--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When human beings give their heartfelt…" description: "\"“When human beings give their heartfelt allegiance to and worship that which is not God, they progressively cease to reflect the image of God. One of t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13e/n-t-wright-1173_god_when-human-beings-give-their-heartfelt-a_382901.jpg" --- # When human beings give their heartfelt allegiance to and… ![“When human beings give their heartfelt allegiance to and worship that which is not God, they progressively cease to reflect the image of God. One of the primary laws of human life is that you become like what you worship; what’s more, you reflect what you worship not only to the object itself but…” quote by N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13e/n-t-wright-1173_god_when-human-beings-give-their-heartfelt-a_382901.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13e/n-t-wright-1173_god_when-human-beings-give-their-heartfelt-a_382901.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13e/n-t-wright-1173_god_when-human-beings-give-their-heartfelt-a_382901.jpg) > ““When human beings give their heartfelt allegiance to and worship that which is not God, they progressively cease to reflect the image of God. One of the primary laws of human life is that you become like what you worship; what’s more, you reflect what you worship not only to the object itself but also outward to the world around. Those who worship money increasingly define themselves in terms of it and increasingly treat other people as creditors, debtors, partners, or customers rather than as human beings. Those who worship sex define themselves in terms of it (their preferences, their practices, their past histories) and increasingly treat other people as actual or potential sex objects. Those who worship power define themselves in terms of it and treat other people as either collaborators, competitors, or pawns. These and many other forms of idolatry combine in a thousand ways, all of them damaging to the image-bearing quality of the people concerned and of those whose lives they touch.”” [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Worshiping anything other than God reshapes identity and how we treat others, eroding humanity’s divine image. **In simple terms:** Idolatry changes who we become and how we see people. Key Takeaway Guard your values, worship only what reflects divine humanity. Themes identity human dignity idolatry relationships Mood reflective concerned Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - workplace culture - media consumption - political leadership Key Concepts theology psychology social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What do you value most in yourself? - How does that value affect your treatment of others? A Different Perspective Worship of material things can be subtle and socially reinforced. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Human life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-life/) [Idolatry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idolatry/) [Idols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idols/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Sex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sex/) [Worship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worship/) ## Related quotes > [It has been left to the last Christians, or rather to the first Christians fully committed to blaspheming and denying Christianity, to invent a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/it-has-been-left-to-the-last-christians-or-rather-to-the-first/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [“As has also been demonstrated thoroughly, one of the principal objects of worship over the millennia has been the sun.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-m-murdock/as-has-also-been-demonstrated-thoroughly-one-of-the-principal-objects/) [D.M. Murdock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-m-murdock/) > [You cannot divide human beings into those who worship and those who don't. Everybody worships; it's just a matter of what, or whom, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-david-tripp/you-cannot-divide-human-beings-into-those-who-worship-and-those-who/) [Paul David Tripp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-david-tripp/) > [“Human beings by their very nature are worshipers. Worship is not something we do; it defines who we are. You cannot divide human beings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-david-tripp/human-beings-by-their-very-nature-are-worshipers-worship-is-not/) [Paul David Tripp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-david-tripp/) > [We are used to discounting the river-gods and dryads of the Greeks as poetical fancies, and even the chief figures in the classical Pantheon-Venus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-huxley/we-are-used-to-discounting-the-river-gods-and-dryads-of-the-greeks-as/) [Julian Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-huxley/) > [WHAT WE WORSHIP DETERMINES WHO WE BECOME If we worship money¦we become greedy If we worship sex¦we become lustful If we worship knowledge...we become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yankson-newlove/what-we-worship-determines-who-we-become-if-we-worship-money-we/) Yankson Newlove > [“we become like that which we worship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-beale/we-become-like-that-which-we-worship/) G.K. Beale > [We always become like the one we worship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/we-always-become-like-the-one-we-worship/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [My music has a very spiritual background, a sanctity that is almost like worship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-shankar/my-music-has-a-very-spiritual-background-a-sanctity-that-is-almost/) [Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-shankar/) > [I'm not a universalist, and the way I talk about final loss is this: People worship idols - money, whatever. Their humanness gets reshaped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/i-m-not-a-universalist-and-the-way-i-talk-about-final-loss-is-this/) [N. T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright-2/) > [If we go into white congregations, non-whites will sometimes say it felt like worship never started. 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We ought not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-t-kendall/we-must-let-god-be-himself-in-us-this-means-that-we-must-let-him-be/) [R. T. Kendall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-t-kendall/) > [I really like worship music. It settles my soul. Gets me back on track. The lyrics are almost like a prayer, so it's my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-benson/i-really-like-worship-music-it-settles-my-soul-gets-me-back-on-track/) [Jodi Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-benson/) ## More by N.T. Wright > [“This means that the church, the followers of Jesus Christ, live in the bright interval between Easter and the final great consummation. Let's make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/this-means-that-the-church-the-followers-of-jesus-christ-live-in-the/) [N.T. 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Wright quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) ## More God quotes > [I don't drink much anymore, but when I traveled with Frank Sinatra, God rest his soul, I used to drink like I could do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/i-don-t-drink-much-anymore-but-when-i-traveled-with-frank-sinatra-god/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [“God hates Hell. He hates the idea of people going there. He hates it so much that He was willing to take on human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-minton/god-hates-hell-he-hates-the-idea-of-people-going-there-he-hates-it-so/) [Evan Minton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-minton/) > [“am not suggesting that successes in academics, athletics, or vocation somehow stand outside God’s good plan. 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