The definition of idolatry (carnality), according to Webster, is "the worship of idols or excessive devotion to, or reverence for some person or thing." The most prevalent form of idol worship from ancient times until today is the worship of images of pagan deities, practices and rituals. We love our idols! Sports, entertainment, movies, mascots; it doesn't matter. We over indulge on what we like.
Paul was making an astute observation about the religious and political leadership in Athens. He was basically saying, "You brothers are full of crap and ya'll need to get your minds right!" He was telling them that there was a cost associated with their choices.
The correlation between idolatry and carnality is striking. Carnality is related to the pursuit of physical, especially sexually and sensual, appetites of the body for the express purpose of pleasure. It is often referred to as the "flesh" but, in reality, it is a "spirit."
Carnality, in essence, is too much time being spent on non-spiritual activities even if they are not sinful.
The critical mistake that many Christians make is to associate carnality with lewd and sinful behavior exclusively. Many Believers are captivated with hours of non-productive time spent on Face book, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin and other social media outlets. In addition, they spend hours watching Reality TV shows, surfing the Net and "channeling" Maury Povich and Iyanla Vanzant with all of their foolishness and witchcraft.
Don't get it twisted, you can do just as much damage to your spirit man by watching Jerry Springer as looking for pornography on your smart phone! Selah...
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