| Christ is the "image of the invisible God, the firstborn | | | | saints in many Catholic churches. |
| of all creation" (Col 1:15). God, who could not be | | | | Col. 1:15 - the only image of God that Catholics |
| imaged in the Old Testament, has given us a human | | | | worship is Jesus Christ, who is the "image" (Greek |
| image of the divine being. Image as a method of | | | | "eikon") of the invisible God. |
| focusing his prayer to God, as a method of showing | | | | |
| respect through pious bodily action. | | | | David gave Solomon the plan "for the altar of incense |
| | | | | made of refined gold, and its weight; also his plan for |
| | | | | the golden chariot of the cherubim that spread their |
| Deut. 4:15 - from this verse, Protestants say that | | | | wings and covered the ark of the covenant of the |
| since we saw "no form" of the Lord, we should not | | | | Lord. All this he made clear by the writing of the |
| make graven images of Him. | | | | hand of the Lord concerning it all, all the work to be |
| Deut. 4:16 - of course, in early history Israel was | | | | done according to the plan" (1 Chr. 28:18–19). |
| forbidden to make images of God because God didn't | | | | David’s plan for the temple, which the biblical |
| yet reveal himself visibly "in the form of any figure." | | | | author tells us was "by the writing of the hand of |
| Deut. 4:17-19 - hence, had the Israelites depicted God | | | | the Lord concerning it all," included statues of angels. |
| not yet revealed, they might be tempted to worship | | | | During a plague of serpents sent to punish the |
| Him in the form of a beast, bird, reptile or fish, which | | | | Israelites during the exodus, God told Moses to |
| was a common error of the times. | | | | "make [a statue of] a fiery serpent, and set it on a |
| Exodus 3:2-3; Dan 7:9; Matt. 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; | | | | pole; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it |
| John 1:32; Acts 2:3- later on, however, we see that | | | | shall live. So Moses made a bronze serpent, and set it |
| God did reveal himself in visible form (as a dove, fire, | | | | on a pole; and if a serpent bit any man, he would |
| etc). | | | | look at the bronze serpent and live" (Num. |
| Deut. 5:8 - God's commandment "thou shall not make | | | | 21:8–9). |
| a graven image" is entirely connected to the worship | | | | One had to look at the bronze statue of the serpent |
| of false gods. God does not prohibit images to be | | | | to be healed, which shows that statues could be |
| used in worship, but He prohibits the images | | | | used ritually, not merely as religious decorations. |
| themselves to be worshiped. | | | | Catholics use statues, paintings, and other artistic |
| Exodus 25:18-22; 26:1,31 - for example, God | | | | devices to recall the person or thing depicted. Just as |
| commands the making of the image of a golden | | | | it helps to remember one’s mother by looking at |
| cherubim. This heavenly image, of course, is not | | | | her photograph, so it helps to recall the example of |
| worshiped by the Israelites. Instead, the image | | | | the saints by looking at pictures of them. Catholics |
| disposes their minds to the supernatural and draws | | | | also use statues as teaching tools. In the early |
| them to God. | | | | Church they were especially useful for the instruction |
| Num. 21:8-9 - God also commands the making of the | | | | of the illiterate. Many Protestants have pictures of |
| bronze serpent. The image of the bronze serpent is | | | | Jesus and other Bible pictures in Sunday school for |
| not an idol to be worshiped, but an article that lifts | | | | teaching children. Catholics also use statues to |
| the mind to the supernatural. | | | | commemorate certain people and events, much as |
| I Kings 6:23-36; 7:27-39; 8:6-67 - Solomon's temple | | | | Protestant churches have three-dimensional nativity |
| contains statues of cherubim and images of | | | | scenes at Christmas. |
| cherubim, oxen and lions. God did not condemn these | | | | If one measured Protestants by the same rule, then |
| images that were used in worship. | | | | by using these "graven" images, they would be |
| 2 Kings 18:4 - it was only when the people began to | | | | practicing the "idolatry" of which they accuse |
| worship the statue did they incur God's wrath, and | | | | Catholics. But there’s no idolatry going on in |
| the king destroyed it. The command prohibiting the | | | | these situations. God forbids the worship of images |
| use of graven images deals exclusively with the false | | | | as gods, but he doesn’t ban the making of |
| worship of those images. | | | | images. If he had, religious movies, videos, |
| 1 Chron. 28:18-19 - David gives Solomon the plan for | | | | photographs, paintings, and all similar things would be |
| the altar made of refined gold with a golden cherubim | | | | banned. But, as the case of the bronze serpent |
| images. These images were used in the Jews' most | | | | shows, God does not even forbid the ritual use of |
| solemn place of worship. | | | | religious images. |
| 2 Chron. 3:7-14 - the house was lined with gold with | | | | It is when people begin to adore a statue as a god |
| elaborate cherubim carved in wood and overlaid with | | | | that the Lord becomes angry. Thus when people did |
| gold. | | | | start to worship the bronze serpent as a snake-god |
| Ezek. 41:15 - Ezekiel describes graven images in the | | | | (whom they named "Nehushtan"), the righteous king |
| temple consisting of carved likenesses of cherubim. | | | | Hezekiah had it destroyed (2 Kgs. 18:4). |
| These are similar to the images of the angels and | | | | |