities. It was evident everywhere that people worshipped, served, and venerated idols. The conversion from idols to God that took place in Thessalonica therefore had visible consequences. Just as then, this conversion is essential for every follower of Christ today.

Modern idolatry

In general terms, the Bible refers to idols as things on which one places one's trust and hope instead of the living God. These are things that are worshipped as gods, even though they are not gods. Idols are what stands between us and God, things for which we devote more time than to our relationship with God. They are things we are unwilling to let go of, even if they hinder our relationship with God. One could say that the outward form of idolatry has changed compared to earlier times, but its core principle remains the same.

Nowadays, few people in the Western world prostrate themselves before statues, yet idolatry is still widespread in our society. Humanity's goal is self-realization. Today, no one should be able to dictate how one lives; no human being, and certainly no god. Self-determination is what defines our time. Today, humanity is its own god.

Conversion to the living and true God

It requires a conversion from idols to God. This describes a far deeper conversion than simply following rules. It's about our relationship with God. It touches the core of our being and isn't just a secondary matter, another aspect of our lives. It's not about practicing a religion—hopefully the Christian one—alongside work, hobbies, family, and friends.

True conversion, firstly, restores the relationship with God and then has an impact on all areas of our lives, bringing about change. At the heart of humanity, created in God's image, lies the relationship with God. Conversion, therefore, is about the relationship with the "living and true God." The relationship with God was not simply lost through the Fall. It is not like something that is missing but can continue without it; rather, it is much more than that. It is corrupted. This is the origin of humanity's ceaseless search for religions, the worship of idols, and the degeneration of humankind.

Human beings cannot live without God. Necessarily, those who no longer know God make something else their god. Even people who claim not to believe in any god are affected by this. Life in consistent relativism is impossible. Human beings need something absolute. A created entity, a self-made ideal, is elevated to the absolute and thereby becomes an idol. Something is treated as God that, in reality, is not God. This is what makes a person's conversion so special. It is the saving miracle in a person's life when God grants them liberation from their idols and a return to Himself. This is the conversion that every person needs.

True conversion also frees people from the particular idol of most people: the "self." In his second letter to Timothy, Paul writes about the people of the last days and what characterizes them. One point is that they love pleasure more than God. People make themselves their own idols. Of the Thessalonians, however, it is said that they turned to God in order to serve the living and true God (cf. 1 Thessalonians 1:9). What is translated here as "serve" originally meant the state of a slave—a slave who places body and soul, time and possessions, strength and gifts entirely at the disposal of his master. This is what true conversion triggers. It restores the relationship with God, frees people from all idols, and causes them to dedicate themselves to serving God.

The worship of idols permeated every aspect of life for the people of Thessalonica. Yet they converted and experienced the miracle of salvation. Even though the outward form of idolatry has changed today, it is precisely this that people need: a genuine conversion that restores their relationship with God and enables them to make themselves available to Him. A conversion from idols to God, to serve the living and true God.

Elias Zellmer

Municipality of Bielefeld

literature

[1] Richter, H. Script Church History 1. Bible School-Stephanus

[2] Boor, W. (2018). The First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians. Wuppertal Study Bible. SCM R. Brockhaus