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Is It Wrong to Have

PICTURES of Christ?

Ernest Martin

Some time ago a very popular book was published in which the writer advocated concen-
trating upon a small picture of Christ while you are praying in order to give you the proper
inspiration.

Today, God seems so far off to most people that people think they must have some repre-
sentation of Christ, the Father, or some saint in order to pray with reality. There are thousands of
images, idols and pictures throughout the world -- in homes, in Bibles, in churches -- which are to
remind people of Christ or some Biblical personage. Do we need such images? And should we use
them?

Are Images or Pictures Sanctioned by God?

The Bible expressly forbids the use of images in any form in the true worship of God.

Notice Exodus 20:5, 5: "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness
of any thing that is in heaven above [note, the command is against any likeness, no matter what
form], or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow
down thyself to them, nor SERVE THEM."

This second command is primarily against the use of intermediate material images, idols or
pictures with which to worship the true God mentioned in the first commandment. The worship of
God must not be through images.

Most of you have already understood that the usage of images is wrong, but what about pic-
tures? Does the second commandment specifically include them? Yes, it does! Notice that it says
no likeness shall be made of heavenly beings to be used in the worship of God. Likenesses are
portrayed in pictures as well as through idols or other images. Pictures of Christ, then, are defi-
nitely forbidden.

Israel Told to Destroy Images and Pictures of Heathen

To carry out the enforcement of God's second commandment, notice what God commanded
the Israelites just before they entered the Promised Land: "Then ye shall drive out all the inhabi-
tants of the land from before you, AND DESTROY ALL THEIR PICTURES, and destroy all their
MOLTEN IMAGES, and quite pluck down all their high places" (Num. 33:52). Their pictures of
heavenly things and their idols were considered one and the same. Idolatrous pictures and images
are both forbidden by God. The Israelites were commanded to destroy them all.
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