The Subtle Sin of Syncretism
Devotions for Growing Christians
The Subtle Sin of Syncretism
2 Kings 17:30-33 - “The men from Babylon made Succoth Benoth, the men from Cuthah made Nergal, and the men from Hamath made Ashima; the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire as sacrifices to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. They worshiped the LORD, but they also appointed all sorts of their own people to officiate for them as priests in the shrines at the high places. They worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought.”
2 Kings 17:39-41 - “Rather, worship the LORD your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies. They would not listen, however, but persisted in their former practices. Even while these people were worshiping the LORD, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did.”
Syncretism is the fusion of different forms of practice or belief. Mexican culture and American culture are intertwined, so tacos are just as American as Mexican is syncretism - but it’s not sinful syncretism. The fact that baseball is just as much Japanese as American, and martial arts are now as American as Asian is syncretism, but it is not sinful syncretism. Syncretism is a sin only when biblical truth and moral standards are not involved. When vestiges of pagan religions and unbiblical beliefs and practices are mixed in and fused with the gospel of Jesus Christ, it is not only syncretism - it is sinful syncretism.
Sinful syncretism is subtle. It doesn't happen overnight. Changes usually occur slowly and insidiously. Little by little the culture drifts away from God and His standards. And this is exactly what happened in the 8th century BC, when the northern kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Assyrians. The sinful syncretism that resulted is a lesson from history for growing Christians today.
Background Notes
King Hoshea was the last of the 19 kings who ruled over the northern kingdom of Israel. After assassinating King Pekah in 732BC (2 Kings 15:28), Hoshea reigned from the capital city of Samaria until 722BC, when the northern kingdom fell to the Assyrian Empire.
2 Kings 17:2 says that King Hoshea "did evil in the eyes of the Lord, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him." This doesn’t necessarily mean that Hoshea was more righteous than the other 19 kings of the northern kingdom. It may simply mean that he didn’t spread pagan worship as much as the others did. It may mean that he couldn't promote the calf worship that was established 200 years earlier by Jeroboam, because the calf idols had already been stolen by the Assyrians - a event that was predicted by the prophet Hosea back in the days of prosperous King Jeroboam II (Hosea 10:5-6.)
Assyrian King Shalmaneser V forced Hoshea to pay annual tribute or taxes (v3), but after making a treaty with Egypt, however, Hoshea refused to pay the tribute to Assyria. This caused Shalmaneser to invade and besiege the heavily fortified capital for 3 years (725-722BC). The city of Samaria finally fell to Shalmaneser's successor, Sargon II. Assyrian records uncovered by archaeologists reveal Sargon carried away 27,290 Israeli captives into exile and resettled them in Assyria. They never returned.
Doctrinal Points
1. Rebellion against God leads to captivity.
Verses 17-23 explain why God allowed the downfall and captivity of the northern kingdom of Israel. Instead of getting rid of all the pagan practices that had infiltrated the land the Lord had given to them, Israel began to worship idols, false gods, and their pagan rituals. They broke all the commandments of God’s covenant. They “sold themselves” to the worship of the golden calves (v16). They became involved in astrology, sorcery and other occult practices. They even practiced the horrible pagan ritual of sacrificing their children to hideous pagan gods “in the fire” (v17).
In His grace, God sent warnings to His people to forsake their evil ways by allowing foreign powers to plunder and afflict them. He sent prophets to plead with His people to forsake their false gods, and turn back to Him. But they “persisted in all the sins... and did not turn away from them... so the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria” (v22-23).
Rebellion against God leads to captivity. That truth is just as true today as it was in 722BC. People think that they can gain personal fulfillment by ignoring or “reinterpreting” God’s moral standards in order to free themselves of any restraint. But ironically, the very opposite is true. People who rebel against God become captives to their sin and to Satan.
Ephesians 2:1-3 makes an unbeliever’s situation very clear: unbelievers are dead in sin and captives of Satan. “You were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.”
However, even Christians who rebel against God can become captives of the enemy in certain areas of their lives! Christians can gradually stray away from the Lord into sin in areas like false doctrine, over-emphasis on worldly security, or unbiblical sexual practices.
So it’s possible that both unbelievers and rebellious believers are in view in 2 Timothy 2:25-26. There Paul urged Timothy to instruct these people, “in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.”
