The Truth About Images of Jesus
and the Second Commandment
A Study
for the Everyday Christian
Part 5 of 5
By Justin Griffin BSW, MAgth
"The Truth About Images of Jesus and the Second Commandment" by Justin Griffin BSW, MAgth
Copyright © 2006 by Justin Griffin. All rights reserved.
Published in the United States of America
by Tate Publishing, LLC
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Scripture quotations marked "KJV" are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version, Cambridge, 1769.
Scripture quotations marked “NASB” are taken from the New American Standard Bible ®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from: the King James Version.
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ISBN: 1-5988655-4-4
Published by Permission at IIIM.
Conclusion
The Truth about Images of Jesus
This study systematically compiles facts and evidences concerning images of Jesus and the Second Commandment then examines those facts to establish the conclusion. The facts from Scriptural commandment, Biblical context, and church history reveal that the images of Jesus are false images that violate the Second Commandment. Reasoning backwards facilitates the removal of wrong and misleading information so one can examine the facts that remain in order to establish what is true. The facts are:
1. Facts from Biblical Commandment
At this point in the study, one might declare, “How can you conclude that images of Jesus Christ violate the Second Commandment? So far, the Scriptures have said that images of God are a violation, not images of Christ.” The prolegomena section of this study clearly underscores the Scriptural teaching of the Trinity that God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are One. Because images of God the Father violate the Second Commandment, images of God the Son and God the Holy Spirit also violate the Second Commandment. To declare that an image of God violates the Commandment and an image of Christ does not violate the Commandment is a fallacy since the Scriptures teach that they are One. The law of non-contradiction simply says, “One cannot have and not have the same thing at the same time.” Therefore, one must either allow all images of any person of the Trinity or prohibit them. In other words, one cannot allow images of God the Son while forbidding images of God the Father and believe that God the Father and God the Son are One as the Trinity commands. To think that one can apply and not apply a Commandment at the same time is a flawed belief. When is a lie both a sin and not a sin at the same time? When is adultery both a sin and not a sin at the same time? When is an image of God both a sin and not a sin at the same time? These are obviously rhetorical questions, for the obvious answer is that something cannot be both a sin and not a sin at the same time.
To corroborate this point, let’s apply the same flawed belief to the Third Commandment. The flawed belief states that a violation can and cannot exist at the same time for God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The Third Commandment says, “Thou shalt not take the Lord thy God's name in vain.” If one ignored the law of non-contradiction then:
A. Misusing God's name violates the 3rd Commandment, but
misusing the Holy Spirit’s name does not violate the
Commandment.
B. One violates this commandment when using God's name irreverently.
However, one does not violate the Commandment when one uses the name of Jesus like a vulgar word or commonplace adjective.
Finally, apply this same flawed belief to the First Commandment. The Commandment says, “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3). So one can have no other god before God, but one can before Jesus Christ? That would not just be a fallacy; it would be a Biblical absurdity.
In his divine nature, Jesus Christ, God the Son, is fully God.[i] This doctrine of the Trinity applies to the First, Second, and Third commandments. Therefore, since Jesus Christ is fully God, all images of Jesus Christ violate the Second Commandment. They violate the Second Commandment because the first clause of the Second Commandment forbids images of God, and that restriction also applies to images of God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
2. Facts from Scriptural study
A thorough study of the Scripture reveals that God’s Word does not command, approve or sanction images of Jesus Christ. The normal and most uncomplicated understanding of the Scripture is that God hates people-made images of God and that includes images of Jesus. There is no leniency for those who indulge in them, and there are no passages of Scripture which, in their proper context, would alter or amend this understanding. This understanding first appears in Exodus 20:4 and continues throughout all of Scripture. The Bible is similarly consistent in its teaching about the Ten Commandments. Jesus Himself emphatically reinforced that He did not come into the world to abolish the Law when He stated, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am come not to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled" Matthew 5:17-18. Therefore, the Second Commandment applies just as much today as it did when God first gave it.
3. Facts from church history
Church history reveals that there is no credible source for images of Christ. Church history also confirms that the images we have of Jesus Christ are not images of the true Christ. In fact, the earliest images of Christ are more likely derived from images of Roman gods like Apollo and Orpheus than from Jesus Christ.
Historically, the church did not universally accept images of Jesus. As the author understands it, the First Council of Nicea 754 AD makes the following arguments against images of Jesus:
Images cannot accurately portray Christ because they are empty of substance and life. Any accurate image of Christ would have to be exactly like Christ in substance and life. Any true image of Jesus must represent both his divine nature [which is impossible because it cannot be seen nor encompassed] and his human nature [which is impossible since no known accurate representation exists]. By making an image of Jesus, one is either separating or confusing Christ’s human and divine natures. Either action is heresy.
