Editor’s Note: For another perspective on using images of Christ, see “The Invisible Became Visible” by Nicholas Campbell.
In 19th century England, the Anglican bishop J.C. Ryle wrote in his book Knots Untied that telling a largely Christian community to “flee from idolatry” may seem like a waste of time.
The streets and homes of England were not filled with statues of Buddha or ancestral shrines. Christians did not feel tempted to worship Baal or other false religions like the Israelites did. Yet, Ryle writes, “I believe idolatry is near us, about us, and in the midst of us, to a very fearful extent.” The same can be said for Christians in the 21st century as well.
Everything has the potential to become an idol. Unlike in other cultures, statues of false gods, like those we read about in the Bible, are not common in the United States. American Christians wrestle with idolatry in other ways, like idolizing their phone, career, money, spouse, or celebrities—exalting them to the position of gods. But one idol that unknowingly lingers in many evangelical churches and homes consists of images that attempt to depict the true God. This idol can come in many forms: paintings of God, statues of Jesus, and films depicting Jesus. These images are often not recognized as an idol. While many Christians have good intentions when making these works of art, they need to search the Scriptures to see whether God wants them to be created in the first place.
This particular idol is important for missionaries to consider. Since missionaries look for ways to creatively share the gospel with diverse people groups, some decide to use images of Christ evangelistically. They clarify that it is a teaching tool and not something to be worshipped. The question we should ask is not whether this practice is helpful, but whether it is lawful according to the second commandment. By studying what Scripture says about the second commandment and how far God extends its application, missionaries may think twice about using these images.
A Golden Calf in the Church
The second commandment reads as follows:
You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children of the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. (Exodus 20:4-6 ESV)
As the commandment declares, no carved images or any likenesses of anything in heaven, on earth, or under the water should be made for ourselves. At first glance, we may be tempted to think that this commandment requires that we not make images of anything in creation. But just a few chapters later, God commands the Israelites to make images of cherubim on the Ark of the Covenant (25:18-20) and tabernacle curtains (26:1). Since God does not contradict himself, the logical conclusion is that the commandment is limited to prohibiting objects of worship rather than images of creation designed to express the beauty of the earth. God declared “you shall not bow down to them or serve them” because he is jealous for the worship of his people. God deserves all worship, and idols steal attention away from him. It should be understood that this commandment forbids worshiping anything in creation—but is this all that the commandment forbids? If this were the only place in Scripture that discusses idol worship, then that would be a reasonable conclusion. However, Scripture reveals the extent of this commandment through God’s judgment over the golden calf.
Twelve chapters later, Moses was on Mount Sinai when the Israelites went to Aaron and asked him to make them a god. Aaron took all of their golden earrings and fashioned a golden calf. Once it was completed, the people declared, “This is your god [Elohim], O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt” (32:4 NASB). Notice that the people identified this golden calf with the God who brought them out of Egypt. They did not intend to create their own god and give it credit for what the true God had done. They believed this golden calf was a representation of the true God. Afterwards, Aaron made an altar, saying, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD” (v. 5 NASB). If this golden calf was seen as a different god, then why did Aaron declare that the next day would be a feast to the LORD (YHWH)? The proper conclusion is that the people of God made an image of God.
How did God respond to his people making an image that represented him? He spoke to Moses, telling him that the people have “corrupted themselves” and “have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them” (vv. 7-8). God declared his anger even though the golden calf was seen as the God who brought the Israelites out of Egypt. There is no question why this image angered God. Theologian J.I. Packer pointed out in his book Knowing God:
No doubt the image was thought to honour him, as being a fitting symbol of his great strength. But it is not hard to see that such a symbol in fact insults him: for what idea of his moral character, his righteousness, goodness, and patience, could one gather from looking at a statue of him as a bull? Thus, Aaron’s image hid Jehovah’s glory.
Therefore, the second commandment is extended to apply to images of God in all forms, for nothing on this earth can display the full picture of God’s glory. Commentator R. Alan Cole wrote that Aaron and the people made a bull to symbolize God’s strength, but bulls were also known for virility and sexual powers. Should God be described in those ways as well? Absolutely not. When God is given a false image, it can lead people away from knowing who God truly is.
When God is given a false image, it can lead people away from knowing who God truly is.
Packer applied this passage to our present-day idols, including the image of the crucifix, when he wrote:
In a similar way, the pathos of the crucifix obscures the glory of Christ, for it hides the fact of his deity, his victory on the cross, and his present kingdom. It displays his human weakness, but it conceals his divine strength; it depicts the reality of his pain but keeps out of our sight the reality of his joy and his power. In both cases, the symbol is unworthy most of all because of what it fails to display. And so are all the other representations of deity.
