"For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God." (1 Thessalonians 1:9)
There are "gods many, and lords many" (1 Corinthians 8:5) in today's world, just as there were in the ancient pagan world. In fact, the worship of many of these ancient deities is being revived in various dark corners of the so-called "New Age" movement today. Idol worship can also involve adulation of men and women--such as music idols, professional athletes, and movie idols, not to mention the humanistic worship of such political/religious leaders as Lenin, Mao, Hitler, Khomeini, and an increasing assortment of gurus and false prophets.
There is, however, only one true God, the God who created all things. "To us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him" (v. 6). The one thing all these false gods and false religions have in common is the denial of the true God and omnipotent Creator.
For such idolatry there is no legitimate excuse. "We know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one" (v. 4). A dead idol obviously can be of no use. The infallible test as to just who this "true" God may be is that His identity is confirmed as the only living God; therefore, He is the only true God. He died for our sins, yes, but now He lives forever as King of all His creation. We, like the Thessalonians, should turn from all our idols "to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come" (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10). HMM
