All Bible Verses About Idol Worship
Idolatry is one of the most serious sins in the Bible. It’s a sin that God does not approve of, and it’s one that he wants to protect you from. I’ve compiled a list of all the verses in the Bible that condemn idolatry so that you can avoid this sin yourself and help others avoid it as well:
Psalm 135:15-18
Psalm 135:15-18 says:
15 “The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
16 the work of man’s hands.
17 They have mouths, but they do not speak; eyes they have but they do not see; 18 ears they have but they do not hear; noses they have but they do not smell.
Exodus 20:1-6
- You shall have no other gods before me.
- You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments. (NIV)
2You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. (NRSV)
3You shall not make wrongful use of that name by swearing falsely by it; rather let your word be “Yes” if you speak truly; and “No” if you speak falsely.[a] (NJB)
4You will indeed incur guilt if you turn away from me when I call out to you at this time…(NASB)
5Do not turn away from this commandment that I am giving you today by following other gods that you do not know.(ESV)
1 John 5:21
1 John 5:21 says “Little children, guard yourselves from idols.”
Idolatry is a sin. It is a denial of the true God. Idolatry denies that God has power, love and mercy (Exodus 20:4-5). It also denies that Jesus is God’s Son (John 10:34) and it denies his sacrifice for sin on the cross (1 Corinthians 1:18).
Galatians 5:19-21
In Galatians, Paul is talking about the sin of idolatry. He says that it is a form of idolatry because it involves worshiping something other than God. Idolatry is also a form of religion and faith because people believe in their idols as much as they believe in God.
Romans 1:23-2
If you’re anything like me, the word “idol” might conjure up images of ancient temples and sacrifices to a golden calf. But the Bible is clear: idolatry is not just a thing of the past. It’s alive and well today—and it wasn’t even invented by pagans! The Bible says that God hates idols (Exodus 20:4; Deuteronomy 5:8). There’s nothing good about them at all.
They’re just a waste of time, because they’re not real. So what do people worship? The answer should be obvious—it’s their own selves (Romans 1:21-23)! We give ourselves credit for everything we accomplish, but ultimately our efforts are worthless in God’s eyes (Isaiah 64:6).
Isaiah 2:8, 20;
There is no God but one.
I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides me there is no god.
I and the Father are one.
Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me.
The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths but cannot speak, eyes but cannot see; they have ears but cannot hear…
Romans 14:14
The Bible teaches that God is a God of love, peace and mercy. But he also wants to be worshiped. He is a jealous God who does not tolerate idolatry in any form.
In the verse above, Paul is speaking directly to those who are trying to please God by being moral (those with the “works-based” view of salvation). In this context, we see that even though they are trying their best to follow all the rules of the Old Testament Law (i.e., avoiding idols), they are still missing something important—the grace of Jesus Christ!
Deuteronomy 13:1-7, 13-18
Idol worship is an abomination to the Lord. The Bible says in Deuteronomy 13:1-7, 13-18 that idols are nothing, worthless and not gods because they cannot hear or speak. You should not worship them or fear them; you should not serve them and you should not love them! Instead you must worship God alone who has made you, who has saved your life and who can do great things for you if you follow His instructions in the Bible (Deuteronomy 14:22).
Psalms 115:4-8; 135:15-18; Isaiah 41;44;45;46;47;48; 49; Jeremiah 10;11
In Psalms 115:4-8; 135:15-18 and Isaiah 41;44;45;46;47;48; 49, God very clearly states that He is the creator of everything in the universe. Thus, He alone is worthy of worship by all mankind on this planet.
In Jeremiah 10:11, God states that he is the only one who can save us from our sins and give us eternal life through Jesus Christ. We also see in Jeremiah 11:12-13 that no other religion can do this thing! We have been saved by God’s grace alone!
Romans 1:21-25
Romans 1:21-25
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie…
God doesn’t like idols.
To idolize something, or to make it an idol, is to set it above God and give it more value than He has. It’s a violation of the first commandment:
- Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.*
In other words, you can’t worship another god besides God (the one true God). If you do so, then that’s not following the commandment. That’s not worshipping Him alone. And if it isn’t honoring Him alone, then it’s violating His first commandment…and thus making He who is One into many things—and by extension breaking all ten commandments in one go!
Now I know that some people might be thinking about how back when Jesus was still alive on earth he said “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart”…but remember that this verse comes from Deuteronomy 6:5 which also says “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” So what does this mean? Well let’s take out our original commandment from Exodus 20 again and look at them both side-by-side:
Well, there you have it! All the Bible verses related to idol worship and how God doesn’t like idols. Now go forth and spread the Good Word by sharing this post with your friends.