In his book The Two Babylons, Alexander Hislop summarizes the universality of the cross by saying that there is hardly a pagan tribe where the cross has not been found. The cross did not even become associated with nominal Christianity until the time of Constantine, centuries after the crucifixion. The Bible and history help provide answers. The second commandment, then, involves the way we are to worship Himin spirit and in truth, always aware that man does not live by bread alone. Is religious artwork considered breaking of the second commandment? As you continue to read the word, your commitment to obedience would be tested at times but in this case, I think you're ok. As a BetterHelp affiliate, we may receive compensation from BetterHelp if you purchase products or services through the links provided. God describes in Isaiah 55:9 just how disparate He is from us. 24. He misunderstood. The difference lies in the way we understand and mentally process images in contrast to language. Most scholars believe that the reference to graven images was a reference to idols of beings other than God. John W. Ritenbaugh The second of the Ten Commandments, refers to: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me. God clearly bans the use of any image in the worship of Him. It was common in various Near East religions to use representations of the gods to facilitate worship, but in ancient Judaism, this was prohibited because no aspect of the creation could adequately stand in for God. The closest that archaeologists have come across are crude depictions of a god and consort at Kuntillat Ajrud. Cline, Austin. Once a person is no longer worshipping the Creator, he must put something else in His place. The Berean: Daily Verse and Comment Sign up for the Berean: Daily Verse and Comment, and have Biblical truth delivered to your inbox. Any justice system that visited the iniquity of a person on their children and childrens children down to the fourth generation would be rightly condemned as immoral and unjust. Perhaps I should do a little more research on them. No. The difference lies in the way we understand and mentally process images in contrast to language. idols. This may cause many to stumble in their consciences. ErikJones is a full-time writer and editor at the Life, Hope & Truth offices in McKinney, Texas. They are commanded and means of grace. If we attempt to do so, we reduce God to the level of man, making the representation not of the true God, but of a manmade god, an idol. That's a big picture that I use and spread throughout the internet. The Second Commandment, of course, also prohibited idolatry of pagan gods that are not gods at all. There are a number of different ways in which we can break this rule against false witness. . Children learn by example, and if their parents set the example that physical objects have excessive importance, then their children will pass down the same values. You are using an out of date browser. Building upon the foundation of the first commandment, the second forbids the use of physical "aids" in worshipping the invisible God. As Jesus says, "Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Get the latest blog posts from Life, Hope & Truth straight to yourinbox. It may have had a cross-beam on it, or it may have simply been a long piece of wood, thick enough to bear the weight of a human body. Obviously, the god they conceived was not the true God because He is more concerned with right relationships than scrupulous regard for ceremony. Even when he is worshipping the works of his hands, he is worshipping himself because he created his idol. Graven images, in this interpretation, would be made-up "gods" that lived in the statues in question, or specifically images of false idols - of lower-case gods that don't exist outside of the statues. To be sure, there may be some contexts where the introduction of such images may not be wise, as they might prompt the people to worship falsely. But this is the same principle involved in Exodus 32! Making an image of a god or even of the true God is a sin. I added that it reminds us about the thing signified and. What life remained was given over to the control of another, symbolizing complete surrender, while pointing to the encumbered life of a disciple. The real basis of idolatry, other than ignorance, is that self-willed man refuses to surrender himself to worship God as He commands. Since they saw nothing of the God who liberated them and whom they now were commanded to worship, anything they contrived to represent Him would be a boldfaced lie. The Second Commandment differs from the First in that it explains that, in our worship, we must not reduce God to the likeness of a physical object. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image" under the Talmudic . The people corrupted themselves by redefining God's nature and His way of worship according to their desires and ends. Because of this, images convey meaning primarily through concrete objectsa house, for instance. Second Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Make Graven Images. It originated in the Babylonian mystery religions, where it was a symbol of the god, Tammuz. On the walls of the sanctuary were carved figures of angels, trees, and flowers, none of which Israel worshipped. See what over 150,000 subscribers are already receiving each day. I was currently in a nightly debate with some people on the subject. In certain cultures, what we call a cross was referred to as a Tau that symbolized females. No civilized society would do it not even half-way civilized societies do it. It is not easy for human nature to surrender its dominance over one's life. Most unsophisticated believers tended to revere icons (they were callediconodules), but many political and religious leaders wanted to have them smashed because they believed that venerating icons was a form of idolatry (they were callediconoclasts). Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen. Scan this QR code to download the app now. The second commandment deals with how we worship God. How many must repent before it tips the balance of God's judgment so that He moves in our behalf? Is it sinful? But because it carries religious significance and therefore creates a worshipping spirit, I would have to say that it does breach the Law. Human beings come closest to sharing in the attributes of divinity, but other than them it simply isnt possible for anything in creation to suffice. Never miss a post! What the Bible says about Their worship merely went through the motions with punctilious observance of the Sabbath and rituals. And, that would make sense as to why God would forbid people creating and displaying pictures of Jesus. Protestants won't, in general, wear a crucifix, and some Protestants are against pictures of Jesus. Have you? 22. The second commandment deals with the way we worship. The Jews living under Roman dominion were all too familiar with crucifixions. Christmasand its trappings like the Christmas treeis not part of the way God commanded we worship. And one could break the second commandment and keep the first by creating an image intended to represent God, and directing one's worship and service to it. John W. Ritenbaugh Ye saw no similitude.' It is impossible to make a picture of the soul, or to paint the angels, because they are of a spiritual nature; much less can we paint God by an image, who is an infinite, untreated Spirit. In contrast, language conveys meaning abstractly, requiring us to understand even what we may have never experienced. No way, since we do not worship it. When I came to the ten commandments a thought occurred to me. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens" (1 . Worship is the reaction to one's god at all times and cannot be separated from character and attitudes. Should we not do the same for a government that suggests this is the right course of action? What Does Vatican II Mean by the People of God? You shall not bow down to them nor serve them (Exodus 20:5). Fifth Woe: Idolatry, particularly the second commandment, as God speaks mainly about graven images. No one else has seen God in His glory either, so absolutely no one can even begin to catch even the essence of a true representation of Him. Cross and Second Commandment. It prohibits the use of anything that represents God or could become an object of veneration. In our relationship with Him, He wants us to emphasize the spiritualHis character, the qualities of His spiritual attributes, and His purpose. Obviously, the first commandment also applies. I'm not sure the sacraments are mere symbolism. Taylor Puritan Board Post-Graduate Jan 7, 2021 #1 This morning as I was reading the Larger Catechism's exposition of the second commandment, I came across this: Doing so is unquestionably unacceptable to God. Through images, the world has reduced God and His power to their own level. Yet, when Jesus is asked, "What is the first and great commandment," He replies that we are to love Him with all of our heart, soul, and mind. Bible > Library. If you wish to learn more about atheism, please begin by reading the [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/atheism/wiki/faq). Martin G. Collins Since God calls their sacrifices "futile" and their incense "an abomination," the spiritual basis of their worship must be profane. Through images, the world has reduced God and His power to their own level. Regardless of how men approached life, whether religious or irreligious, atheistic or agnostic, their gods and standards came from minds not in contact with the true God. Based on the above reasons, members of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, do not use the physical image of a cross as an object of worship or as a symbol of our faith. If we obey the dictates of a person, church, or some other group contrary to the direct commands of God, we are guilty of idolatry. However, the second commandment does not condemn the use of religious artwork in the form of sculpture and painting in religion. Staff Even though its probable that Christ was crucified on a single piece of wood without a cross beam, we cant be absolutely certain what the shape of the device was. That was then, though, and society has moved on. Christianity was first introduced to this symbol through Constantine the Great in 313 A. D. The famous reference work "The Two Babylons" states that Catholics believed the symbol was some great charm and that they adored it like it was God! The first-mentioned source of curses is not public or institutionalized idolatry, as practiced by the world's religions, but hidden idolatry, that clandestinemaybe subliminalelevation of anything before the true God. Punishments, too, could be communal in nature, especially when the crimes involved communal acts. The Tau of paganism has nothing to do with Jesus or Christianity. God wants us to worship Him humbly rather than the way the world worships idols. Many of the spiritual masters have agreed with him. Many are surprised to learn that the Bible does not actually specify that Jesus was crucified on a cross. So why dont we use the image of the crosstypically symbolizing the crucifixion of Jesus Christas a symbol of our faith? This Second Commandment explicitly forbids the use of any type of inanimate or lifeless imagery"any likeness of anything that is in heaven above . The Tau of paganism has nothing to do with Jesus or Christianity. And from such people turn away!" Having rejected the God who does exist, sinners are prone not to abandon worship altogether; rather, we make up all manner of other gods to take the place of the Creator of heaven and earth. This is a great topic. The Israelites' lack of faith while Moses was on Mt. How can any people be so stupid as to worship a gold- or silver-covered block of wood or stone? My position is that if there is some form or way in which the symbol is used to galvanize the worship--the idea of something being done THROUGH the symbol--it is breaching the second commandment. Can they all be His representatives, even though they all believe differently? Protestants split that one in order to make themselves as anti-Catholic as possible. Paul in Romans 1:1832 tells us that fallen humanitys tendency is not toward atheism but rather to idolatry. While these opinions should be respected, we believe that to prohibit art is to neglect the fact that God is the fountainhead of all beauty. 