Christmas can be a strange season for many Christians. On the one hand, I rejoice in the reminder that God took on flesh and dwelt among us to be our Savior. On the other, I often find myself unsettled by the prominence of nativity scenes and visual depictions of Christ. These images are meant to help us remember Him, yet they inevitably fall short of who Christ truly is. Scripture not only forbids the worship of idols, but also warns us against making images of God “in 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”1. This raises an important and often overlooked question: how should Christians think about images of Christ? For many today, this is a new or unfamiliar concern—especially in a culture where Christ is frequently portrayed in plays, films, and television. This article seeks to show that Scripture directs us to know Christ not through images, but through the promises of His Word, and that faith does not require visual representations to be true, deep, or nourishing.
‘You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image–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 nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth [generations] of those who hate Me,2
Now I realize that the concept of not having images of Christ is foreign to many Christians, and it would be beneficial to look at the text of the commandment itself to break down how this prohibition is provided. We must remember that the First Commandment provides the context for the Second—God has already demanded exclusivity. Ergo, it follows that the Second Commandment doesn’t merely assume a different god, but rather it takes time to address how the true God is approached. God begins this commandment by pointing out the human initiative in worship. We want to devise our own ways to come to God, but He alone determines how He is worshiped. While in English the words we see translated are carved image & likeness, the original Hebrew is more expansive. This is a natural thing when translating a language that has much fewer words into English, as words can have expanded meanings. The word for carved image3 means any shaped or formed object; meanwhile, the word for likeness4 denotes images that represent or resemble things. God is closing the loopholes, prohibiting artistic depictions and symbolic representations. The Israelites had lived for hundreds of years with Egyptians who depicted their gods as various animals, and God comprehensively says that is off limits. “In heaven above… on the earth beneath… in the water under the earth” means no angelic forms, human forms, animal forms, or stand-ins. If something exists in creation, such as an eagle in the heavens, a bull on the earth beneath it, or a whale in the waters—it may not be used to represent God. God demands that we do not bow and serve these images because He knows that images inevitably invite devotion—how many people who watch the Chosen close their eyes and see Jonathan Roumie when they pray to Christ? Even though Christ according to His human nature is truly visible and bodily present., according to His divinity, He is invisible and uncircumscribable, so when we depict Christ, it is a misrepresentation of either His human nature, divine nature, or both. God gives Himself to His people by His Word, not by images, so that faith would rest on what He has spoken rather than on what we might attempt to portray.
Our God is a God of Words—the Word was God5— and Scripture takes great care to show us that God has chosen to interact with His people in that medium. Note how God speaks to the Israelites before providing the 10 commandments again: “Then the LORD spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of words, but saw no form; there was only a voice… Therefore watch yourselves very carefully. Since you saw no form on the day that the LORD spoke to you at Horeb…”6 This is the foundational text. God explicitly grounds worship to Him in the fact that He chose not to show Himself, only to speak. Israel was unique in the fact that they didn’t see God—they heard Him. We see the implications of the prohibition of images in the Second Commandment when God warns Moses “You cannot see my face, for man shall not see Me, and live.”7
This pattern is mimicked in the New Testament—Paul does not say faith comes from seeing Christ, but from hearing His Word.8 God’s method of revelation is reflected in passages like “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”9 Our faith is, as the writer of Hebrews states, “is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”10 The Psalms also show how images are a faulty tool to worship.
Their idols [are] silver and gold, The work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; Eyes they have, but they do not see; They have ears, but they do not hear; Noses they have, but they do not smell; They have hands, but they do not handle; Feet they have, but they do not walk; Nor do they mutter through their throat. Those who make them are like them; [So is] everyone who trusts in them.11
Note the contrast of idols compared to God—idols are visible, yet silent; God is unseen, but heard. Consistently throughout scripture from Sinai to the apostles scripture emphasizes that God reveals Himself by His word, not by images. This is deliberate–so that faith would rest on what God has said, rather than what men might attempt to depict. However, it is true that many Christians feel uneasy at the thought of knowing Christ without a mental picture. Take heart in the fact that this struggle does not mean faith is deficient; it means we are creatures who long for nearness and clarity.
Scripture doesn’t abandon us to imagine Christ—God has provided means far more reliable than images. As Christ says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”12 Jesus explicitly blesses a word-based faith. The Sacraments are visible promises that point us to God provided by Christ, not visible portraits provided by imagination. Faith in Scripture is not a clarity of mental constructions but resting in His promises and enjoying communion with Him in prayer. Images may feel hopeful—but they quietly shrink Christ. Images freeze Jesus in a pose; whereas the Word presents an actively interceding Christ. Images may age Him, ethnicize Him, or even soften Him; whereas the Word presents a living Christ. Images convey a human nature, unable to convey His glory; whereas the Word presents a reigning Christ. When we let go of these images, we don’t lose Christ—we gain Him as He truly is.
If you’re struggling with finding Christ in your faith, read the Gospels slowly, listening to Christ’s words rather than picturing His face. Scripture reading isn’t a sprint, so take time to fully digest the Savior’s words. Sing psalms that speak of Christ’s offices and promises,13 joining in the chorus of believers for millennia in the words Christ sang Himself. Come to the Lord’s table expecting Christ to nourish your faith. God withholds images of Christ now not because He is distant, but because He is preparing us for a greater sight—one that no human art could ever anticipate, for though “now we see in mirror dimly”14, “we shall see Him as He is.”15 Faith does not require a mental picture to be real or strong; it requires a promise to cling to. And one day, faith will give way to sight—not by human artistry, but by Christ Himself.
For more reading on the topic of imagery within the church click here!
- Exodus 20:4 ↩︎
- Deuteronomy 5:7-9 ↩︎
- פֶּסֶל (pesel, Strong’s H6459) ↩︎
- תְּמוּנָה (temûnâ, Strong’s H8544) ↩︎
- John 1:1 ↩︎
- Deuteronomy 4:12,15-16 ↩︎
- Exodus 33:20 ↩︎
- cf. Romans 10 :17 ↩︎
- 2 Corinthians 5:7 ↩︎
- Hebrews 11:1 ↩︎
- Psalm 115:4-8, emphasis mine (cf. Psalm 135:15-18 ↩︎
- John 20:29 ↩︎
- Psalm 2, 22, 23, 24, 40, 72, 95, 110 are a few suggestions that explicitly focus on Christ ↩︎
- 1 Corinthians 13:12 ↩︎
- 1 John 3:2 ↩︎
Excellent post! Good sources; another good source is the WLC Q&A 109: “The sins forbidden in the second commandment are, all devising, counselling, commanding, using, and anywise approving, any religious worship not instituted by God himself; tolerating a false religion; 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; all worshiping of it, or God in it or by it; the making of any representation of feigned deities, and all worship of them, or service belonging to them; all superstitious devices, corrupting the worship of God, adding to it, or taking from it, whether invented and taken up of ourselves, or received by tradition from others, though under the title of antiquity, custom, devotion, good intent, or any other pretence whatsoever; simony; sacrilege; all neglect, contempt, hindering, and opposing the worship and ordinances which God hath appointed.”
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