There are books that we remember encouraging us. Others may open our minds to a new way to consider the world. Then there are the rare few that so completely shake us that we are forever changed. I don’t have many books that fit the last category, but the book “Gospel Treason” by Brad Bigney is absolutely one of them.
We’re all traitors
Simply put, “Gospel Treason” is a book about modern idolatry. Whenever we read about idolatry in the Bible, we have a very clear picture in our minds. We see a golden calf, a giant statue of Nebuchadnezzar, and all sorts of small carvings depicting various pagan gods.
So then, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. (1 Corinthians 10:14)
In this book, Brad Bigney explores the real problem with idols. It’s not just the act of bowing down to a physical image, but our betrayal of Christ in the pursuit of anything that we think will bring us joy outside of Him. Our society hasn’t evolved past idolatry – if anything, we’re deeper into it than Israel ever was!
Our need for Christ above all
The greatest impact this book had on me was demonstrating just how much I need Christ. Many of us have a tendency to run to Christ only when we think we need Him, while the rest of the time we simply live for ourselves until the next crisis occurs. We just want to enjoy our lives on our terms, but we’ll happily run to Christ so that He can fix things and let us get back to what we were doing.
Son of man, these men have erected their idols in their hearts and placed the obstacle leading to their iniquity right before their faces. Should I really allow them to seek me? (Ezekial 21:3)
Yet what we don’t realize is that by doing that, we’re actively engaging in idolatry. We’re letting family, work, hobbies, or even our own desires displace Christ from His rightful place as our focus for joy and satisfaction. The deeper Brad Bigney digs into what idolatry truly looks like in our lives, the deeper our conviction goes as we realize how many false gods we’ve built up around ourselves.
In the book is an excellent series of questions that I still use to help myself and others identify idols in our lives:
- Am I willing to sin to get this?
- Am I willing to sin if I think I’m going to lose this?
- Do I turn to this as a refuge and comfort instead of going to God?
Take a moment and ask yourself these questions about 2 or 3 things in your own life. Whether it’s a hobby, family, health, money, food… anything in our lives can become idols. These questions are so valuable, and the way he explains idolatry throughout the book gives us further reason to hate how they compromise our relationship with our savior.
Deep truth, easy reading
I’ve had the pleasure of hearing Brad Bigney speak at a biblical counseling conference and his personality is a joy to experience. He’s relatable, light-hearted, and deeply passionate about helping Christians see the weight of idolatry in their lives. Reading his book was like hearing him speak all over again.
It would be easy for a book like this to feel condemning, yet the author manages to balance compassion with seriousness. With each page, the depth of idolatry reveals itself more and more, yet the reader never feels hopeless. Rather, we feel inspired to ask the Holy Spirit reveal all the deep recesses where we’ve buried idols in our lives.
This book is life-changing, but it’s not difficult. It’s difficult to walk away from reading it without desiring to burn all our idols and put Jesus Christ back where He belongs, as the sole source of our joy and satisfaction.
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Gospel Treason: Betraying the Gospel With Hidden Idols