5:6-10; RSV] Verse 7 forbids the worship of other gods, while verses 8-9 forbid the making of graven (carved) images that would be worshipped as gods, i.e. II Timothy 3:1-2, 5 adds a sobering note for those of us living at the end. Ambrose. We are dedicated to our historic Creeds and Confessions because we believe they are faithful to the Scriptures. Remember, worship is our response to God, and it occurs in many ways every day. The details of this scene are remarkably inaccurate, starting with the fact that Christ's birth did not occur in the winter! The danger inherent in images is that they reduce any abstract idea or non-physical thing to what we understand through our senses. If someone were unfamiliar with the Bible, what would he learn from seeing only a representation or reading only the text? But, that depiction of Jesus is throughout a lot of Christian churches of all denominations today. See what over 150,000 subscribers are already receiving each day. Both images reduce the spiritual significance of the events to a purely physical level. We have to respond to Him in our home: in the way we speak, act towards one another, rear our children, conduct our homemaking practices. It seems likely that the aniconic tradition was adhered to consistently in ancient Israel. A person can never understand God through an image or representation, for to make an image of God is to reduce Him to physical attributes we can sense. How can anyone rationally think that a creation of man can be any greater than man? Nobody has seen the true face of Jesus and lived to tell the tale. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version ( 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.). God forbade the worship of idols because they are made by humans and therefore are inferior to them (Hosea 8:6), therefore, how can they represent God? View our current career opportunities. The reference is to the breaking of the first and second commandments (Exodus 20:2-6). Others go further and argue that the inclusion of I the Lord thy God am a jealous God is a prohibition against tolerating false religions or false Christian beliefs. It is believed by most theologians that this commandment was designed to underscore the radical difference between God as creator and Gods creation. All of this was done before the Lord and at Gods instigation; many soldiers had already died in battle because God was angry with the Israelites on account of one of them sinning. Yes, again and again they tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel." The world may consider their nativity scenes and crucifixes as harmless aids to their worship of God, but in their arrogance, they have ignored the second commandment. Some people will disagree, saying that there is to be no art in the worship setting. I think the second commandment is violate for conceptual reasons--Biblical too but we'll work on the conceptual. One concerns the nature of a thing; the other the use of a thing. Conceptually speaking, the opposing side says that a cross reminds them of Jesus and causes--that's a key term here--them to worship. Because of this symbolism, it was used by several pagan religions to represent their female goddesses such as Venus or Astarte. A human mind will limit God. This Second Commandment explicitly forbids the use of any type of inanimate or lifeless imagery, " any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, " in the worship of the living God. God wants us to worship Him directlynot through an idol. The natural mind cries out for something to "help" it worship God, but nothing in man's limited imagination can measure up. Likewise, it cannot be confined to just an hour or two on a particular day because in a biblical sense the worship of God is our response to Him in all of life. The crucifix (an image of Jesus on the . Some interesting comments in this thread. The worship of God involves the totality of life, therefore it cannot be confined to a particular location. Men fabricate images or representations to aid them in worshipping a god that they themselves have concocted. As called sons and daughters of God in the body of Christ, it is important to remember how important the second commandment is, lest we try to conceive of God physically and reduce and diminish Him in our own minds. The third commandment is, "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. Do we? In other words, they must keep His commandments. Recently, we took our cross off the stage because it was Christmas time, and we had other decorations for the season to put on the stage. All rights reserved. So he breaks the second commandment even though he never bows down to the tree. I wear a necklace with the cross on it but I am beginning to believe that wearing a cross or owning a statue etc of the cross, crucifix or even of Jesus alone is committing idolatry. About UsContact UsPrayer RequestsPrivacy Policy, Latest AnswersBible LessonsBibleAsk LIVEOnline Bible. See. As this episode began, the people were not really asking for a change of gods but rather a new human leader. Man will worship something, and as we have seen, what he worships is almost invariably himself! We are to use no material aids in doing this because no one can capture in a work of art what God is. Such representations dilute, or otherwise pollute, worship that rightfully belongs to the Eternal (Exodus 20:4).
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