You shall have no other gods before me.

Exodus 20:3

Recently a friend of mine converted to Mormonism largely due to family pressure, but still, she was baptized into a faith that is not based on the truth of Scripture and she knows it. While this description may be a little simplistic, Mormons believe God was a man who achieved perfection and then became God. This is the definition of a false god.

Following a different god today is not really different than the false gods followed by the people of Israel when they rejected God and added new “gods” to their worship.

One of my favorite stories found in the Old Testament is Elijah’s confrontation with the prophets of Baal and the people of Israel –

“How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word. (1 Kings 18:21)”

According to the account in Scripture, it was a sight to behold, but at the end of the day, there was no limping between two different opinions. God was clearly revealed as the one true God. And there shouldn’t be any doubt today. Yes, there is one God and everything else is a false god. We’re too sophisticated to serve false gods today, right?

Today’s gods don’t require the same kind of formal devotion as Baal worship, but the results are much the same when we fail to acknowledge our reliance on God for all things. We may not serve the false god of Mormonism, but what happens when we trust in our wisdom, our wealth, and the strength of our family instead of God?

The people in Elijah’s day were indecisive. We can’t afford to follow their example.