ONE CHRIST SON OF GOD – SON OF MAN ONE GOD, THE FATHER AND THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT
“THOU SHALT NOT MAKE UNTO THEE ANY GRAVEN IMAGE, . . .” (Ex. 20:4)
Mr. Stefan Trenev is a Bulgarian who with his wife, Johanna migrated to the U.S. in 1967, became a Christian in 1971 and joined the Christian Reformed Church at Alameda, California, in 1976. He is a mechanical draftsman/designer. As a relative newcomer to our churches, he raises the question whether we over the years have not come to err in accommodating a practice which neither the Scriptures, nor our creeds formed in the Reformation’s return to the Scriptures, permit.
I am concerned about our church’s involvement in making and. using pictures of the Lord Jesus Christ in our Sunday School material, Baptism certificates, books, wall–pictures, etc. This practice is in direct violation of the Word of God. Let us now examine if this is so:
Deut. 4:15–16, 23–24 “Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of form on the day that Jehovah spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire; lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female.”
“Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord thy God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of anything, which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee. For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.”
Rom. 1:23 “and changed the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.”
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Throughout the period of history recorded in the Bible, God did not once use pictures, illustrations of God – Christ. Such images, (illustrations) were rejected by Him, because they misrepresent Him and deny HIS way of teaching HIS people.
History tells us that the early church until about the fifth century was free of images, pictures of Christ.
In the sixth century pictures of Christ were already quite popular and the church had another battle to fight. It was a very serious controversy; the church split into two groups:
“Iconoclasts” – those against the pictures of Christ, and “Iconodules” – those for the use of pictures of Christ.
Each group declared the other to be heretical. Many lives were lost in the fight; finally in 843 A.D. the “Iconodules” won the battle, proclaiming those who were against making pictures of Christ heretics, and promoted the use of images of Christ, Mary and other Saints, who are believed to be “silent sermons,” “books of the illiterate.”
In the 16th century “the radical Reformers (Carlstadt, Zwingli, Calvin, Knox) renewed the iconoclastic theory. They removed, in an orderly way, the pictures from the churches, judging them as favoring a refined species of idolatry and hindering a spiritual worship.” (History of the Christian Church, Vol. IV, § 100 by Philip Schaff)
Those who were fighting for reforming the church renewed the battle against images of Christ. They wanted a pure church, and with this desire in their hearts, they wrote these statements concerning pictures of Christ:
Heidelberg Catechism: Lord’s Day XXXV
96. Q. What is God’s will for us in the second commandment? A. That we in no way make any image of God nor worship Him in any other way than He has commanded in His word.
97. Q. May we then not make any image at all? A. God cannot and may not be visibly portrayed in any way, although creatures may be portrayed, yet God forbids making or having such images if one’s intention is to worship them or serve God thru them.
98. Q. But may not images* be permitted in the churches as teaching aids** for the unlearned? A. No, we shouldn‘t try to be wiser than God. He wants His people instructed by the living preaching of His Word- not by idols that cannot talk.
Larger Catechsim (issued by the Westminster Assembly in 1649 in England)
109. Q. What are the sins forbidden in the second commandment? A. “The sins forbidden in the second commandment are, all devising, counselling, commanding, using, and in any wise approving any religious worship not instituted by God Himself: the making any representation of God, of all, or of any of the three Persons, either inwardly in our mind, or outwardly in any kind of image or likeness of any creature whatsoever . . . .”
The Second Helvetic Confession, A.D. 1566 (Swiss) Chapter IV, Of Idols; or of Images of God, of Christ, and of Saints.
“We do therefore reject not only the idols of the Gentiles, but also the images of Christians. For although Christ took upon Him man’s nature, yet he did not therefore take it that he might set forth a pattern for carvers and painters. He denied that he came ‘to destroy the Law and. the Prophets’ (Matt. V. 17), but images are forbid.den in the Law and the Prophets” (Deut. IV. 15; Is. XLIV. 9).
John Calvin on pictures of Christ: INSTITUTES OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION, BOOK FIRST, CHAPTER XI
“We must hold it as a first principle, that as often as any form is assigned to God, His glory is corrupted by an impious lie.
“But God makes no comparison between images, as if one were more, and another less befitting; he rejects, without exception, all shapes and pictures, and other symbols by which the superstitious imagine they can bring Him near to them.
“Hence it is manifest, that whatever statues are set up or pictures painted to represent God, are utterly displeasing to Him, as a kind of insults to His majesty.”
WE MUST NOT AND CANNOT MAKE PICTURES OF GOD
In Deut. 4:15 the Lord is commanding us not to make any image of Him and from this we understand that in the second commandment we are commanded not to make an image of the ONE TRUE GOD (FATHER, SON AND HOLY SPIRIT).
Moreover, the Lord tells us that we have not seen Him; therefore we cannot make an image of Him. We understand that the only image acceptable to Him is the one that truly represents Him, because the Lord says, “for ye saw no manner of similitude.” The Lord tells us that we do not know how He looks and He does not allow us to misrepresent Him. God holds us responsible for the way we present Him. The only true image of Him is the Lord Jesus Christ; any other picture, illustration of God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) is a lie.
Is. 40:18, 25: “To whom will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?” “To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.”
