All sexual sin has a spiritual component. In addition to the physical and emotional aspects, sexual sin has its roots in idolatry. Listen to the Apostle Paul’s words, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5 emphasis mine). Since that’s true, all addictions are forms of idolatry. Idolatry is worshiping someone or something other than the Lord God. Although not all sexual sinners have become addicts, all sexual sinners are idolaters. Whether they’ve become addicted or not, all are practicing sexual idolatry every time they sexually act out.

Can Christians be idolaters? Yes. The New Testament exhorts Christians to “keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21) and “flee from idolatry” (1 Corinthians 10:14). Christians are vulnerable to idolatry and must be exhorted to protect themselves by fleeing from idols. The Old Testament tells us to “guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23). So let me summarize what I’ve said so far: All sexual sinners are practicing idolatry. All idolatry is a heart issue. Christians can be idolaters and are exhorted to run for their lives from it.

What if you haven’t run from idolatry? What if you have fallen into sexual sin? If all sexual sinners are idolaters in their hearts, how can idolatry be uprooted from the heart and how can the heart be cleansed? The answer to destroying idolatry is found in the Bible. The story of good King Hezekiah in 2 Chronicles 29-31 and 2 Kings 18:1-8 gives us a pattern. King Hezekiah was one of only four good kings governing the southern kingdom of Judah (Asa, Jehoshaphat, and Josiah being the other three). He did “what was right in the eyes of the Lord.” Personal idolatry, like corporate idolatry, is destroyed by intentionally doing three things: Returning to God through repentance of sin, cleansing your life of every form of idolatry, and resisting every attempt of the devil to bring you back into bondage. The first thing King Hezekiah did was to cleanse and repair the temple of God. He then restored the priests to their offices and called the people to worship the one true God. So must we. If we would be free from idolatry, we must start with true repentance and turning back to God with all our hearts. We must renew the love we once had for Him.

Immediately on the heels of “getting right with God,” King Hezekiah cleansed Judah of physical idolatry. How did he do it? He did four things: (a) he removed the high places, (b) he broke the pillars, (c) he cut down the Asherah, and (d) he broke in pieces Nehushtan, the bronze serpent which Moses had made that had become an idol of worship. We must do an “idol hunt” and examine every area of our lives. Each idol must be exposed, repented of, and destroyed so that it can never again serve as an object of our worship.

Finally, King Hezekiah was not vigilant to resist the devil. He should have been. In his old age, his pride caused him to open the door for the enemy to return (cf. 2 Kings 20:12-19). As the saying goes, “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.” If we would be free from idolatry we must resist the devil through eternal vigilance. To become prideful and let our guard down is to invite the devil to reclaim hard-earned territory in our lives.

Christian sinners can be freed from idolatry but not easily. It is one of the most deeply-rooted of all sins. The ministry of NCFP is helping Christians break the bondage of sexual idolatry and become free.