The underlying truth is that man cannot make anything from creation to represent the Creator in all of his glory. Any image intended to represent God is a false image that misrepresents him and moves him to jealousy, for he seeks to be worshiped in all of his glory. This is not to say that crosses and other symbols are inherently sinful, but items like a crucifix function as more than simple symbols. The crucifix includes an image of Christ’s body on the cross that obscures his glory and leads people away from the true Christ who died and was raised. While the crucifix is used mainly by Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox, Protestants accept similar images of Christ that also obscure his glory, like nativity scenes and paintings of Jesus.
Christ’s Indivisible Humanity and Divinity
Consider the many times throughout biblical history when the prophets and apostles saw God. Isaiah “saw the Lord seated on His throne” (Isaiah 6:1), Ezekiel “saw visions of God” (Ezekiel 1:1), Daniel looked at the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:9) and the apostle John saw the Son of Man (Revelation 1:12-16). As far as we know, all of them, including the twelve disciples, saw the Lord, and yet did not try to create images. Concerning idols, Isaiah rhetorically wrote, “To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him?” (Isaiah 40:18). These men of God saw the glory of God and did not attempt to create images of him to use for worship or teaching. How much more should we not make idols when we have never seen the true face of God?
Some believe that following Christ’s incarnation, when the invisible became visible, images of Christ became acceptable because they can depict his human nature. The same logic derived from the case of the golden calf can be applied here: God’s glory is not fully displayed. Images of Christ can attempt to represent his human nature, but is it ever possible to fully depict Christ without his divinity? Some respectable theologians believe this is possible. However, this way of thinking can quickly lead to the ancient heresy of Nestorianism, the belief that Christ’s divine and human natures are distinct and separate. In a summary of Scripture’s teaching on Christ’s natures (see 1 Timothy 2:5, John 1:14, Colossians 2:9, Philippians 2:6-7), this belief was rejected by the ecumenical Council of Chalcedon when it affirmed that Christ is:
Complete in Godhead and complete in manhood, truly God and truly man . . . recognized in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation; the distinction of natures being in no way annulled by the union, but rather the characteristics of each nature being preserved and coming together to form one person and subsistence, not as parted or separated into two persons, but one and the same Son and Only-begotten God the Word, Lord Jesus Christ. (emphasis added)
Examine how the early church spoke and what Scripture taught concerning Christ’s divine and human natures. Since Christ’s humanity and divinity cannot be separated, any image that tries to separate them makes a different Christ.
Remove the Distractions
In holding to a stricter observance of the second commandment, we are able to worship God in truth. We will no longer distract ourselves with anything that falsifies or hides who God is in all of his glory. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the images we create keep us away from the true God. These images inevitably conceal his nature, character, and attributes, all of which are foundational to his being. Instead of seeking God in images, we should approach him through the ways he has ordained and lead others to do the same. He has provided means to be in his presence through his Word, prayer, song, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper. Let us remove any distractions, like images of God, that keep us from seeking him in purity.
Instead of seeking God in images, we should approach him through the ways he has ordained and lead others to do the same.
In missions, there are many godly men and women, in the past and in the present, who have used false images of God to evangelize their neighbor. Despite their good intentions, doing so has created and reinforced false ideas about God in one way or another. For example, the TV program The Chosen has led many viewers to mistake an actor’s representation of Jesus as the real Jesus. As with other images, this show has downplayed the divinity of Christ to make him more relatable to the viewer. Other images have painted Jesus as just an ordinary man with extraordinary powers, or at least not as magnificent as the Word of God says he is. Since images of Christ are such a danger to a Christian’s understanding of God, they should be discarded.
Consider a story that pioneer missionary Amy Carmichael described in her book The Gold Cord. When she worked in an orphanage, she chose not to use images out of conviction, saying, “for who but the Divine can show the Divine?” Instead, she prayed for the Holy Spirit to show the Lord to each orphan in her care. One day, a young girl named Pearleyes opened a package sent to her and noticed that it contained a print of a painting of Jesus. She asked, “Who is that? Our Lord Jesus?” then burst into tears, saying, “I thought he was far more beautiful than that.” Indeed, Jesus is far more beautiful[1] than that painting. The true Jesus cannot be compared to anything we imagine.
Some may claim that using artwork in evangelism has helped convert many people. That may be so. God will often use crooked sticks to draw straight lines. Nevertheless, we should not keep using a crooked stick when he has given us a straight stick. That straight stick is the Word of God, which is sufficient for evangelism. I appeal to you, then, to not leave the second commandment at the door when entering a new culture. Let this commandment inform your methodology. The people you are called to serve may be tempted to use images of Christ, but it is our duty to point them to the Word to determine whether God permits them. As you work to make disciples of all nations, lead sinners to the true face of God and not a face made by his creation.
[1] Not “beautiful” in regard to his physicality, but rather his being. Isaiah 53:2 says, “He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.”
Editor’s Note: This article reflects the views of the author and is not intended to indicate a position of ABWE.