If we make pictures of God they have to be equal to the Creator, His Knowledge, His Wisdom, Glory, Holiness. They have to be living and live the life of God, whose image is Jesus Christ, the Holy One, who is the Word of life, who is the eternal life, who commands the wind, who is the Wisdom, Power and Righteousness of God, who is the Lord of Glory, who said., “. . . HE THAT HATH SEEN ME HATH SEEN THE FATHER.”
Q. JESUS CHRIST BECAME A MAN. CAN WE MAKE PICTURES OF HIM? A. To deny that Christ came in the flesh and that He is a true man with a body of flesh, bones and blood is an apostate doctrine. It is also an apostate doctrine to deny that Christ is the perfect expression of GOD’S HOLINESS in the body.
“He that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (Jn. 14:9), no other man can make this statement for himself, NO, NOT ONE, for it would be blasphemy against God.
He is “THE IMAGE of the invisible God,” (Col. 1:15)
“for in him dwelleth all the fulness of the GODHEAD BODILY,” (Col. 2:9)
Christ’s life on the earth was most holy, having definite expressions and creating definite impressions in the people who saw Him.
WE OUGHT NOT TO PRESENT CHRIST AND NOTHING CAN PRESENT CHRIST APART FROM HIS HOLINESS.
The LIVING CHRIST is the “VERY IMAGE OF GOD” in the flesh. (Heb. 1:3) When God says that we have “changed the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, . . .” (Rom. 1:23), He tells us that this is a sinful misrepresentation of Him. God is incorruptible, meaning not only eternal, but holy, without sin. According to the Word of God we ought not to change THE GLORY OF THE LIVING, INCORRUPTIBLE, HOLY CHRIST for the likeness of an image of corruptible man.
HOLINESS RADIATES GLORY.
“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld. his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (Jn. 1:14)
It is also an apostate doctrine to deny that Christ is worshipped (Jn. 9:35-38) as the Son of God as well as the Son of Man, for there is ONE CHRIST, SON OF GOD AND SON OF MAN. And WE WORSHIP ONE GOD, FATHER AND SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT.
It is a direct violation of the second commandment to make pictures of THE ONE WE WORSHIP.
Q. CAN WE MAKE AN IMAGE OF GOD IF WE DO NOT WORSHIP IT? A. “God cannot and may not be visibly portrayed. in any way.” (H.C., L.D. XXXV, A. 97)
The second commandment teaches us NOT TO MAKE IMAGES OF GOD. Our attitude towards images of God or gods that have been made is not to worship them and not to serve them and to destroy them within those places we dwell in and have authority over.
Q. BUT DO NOT PICTURES FURTHER OUR UNDERSTANDING OF GOD AND HIS WORD? A. “No, we shouldn‘t t ry to be wiser than God. He wants His people instructed by the living preaching of His word.” (H.C., L.D. XXV, A. 98). Little children are saved in the same way grownup’s are saved-by the hearing of the Word of God and faith imparted by t he Holy Spirit. Then they become children of God, they are now born of God, God is their Father. God will not fail to fulfill His covenantal promises (Is. 59:21).
Through illustrations (pictures of Jesus) NO ONE EVER WILL COME TO KNOW GOD, NOR SEE HIS HOLINESS, RIGHTEOUSNESS, LOVE, WISDOM, POWER.
On the contrary, this is exactly what we see in the Gospel, for in t he Word of God we behold the Lord Jesus Christ.
I Jn. 1:1–3: “That which was FROM THE BEGINNING, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we beheld, and our hands handled, concerning THE WORD OF LIFE (and THE LIFE was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare unto you THE LIFE, THE ETERNAL LIFE, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us:”
Here John, the apostle of the Lord Jesus, is witnessing to us that he has seen Jesus and was in close fellowship with Him. He bears witness of Him by way of writing and telling of Jesus Christ. He uses no pictures and illustrations to preach the Gospel to declare THE WORD OF LIFE, THE ETERNAL LIFE, THE ETERNAL GOD. Christ came in the flesh, yet John still talks of His very bodily presence, that this is t he eternal life, the eternal God. John does not separate the two natures of Christ, even though He preaches the Gospel to LITTLE CHILDREN, “I write unto you, little children,” to FATHERS, “I write unto you Fathers,” to YOUNG MEN, “I write unto you, young men.” To all age levels He preaches the same Gospel, because the Word of God has the milk and t he solid food for t he building up of our faith, regardless of what our age and our spiritual maturity is. By writing and telling, this is the way the Holy Spirit portrays Jesus Christ in our hearts and minds, this is how He transforms us to the image of Christ, this is how God impresses the image of Christ upon us.
TODAY
Pictures are used in the most dangerous places, among our children who are 3, 4, 5 years old. When they see Jesus in pictures, this is to them the Lord Jesus Christ, whom they worship. Grownups can judge for themselves, but children cannot-pictures have been pushed upon them.
This is the time when they are to be fed with the essentials of the Christian Faith, with the milk of the Word of God, when they should learn to walk by faith, not by sight, to worship God in the beauty of His holiness.
But instead, along with the good biblical practices, to them is also presented t he familiar face used as an idol in some denominations), and they are told that this is Jesus. To make certain that they get the point, the name Jesus is even printed under the portrait. We bring our children to Sunday School to read the Bible, to pray, to sing praises to the Lord, to have the Word of God expounded to them, to fellowship one with another and declare His wondrous works, TO WORSHIP GOD!
*German: Bilder-pictures
**German: Bucher-books