Finally, what else is near to idolatry?

Every refusal to direct honor and thanksgiving ultimately to God, the source of all blessings, is akin to idolatry. As the Prophet Samuel warns: “rebellion is as the sin of divination, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry” (1Sa 15:23).

Rebellion against the Lord’s Anointed is both idolatry and lawlessness: “that day will not come unless the rebellion (apostasia) comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God” (2Th 2:3–4; see Q271).

By teaching that all things are to be referred back to God, the Second Commandment warns against disobedience and rebellion, against lawful authorities (Eph 6:1; Rom 13:1; see Q490, Q556) and against ecclesiastical authority: “Obey your leaders and submit to them as they watch over your souls as people who will give an account. This way, they will be able to do this with joy and not with grief because that would not be profitable for you” (Heb 13:17; see Q252, Q357).