“Perverted notions about God soon rot the religion in which they appear. The long career of Israel demonstrates this clearly enough, and the history of the Church confirms it. So necessary to the Church is a lofty concept of God that when that concept in any measure declines, the Church with her worship and moral standards declines along with it. The first step down for any church is taken when it surrenders its high opinion of God.” (A.W. Tozer)
What is a perverted notion about God? Perverted simply means to twist, change, misrepresent, misuse, or alter. A perverted notion about God, then, is to use His name in vain which is a violation of the 3rd commandment. God’s name is holy and it must not be misused in any way. Believers are to pray, as Jesus taught, for His name to be hallowed, that is, to be treated with reverence and awe or to be glorified (Matthew 6:9). The Greatest Commandment is to love God with all of our being. Surely it is obvious that a true view of God is necessary to love God and to live up to what Jesus instructed us to pray for. So it should be noted and then driven to the depths of the heart that a perverted notion about God has the greatest of ramifications for the Christian life and Church. Anything that violates the 3rd commandment, violates the Greatest Commandment, and diminishes what Jesus taught for prayer must be deadly serious and truly is that which rots true religion.
How would perverted notions about God rot true religion? Remember, without going back into the situation too much, that wrong notions of God is really idolatry. So perverted notions of God is a misrepresentation of God and that leads to the worship of idols. God hates idolatry and He will draw back and leave that religion to itself in one sense and turn it over to its idols with a hard heart in another sense. Anything that perverts the concept of God of necessity turns it into idolatry and something which is judged by God. Let us look at Romans 1:18 and following for the basic concept of how this works in a church. It is true that the passage in Romans is speaking of unbelievers, but let us not fool ourselves into thinking that there are not a lot of churches in name that are filled with unbelievers. Let us also look at the principles in the text that would apply in all cases.
“18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen” (Rom 1:18-25).
The truth that men suppress is the truth about God (vv. 18-20). This can be done in churches or in pagan places, but either way it is the same. When the truth of God is suppressed in unrighteousness by a church or religion in general, it leads to the judgment of God on that church or religion because that church or religion has just been hit with the worst kind of rot. If men are without excuse simply by looking at nature, then how much more are they without excuse when the have the very Word of God? It is abominable for a man to call himself a preacher and teacher of a church and then to suppress the truth about God. Could it be the case that men are suppressing the truth about God in an effort to make their churches more friendly and attractive in order to attract greater numbers? Anytime men suppress the truth about sin they are suppressing the truth about the holiness of God. Paul tells us that he was innocent of the blood of all men because he preached the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:26-27). If men are only innocent of the blood of others because they preach the whole counsel of God, then what does that make them if they suppress the truth about God in unrighteousness? Can it be anything less than the very rot of religion when that happens?
Christianity is God-centered and anything less makes religion rotten to the core. The suppression of the truth of God leads to futile speculations (v. 21) which leads to a darkened heart. This leads to men who think they are wise but are fools and they exchange the glory of God for an image of God. He gives them over to coveting hearts and they have exchanged the truth of God for a lie and end up worshipping the creature. That is idolatry in His name.
God Loves... Himself 
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