Rebellion against God leads to captivity.
2. Rebellion against God leads to syncretism.
Syncretism is the fusion of different forms of belief or practice. 2 Kings 17:24-41 says that the Assyrians not only took some of the people of Israel away to Assyria as captives, but they repopulated Israel by importing peoples from other areas of the Assyrian Empire. Intermarriage with Jewish people took place, and this mixed race became known as the Samaritans. Samaritans are mentioned in the New Testament at the time of Christ and the apostles, and they still exist today in north central Israel.
The fusion that took place between the people of Israel and the foreign settlers was not just the physical fusion of intermarriage. A fusion of religion took place as well. The Jewish people who were left in Israel should have returned to the Lord and taught the Law of God to the new residents. Instead, they joined in the worship of the foreign gods that the new settlers brought to the land.
Because of Israel’s worship of false gods, the Lord allowed lions to come down from the hills and kill some of the new residents of Samaria. When the king of Assyria heard this, he decided to placate the “god of the land.” He ordered one of the priests who had been taken captive to go back to teach the people what “the god of the land requires” (v27). Unfortunately the “priest” he sent back was most likely a false “priest” who had served at the golden calf shrine established by King Jeroboam I. Thus this “priest” was neither willing nor able to teach anyone about the requirements of the Law of God.
So religious syncretism took place: “They worshiped the Lord, but they also appointed all sorts of their own people to officiate for them as priests in the shrines of the high places. They worshiped the Lord, but they also served their own gods” (v32-33). This was a direct violation of the First Commandment: “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.”
Rebellion against God leads to sinful syncretism - then and today. In fact, religious syncretism exists in many countries today - a fusion of Christianity mixed with the vestiges of pagan religions. Why? Because of disobedience to the First Commandment. When Christianity came into the culture, their ancient gods were not completely removed. Festivals for pagan gods were “christianized” to allow traditional or ethnic sinful celebrations to continue. This is the subtle sin of syncretism at work.
Practical Application
Watch out for syncretism in your own life!
Syncretism has a “ripple-down” effect. What’s forbidden in one generation is tolerated by the culture in the next generation, and becomes an acceptable part of the culture in the following generation. The negative aspects of syncretism become less noticeable, and a practice that is not acceptable to the Lord becomes more acceptable by Christians as time goes by.
Let’s take a familiar example. What does Christmas mean to you? Is a profusion of gifts and Christmas trees and parties and decorated homes more of a focus than the birth of Jesus Christ? Has the birth of Jesus Christ and the astounding truth of the Incarnation become intertwined with the materialism of our culture? Are you practicing a form of syncretism?
What do our attitudes and actions signal to our children, our grandchildren, and our unsaved friends? Are we reflecting a message of truth, or a mixed and confusing message? While gift-giving and holiday decor are not wrong in themselves, excess in these areas can drown out the message of “Immanuel,” that is “God with us.” We must be clear in our own minds to be able to pass on the unadulterated truth to the next generation, and give a clear witness to our friends and colleagues.
Another example of syncretism is the insidious fusion of Christianity with the “culture of success.” Satan has effectively used the “success syndrome” to undermine Christians in our country. It’s easy to rationalize our desire to be successful. Our culture says, “If you’re not prosperous and affluent, you’re a nobody, and who wants to listen to a nobody?” Or, “The more money you have, the more you can give to the Lord.” And a variety of TV preachers tell us that “God wants all His children to be healthy and wealthy.”
However, 1 Timothy 6 teaches that “people who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (v9-10). And notice that these verses don’t apply to unbelievers only! Verse 10 is speaking about believers: “Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” In Matthew 6:24, Jesus very pointedly taught that mixing God and materialism is impossible. “You cannot serve both God and Money.” We can serve one or the other - but we can’t serve both! What “god” do I serve?
We need to ask ourselves, Is my emphasis on financial security and desire for personal possessions sending a mixed message to the next generation? What messages am I communicating to my children? To my extended family? To my neighbors? To my coworkers? Are the desires and goals for my life any different than an unbeliever? What are my aspirations and goals for my children? How will the ripple-down effect of syncretism in my life affect the next generation?
Spiritrual syncretism is insidious and disastrous. Watch out for syncretism in your own life!
- Dave Reid