I once heard a pastor say, in reference to God's dealings with Old Testament Israel, that God does not come against a people, but against its idols. That is true of the church corporately, but more especially of the individual believer.
In The Dark Night of the Soul, St. John of the Cross relates the seven deadly sins to idolatry of the heart. And these idols are not, as we might expect, idols of gross fleshly indulgence, but idols of the Christian man--sins coated with a religious or spiritual veneer. Let me summarize these, remembering that though St. John places these in the context of Catholic monasticism, they apply to any brand of Christian.
--Pride: self-congratulation over spiritual exercises, ecstatic experiences, and perceived spiritual maturity. Spiritual pride will not allow a man to confess his deepest and grossest sins, and causes him to hang out with like minded folks who look down on the great unwashed masses. A prideful Christian is impatient with his own shortcomings, believing that he should be beyond them already. His acceptance by God is performance based. He resents others when God advances them. Pride's opposite is humility, and love that seeks the advancement of others at one's own expense.
--Avarice: discontent with the level of spirituality that God grants. A Christian afflicted with avarice is constantly seeking counsel, reading to find the secret of spiritual growth, and experimenting with new gadgets that will make him more spiritually mature--a new rosary, a uniquely shaped crucifix, or for Protestants, a new translation of the Bible (the ESV on Kindle!) or anything made from olive wood grown in Israel (especially if it is ornamented with Hebrew script). Avarice's opposite is contentment.
--Luxury: enjoyment of the pleasure of spiritual experience to the point of pursuing feeling rather than God. All friendships, public services, and private devotions are centered on a subjective response. Luxury's opposite is the pursuit of God for himself.
--Wrath: impatience with one's own spiritual growth. It's indicator is anger when times of spiritual fervor or renewal are over, or are taken away. It rises when the Christian believes that others are humiliating him. Wrath also expresses itself by constant irritation with the sins and slow growth of others. Christians who are prone to wrath also look at hardship as proof of God's rejection rather than proof of fatherly discipline. Wrath's opposite is patience.
--Gluttony: overdoing secondary means that bring spiritual growth or experience--fasting, praying, the sacraments, study, silence, etc. Gluttony produces a lack of balance in the use of spiritual disciplines. One sign of its presence is peevishness and being encouraged to moderation by others. Its opposite is just that: moderation.
--Envy: quite simply, displeasure at the virtues of others, and their being praised or advanced by the leaders of the church. Envy's opposite is love.
--Sloth: wanting only spiritual blessing, and avoiding and questioning any hardship. A slothful Christian questions God's will when it crosses his own will, measures himself by himself, and resists discipline. It's opposite is courage.
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We are all familiar with these "spiritual" sins, but less familiar and even frustrated by God's response to them. Let me make the following observations:
First, God wants us wholly for himself, and in order for that to occur, we must learn two truths: we are depraved creatures, unable to save ourselves; and God loves us and gives himself far us beyond our understanding.
Second, an idol is anything from which we gain identity or define ourselves outside God (Neil Silverburg). Much of our Christian experience is simply God casting down our idols.
Third, idols can be, and frequently are, our most dearly held beliefs, practices, and attachments, including church, ministry, and our own practices of devotion and discipline (Bible study, prayer, meditation, fellowship, worship, sacraments, relationships, blogging, and Facebook). God periodically brings us into "dark nights" when none of these things seem to work for us. In such times the soul finds no pleasure outside the knowledge that God is working to be our identity solely.
Fourth, The casting down of idols sets us free.
