You may have been asked, from time to time, why we don’t use images in our public worship of God. This is a subject on which many books could be written—and have been, actually—but it is an important point for us to recall from time to time. There are three basic reasons.
The first is that God prohibits it (Ex. 20:4). This is one of the ten commandments—worship must not be directed to, or offered through, any graven image. This does not prohibit architectural or liturgical artistry—when our church building is built, we may put as many blue pomegranates in the stained glass windows as we want. But it does ban prayer to or through objects. God says no, and that should be sufficient.
The second reason is that we already have a church filled with images. Each one of you carries the image of God, and carries it by God’s appointment and artistry, not our own. This is entry level discipleship. Learning to see God in your neighbor is what we are called to (Matt. 25:44; 1 Jn. 4:20). Trying to see Him in a triptych, or a loaf of bread, or in a cross, is like trying to pass a class in graduate school when you are still struggling in kindergarten.
But what about the Incarnation? This is the third point. Doesn’t the fact that Jesus took on a human body change everything? Yes, it does, but not in the way commonly assumed. In Christian worship, we are called to behold the face of Jesus Christ. But the means for accomplishing this is personal regeneration. “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6-7).
How is it possible for us to see the face of Jesus Christ? The Bible tells us that we are to see by hearing. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. So in the Word preached, we are summoned to come and see Jesus.
There are only two reasons, not three.
Maybe there are three but the third one is a secret. :D
Yes, it would be nice to know what the third reason is – or was. :)
Maybe you guys should try reading the last paragraph out loud–you might “see” the third way!
Sorry. The last point should have started with “third.” I’ll go fix it now.
Thanks for this! Growing up Catholic this is one of those, “eh, I’m used to this, what’s the problem?” things I run into.
So you don’t have a cross — not a crucifix, with the corpus affixed, but a cross — hanging in your sanctuary? Just a question. No agenda. Really.
Conspicuous that Keely, not likely to agree with much of anything on this blog, visits and comments because she has no agenda. Seems perfectly natural.
Agenda or not, Keely’s question appears to be relevant. I had the same thought.
I find Keely’s question to be an important one. What about crosses? And blue pomegranates in stained glass windows are never the issue.
I like the analogy of “graduate school” discipleship but am finding that I think of it in the reverse order — pictures are pictures, and a stained glass window depicting the sermon on the mount is very easy to grasp, but living out those teachings towards my flesh and blood neighbor is graduate school….
Interesting to ponder why we long to have an inanimate image of God than be a living image of God.
Did I miss something? Who’s longing here?
The last paragraph wouldn’t have applied to the disciples during the period of the incarnation, right?
Would I be correct that you are saying we behold the face of Jesus by
1) Learning to see God in your neighbor
2) Personal Regeneration
3) Hearing the Word of God
Would I also be correct that you are saying that these three ways to behold the face of Jesus are exclusive of any other means of seeing the face of Jesus? If so, would you say that such exclusivity is a contingent feature on our particular place in redemption history?