The Gospel's Victory Over Idolatry

Acts 19:21-41 — The Gospel's Victory Over Idolatry

Several themes run through the Book of Acts. Acts shows why and how the Church which started with Jewish believers broke away from the fold of Judaism and became Gentile. Acts shows how it was the Holy Spirit who directed the spread of the Gospel. However, a third theme that emerges in Acts which was not obvious earlier in the book is the victory of the Gospel over idolatry and especially occultism. We saw this with Simon the sorcerer in Samaria (8:9–24), Elymas the sorcerer in Paphos (13:6–12), and the slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination in Philippi (16:16–18).

In Acts 19:21-41, we see the Gospel message having victory over the idolatry of the Ephesians. Ephesus was the home of the Temple of Diana (Artemis). According to its ruins, The temple was 239’ wide and 418’ long, four times the size of the Parthenon in Athens! That should give you an idea of how significant the worship of Diana was in Ephesus. She was called "Diana of the Ephesians. Her cultic worship permeated every aspect of Ephesian life. Her image was on their money, they named a month of the year after her, and they considered her the guardian of the city. The Ephesians prided themselves on being the custodians of the image of Diana that supposedly had fallen from heaven.

However, just like intellectualism in Athens and immorality in Corinth could not stop the Gospel message, neither could occultism in Ephesus. The Gospel was victorious over idolatry, and it so stirred the city that people turned from the worship of the great Diana to the one true God. So many Ephesians turned to Christ that it began to hurt the sale of icons of Diana. So the silversmith, Demetrius, was being hypocritical when he instigated a riot claiming zeal for the magnificence of Diana and her worship. His motivation was money.

The Bible says that stubbornness and covetousness are idolatry. At its root, idolatry is when man does not worship the one true God because of covetousness or stubbornness in his heart. The Jews did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah because of their stubbornness. They wanted an earthly king to save them from the Romans. But they forgot the words of Samuel to King Saul:


The Gentile's motivation for idolatry was covetousness. Their gods provided health, wealth, and prosperity; that's why they worshipped them. However, Paul told the Ephesians that "the covetous man is an idolater" who "has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God" (Ephesians 5:5). Likewise, he told the Colossians that covetousness is idolatry for "because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience" (Colossians 3:5-6).

A conversation about a supposed goddess from 2000 years ago may seem irrelevant to us in 2023. However, how idolatry is expressed today may have changed, but the heart of man has not. Because of their stubbornness and covetousness, idolaters today continue to ascribe characteristics to God contrary to those He has already revealed to us through His Word.

Politicians, pundits, and activists offer a myriads of solutions for the ills of our country. However, America has one problem. It is the same problem that has plagued humanity since the Garden; the heart of man is wicked. Due to stubbornness and covetousness, man prefers to create an idol, a god in his own image, rather than submit to the one true God. It is no wonder that just like the Ephesians were confused during the riot and "some cried one thing and some another" and "most of them did not know why they had come together", we today see that same confusion in the public square. Instead of people seeking Truth, everything you are seeing on the news, public discourse, and private life is stubborn and covetous people who are rejecting the Gospel. America is exchanging the "glorious God for worthless idols" (Jeremiah 2:11). Nevertheless, we know the end of the story. I pray that the Gospel will prevail in American, but regardless God will accomplish His purposes because whether today or at the end every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord" (Philippians 2:10-11).