This law is as certain as gravity: you are like the God you worship.
by Dennis Gladden, By Green Pastures, ©2026
(Nov. 11, 2026) — Worship the wrong God, and you have the world we live in, a generation like Noah’s that Jesus said would populate the earth in the end.
Violent and corrupt.
We cannot escape a spiritual law that is as certain as gravity: you become like the God you idolize.
A psalmist detected this during a time when idols were popular. He said the images, made by fine craftsmen,
…have mouths, but they do not speak; eyes they have, but they do not see; they have ears, but they do not hear; nor is there any breath in their mouths (Psalm 135:16–17).
The idolaters reversed creation. The living God made us in His image, but they made gods in their image and “changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man” (Romans 1:23).
The psalmist concluded, “Those who make them are like them; so is everyone who trusts in them” (135:18).
Flashy with their burnished metals and sparkling gems, the mythical gods lacked compassion, were calloused and ruthless. Lifeless, they rendered no comfort for distress, despair, discouragement, or affliction.
Those who worshipped them were just like them: hard.
And ripe for mocking.
Where are your gods that you have made for yourselves? Let them arise, if they can save you in the time of your trouble (Jeremiah 2:28).
And judgment.
Thus you shall say to them: “The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under these heavens (Jeremiah 10:11).
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In 2026, we are too sophisticated for rank idolatry. More common is the worship that Psalm 10 describes, where God is laughable. He forgets, He hides, He lets anything go. In this spiritual vacuum, the individual grows arrogant and worships an oversized image of himself.
He blesses the greedy, lies, ambushes the helpless, and defrauds the poor, convinced all the while, “I shall never be in adversity” (Psalm 10:6).
The one whose god is obtuse is overbearing. Everyone is prey.
Worshiping the wrong god exposes us to STDs—Spiritually Transmitted Diseases.
Wrong worship breeds violence, corruption, oppression, arrogance, and fear.
If we would be healed, we must return to the true and living God. Only the Church can lead the way because the foundation of our faith recognizes Jesus is Lord. Through Him we come to know the true and living God (1 John 5:20).
Sadly, as many as 70% of so-called evangelical Christians do not adhere to this. Like Islam and most other religions, they diminish Jesus to a good teacher, maybe even a prophet. To worship a teacher or prophet is taboo, blasphemous. When we perceive Jesus falsely, we worship the god we imagine. Jesus’ words convict us, “In vain do they worship me.”
Jesus would transform us into “true worshipers [who] will worship the Father in spirit and truth” (John 4:23). This means restoring our vision of Jesus as the Son of God. In the words of the Nicene Creed, He is true God from true God, of the same essence as the Father.
Let’s consider two reasons why Jesus is worthy of worship.
1. Throughout His life among us, Jesus received worship.
In infancy. Two worship services welcomed Jesus into our world. We celebrate the first at Christmas, when angels dazzled the darkness and pierced the quiet of the shepherds’ pastures with praise, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
This was not a performance to inspire carols; it was a command appearance. Upon bringing Christ into the world, God decreed, “Let all the angels of God worship him” (Hebrews 1:6).
Worship occurred a second time when the Magi arrived from the East. “When they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him” (Matthew 2:11).
In public ministry. Satan would not comply, but Jesus commanded worship when the devil approached to tempt Him. “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”
On at least seven occasions, individuals worshiped Jesus, which He neither refused nor rebuked (Matthew 8:2, 9:18, 14:33, 15:25, 20:20; Mark 5:6; John 9:38).
After His resurrection. Unaware that Jesus had risen from the dead, two Marys went to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body when an angel interrupted them. He broke the news, told them to go inform the disciples, and on their way, Jesus met them. “Rejoice!” He said, and the women “came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him” (Matthew 28:9).
Later, when Jesus ascended, the disciples watched and “worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy” (Luke 24:52).
These occasions teach us that Jesus receives the same worship we are to render God, who said He would share His glory with no one (Isaiah 42:8). Jesus was so bold as to stake a claim to this glory in His prayer with the disciples in the Upper Room the night of His betrayal.
Glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was (John 17:5).
2. All creation worships Jesus in heaven.
About 60 years after Christ’s ascension, the Holy Spirit ushered the Apostle John into heaven, where he immediately joined worship in progress. God, the Almighty, sits on a throne and a variety of beings extol Him, proclaiming, “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created” (Revelation 4:11).
John interrupts the scene when he weeps because no one steps forward to open a scroll in God’s right hand. When it seems the scroll will remain a mystery, Christ approaches to take it.
Worship erupts again, this time, for Christ.
“You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals,” a select group cries out (Revelation 5:9).
Then, thousands upon thousands worship the Almighty and Christ together.
Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever! (Revelation 5:13).
Notice that glory, honor and power are ascribed equally to both. The scene affirms Jesus’ teaching, “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30).
We must restore our vision of Jesus.
Solomon said, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18). Few would dispute that our culture is declining, if not perishing. For want of a true vision of Jesus, the Church is losing its influence as salt and light. It has strayed from the vision of Jesus and God as one and therefore cannot preserve truth amidst the flood of misinformation.
Jesus was worshiped on earth and is worshiped in Heaven because He is God. Let us renew our anthem, “Jesus is Lord” and worship Him for the God He is. Thus will we be salt again in a tasteless generation.
This article first appeared in the IM Writers Association publication.
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