As we continue the God’s Image study, I want to remain with the first commandment and examine another part of its meaning.
We have already considered the One and the many called gods, the Son over the house, and Moses’ appointed role before Pharaoh.
Those comparisons brought us to the importance of context: Who is being described, what role do they hold, and where does their authority come from?
Now I want to consider passages where the word god describes something that leads people away from God. These bring the examination into our own lives.
What am I allowing to govern my understanding, desires, and decisions?
What Does the Word Mean?
Among the Hebrew words translated God or god are ʾel (אֵל) and ʾelohim (אֱלֹהִים). Their uses include the God of Israel and other beings described as gods. Elohim has a plural form, but it frequently refers to the one God of Israel; its form alone does not tell us how many are being described in a particular passage. Hebrew: ʾel, Hebrew: ʾelohim.
The Greek word theos (θεός) likewise means God or god, with its particular reference determined by the passage. Greek: theos.
These words can function as titles or designations. They do not automatically identify every recipient as YHWH (יהוה), nor do they give every recipient the same nature, standing, or authority.
We also should not reduce their meaning to “anything that rules.” Authority and allegiance are important in some passages, but we need to examine how the word is actually being used.
The surrounding words matter.
“The God of This Age”
In 2 Corinthians, Paul describes the gospel being veiled to those who are perishing. He then refers to:
“the god of this age”
— 2 Corinthians 4:4, LSB
The figure commonly understood here as Satan is described through his activity: blinding unbelieving minds so they do not see the light of the gospel concerning Christ, God’s image.
Notice what this use of god communicates within the passage. It describes influence exercised through blindness. It does not present this figure as the Creator or as someone deserving faithful worship.
The chapter then describes God bringing light into hearts through the knowledge of His Glory in Christ’s face. The movement from blindness to illumination matters to our God’s Image study. 2 Corinthians 4:3–6.
This makes me ask how influence operates.
A person can be misled without recognizing the deception. Something can shape what we accept or reject while we believe we are seeing clearly.
So I need to examine more than the name I give my beliefs. What are those beliefs allowing me to see—and what might they be preventing me from examining?
“Whose God Is Their Stomach”
Paul uses the same Greek word in another striking setting:
“whose god is their stomach”
— Philippians 3:19, LSB
He also describes these people as setting their thoughts on earthly things.
Here, god is applied to the stomach. Paul is not identifying a bodily organ as the Almighty. His language exposes a disordered devotion.
I understand this as a warning about appetite taking a governing place: what someone wants becomes what they serve.
That brings the question closer to home.
Do I allow the desire for comfort to decide what I will accept? Does approval matter more to me than truth? Can protecting my position become more important than receiving correction?
These are applications I draw from Paul’s warning. They ask me to examine what receives my loyalty when obedience becomes uncomfortable.
Different Uses Must Remain Distinct
Moses being appointed as God to Pharaoh, the god of this age blinding minds, and the stomach being called a god are different settings.
Moses’ role concerns representation and an assignment received from God. The passage in Corinthians describes blinding influence. Philippians exposes devotion directed toward appetite.
Sharing the word god does not make these subjects equivalent.
This is why I want to keep asking what each passage actually says. Does it describe an appointment, an object of worship, a deceptive influence, or something receiving misplaced devotion?
Our earlier studies concerning Jesus likewise require attention to his particular relationship with the Father. A shared title cannot replace that examination.
Keeping the Father as Source in View
In 1 Corinthians 8:6, Paul identifies the Father as the one God from whom all things are, alongside the one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom we exist.
That relationship remains the foundation we have been following.
A brief note about Father belongs here: the word does not always describe immediate biological parenthood. It can identify an originator or founder, as illustrated by the descriptions of Jabal and Jubal in Genesis 4:20–21. Calling God Father therefore does not, by itself, establish a literal male body. We need to attend to the relationship being described.
For this study, the Father’s place as Source keeps bringing me back to the question of whom I ultimately trust and obey.
What Receives the Final Say?
When I apply these passages to my own life, I ask whether I have given something a place that belongs to YHWH (יהוה).
A teacher may help me understand. A friend may offer wisdom. A book or computer program may help me locate information. But if I make any of them unquestionable—even when Scripture challenges what they say—I need to examine the authority I have given them.
The same examination applies to my own desires.
Am I following something because I have carefully tested it, or because it protects what I want?
Can I acknowledge that an explanation I love may need correction?
When truth costs me comfort, approval, or certainty, which one do I choose?
The issue is the place these things occupy in my allegiance. I can say God comes first while allowing something else to determine which of His words I am willing to hear.
Putting God First Becomes Visible in Love
Jesus connects wholehearted love for God with love for our neighbor, explaining that the Law and the Prophets depend on these commandments. Matthew 22:37–40.
That keeps this study connected to how I live.
If my desires lead me to deceive, exploit, or disregard another person, I need to examine what I am serving. If defending my understanding becomes an excuse to stop listening or to treat someone cruelly, something needs attention.
Putting God first should become visible in faithfulness, truthfulness, and care for others.
As we continue examining the first commandment, this is a question I want to carry with me:
Does the way I live reflect the One I say comes first?
Threads to Follow
Words in context: Distinguishing the different uses of God and god.
Blindness and influence: Examining what shapes our understanding.
Appetite and allegiance: Recognizing when desire receives a governing place.
The Father as Source: Preserving the relationships Scripture describes.
Love expressed through obedience: Keeping Matthew 22:37–40 connected to everyday conduct.
The books were opened…
🌿 By Maria Emilia
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