God made man, but men also make their own god or gods. Only one God made man, but men have made many gods. The Bible also talks about this, listing names of various fictional gods invented by men. Among these are
Asherah, Astarte, Astaroth, Baal, Chemosh, Inanna, Marduk, and Moloch. There is a reason the first of the ten commandments (Exodus 20:3) says, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”
Men make-up gods. The Bible shows that men make up separate gods, very often regional ones, who represent a local people. Since the completion of scripture, men made up other gods, very often representing separate religions. Among these are Allah, Brahma, Eshwara, Krishna, Shakti, Shiva, The Tao, and Vishu. Roman and Greek mythology presented Jupiter and Zeus.
Perhaps something more sinister than different gods is using the biblical names for God, except with a different one. God is more than a name. Many of you reading know that sects in Christianity have different beliefs about who God is. They all use the same designations. For instance, they might say, “Holy Spirit,” but they mean an active force in the world, not a Person. Joseph Smith, first prophet of LDS, taught that God was once a man on another planet before being exalted to Godhood.
Professors of Christianity today conform a God in their imaginations to their own liking. In Colossians 3:5, the Apostle Paul wrote, “Mortify . . . covetousness, which is idolatry.” Their God has the same name as the biblical God. So does Jesus.
Instead of abstaining from lust, professing believers make up a God who permits it or wants it. He desires it in worship. This is another way of changing “the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image like to corruptible man” (Romans 1:23).
Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:16, “Be ye holy, for I am holy.” True saints are a “holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5).
Amen. In addition to sainthood, we’re called to holiness. “For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.” (1 Thessalonians 4:7).
Many churches in America have changed “the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image like to corruptible man” (Romans 1:23). They worship a false God that is OK with their sin. This God is informal, very similar to the people who worship it, and exists to comfort them their entire life, until they ultimately die and go to Hell. Then is the demonic trap revealed.
I can think of several examples of this with people in my life.