Therefore, based upon the facts from Scriptural Commandment, Biblical context, and church history, one would have to conclude that images of Jesus Christ are false images and violate the Second Commandment. Two essential principles, foundation and authority, help establish the strength of the conclusion. The first step in understanding a conclusion is to ask, “Was the foundation that the conclusion was built upon reliable, and was the authority relied upon qualified?”
No matter how well one can argue from foundation to conclusion, a flawed foundation produces a flawed conclusion. In addition, when one relies on unqualified authorities for a conclusion, the conclusion is false. This is just as true for Biblical issues as it is for non-Biblical issues. The beginning of this study established the essential foundation: the Trinity. The Authority base for this study was Scripture, and the understood power of the Holy Bible depends on God, the ultimate inspirer of the Scriptures.[ii]
As a result, the foundation and authority of this study guarantee the truth of the conclusion. If one believes in the Trinity and believes that God inspired Exodus 20:4-5, then, in light of the facts, one must conclude that images of Jesus are a violation of the Second Commandment.
Reversing the conclusion to say that images of Jesus do not violate the Second Commandment would disregard the facts and imply that either the Scriptures are not inspired by God or the Trinity is false. At this point, some might protest, “Why can't someone just stand in the middle of theological tension and take the middle ground? Why can’t one simultaneously declare that images of Jesus do not violate the Second Commandment, the Scriptures are inspired, and the Trinity is true?” In this instance, standing in the middle of theological tension would contradict the Bible by declaring that which is a sin, violating the Second Commandment, is not a sin. Standing in the middle of tension is permissible in some nonessential issues like, “What is the best kind of church carpeting—shag or outdoor?”. However, when addressing God's commandments, standing in the middle of theological tension always allows for sin. It allows for sin because it does not take a stand against sin. It is as if a bridge were out, yet someone was standing alongside of the road holding a sign that said, “Caution, please go slow or fast—the bridge may or may not be out.” In this example taking the middle ground lets innocent people get hurt. Likewise, taking the middle ground concerning the Second Commandment allows for sin. In essence there is no middle ground; one either stands against sin or one takes the side for sin.
In light of the facts that the Trinity is true and God inspired all Scripture, images of Jesus violate the Second Commandment. There is no middle ground.
Why do God's children have these images?
Since the evidence is quite conclusive that images of Jesus violate the Second Commandment, one must ask “How did some of God's children come to have images that violate the Second Commandment?” In reasoning backwards, one can follow the chain of events from the end result (God's children have images that violate the Second Commandment) to their original causes.
Principal factors causing some to accept images of Jesus Christ include disobedience, apathy, Biblical ignorance, and deception. Biblical ignorance, disobedience, and deception appeared first. Either from ignorance, deception or outright disobedience, some in the 3rd and 4th century church tried to syncretize pagan and Christian beliefs.[1] Heretical Christians (Gnostics) and pagan artisans disobeyed Orthodox Christian beliefs to accommodate pagan ideologies when they created the first images of Jesus Christ.
Centuries later, church history reveals continued disobedience in some instances of dealing with this issue. When some in the church questioned whether or not images of Jesus violate the Second Commandment, the church covered the issue up with Imperial decrees. For example, the Second Council of Nicea in 787 AD decreed excommunication for anyone attempting to discourage the use of these images.
The issue arose again in the Protestant Reformation, but this time, the church could not hide the issue or force people to be quiet. Some in the Protestant Reformation called a sin a sin and required their followers to do away with the images.
The Protestant Reformation greatly wounded the juggernaut of ignorance, disobedience, and deception. However, after a few hundred years of sleep, this sinful monstrosity was resurrected. The same stimulant that revitalized this behemoth of sin also served as an opiate to dope-up and weaken the whole body of Christ. In this case, ignorance and apathy united to triumph over some of God's children.
Even today, many of God's children are both apathetic and uninformed about what the Second Commandment specifically says. Too many children of God are Biblically uninformed about why this issue is important to God, why it should be important to them, and what the Second Commandment actually teaches. Many of God's children either follow a false understanding of the Second Commandment or do not keep the Commandment at all. Some have no idea that they are disobeying the Second Commandment, and they teach their children and their children's children to do likewise.
Many churches don’t appear to be concerned about teaching the truth about the Second Commandment. This kind of apathy keeps Biblical ignorance alive and well in the church. Apathy keeps the Biblically uneducated in a stupor of Scriptural ignorance and tells them that it is okay to be there. Apathy keeps those who know they’re sinful from repenting and tells them it does not really matter because no one is going to hold them accountable. Apathy misleads pastors to believe that instead of a shepherd to guide the sheep away from sin, churches need a business administrator who will form more programs, ministry teams, task groups, action committees, family clusters, evangelism squads, outreach bands, steering groups, and care teams. Ultimately, apathy breeds lack of concern for God’s truth that images of Jesus violate the Second Commandment while cultivating the attitude, “Church is about what I want and the way I want things done—so BACK OFF!”