We need to protect ourselves from wrongly seeing Christ as some actor or faulty illustration we have seen, how much more should we protect our children? We should strongly object to the thought that images “can be spiritually helpful for our children.” I contend just the opposite: they can easily draw our children into sin.

A debate has been stirring in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) on whether using pictures or images of Jesus is appropriate or a violation of the second commandment. There has been an apparent increase in the number of candidates for licensure and ordination taking a stated difference with Larger Catechism 109[1], in which they state that they see no problem with using pictures of Jesus for “pedagogical purposes.” Recently, I heard of one man who not only saw no issues with using images of Jesus to teach children, but also stated that using such images, “can be spiritually helpful for our children.”

That got me thinking, is it really a good thing to have pictures of Jesus, especially for our children? Or might it actually cause harm? I offer three reasons why those who think there is nothing wrong with this, may want to reconsider their view.

To Uphold God’s Glory

First, we should uphold God’s glory as we teach our children; using pictures of Jesus distorts the reality of his glory. We have all seen the kinds of pictures that are used in children’s material to depict our Lord. Every picture, no matter how well intended, detracts from God’s glory. Most likely you have seen the pictures I’m talking about. Everything from the Caucasian Hippy Jesus to the Precious Moments Jesus. I simply contend that it is dishonoring to the Lord to depict the Lion of the Tribe of Judah as a Precious Moments figurine. Illustrations commonly used in children’s literature and Sunday School curriculum inadvertently cause our children to think of the second person of the Godhead in terms of cartoon representations at worst, or as one-sided, inaccurate attempts to illustrate Christ’s human nature, separated from His divine nature. This division of the natures of Christ takes away from God’s glory and dishonors Him.

Let us remember that God is jealous of His glory:

I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.  Isaiah 42:8.

To Obey God

Second, the  reason we should not use pictures of Jesus is to obey God. Even if we were able to perfectly depict Christ in all of His glory, God’s Word is clear, we are not to make images of God:

Therefore watch yourselves very carefully. Since you saw no form on the day that the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, beware lest you act corruptly by making a carved image for yourselves, in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female.… Deuteronomy 4:15-16.

Several times in the Old Testament, God manifested Himself physically through visions and dreams. He manifested Himself physically before Abraham in Genesis 18. And yet it was always clear that the Old Testament church was not to create images of God. Even though, in Isaiah 6, Isaiah saw “the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up;” He was not to make an image of God as he saw Him. And Isaiah actually saw a manifestation of God. How much more are we forbidden to make an image of Christ, whom none of us has seen in the flesh.

The common testimony of Scripture is that making images of God is forbidden. And since Jesus is God, we are not to make images of Him.

To Protect Our Children

Third, we should not use pictures of Jesus with our children is to protect our children. The Westminster Larger Catechism answer 109, says in part, “The sins forbidden in the second commandment are… 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.” Some have said that it is difficult to avoid forming mental representations of Christ as we read the gospel narratives. Let us remind ourselves that the difficulty of a command never negates the necessity of obeying God. We are all called to be Holy as our Father in heaven is holy. As Augustine famously said, “God command what you will and grant what you command.”

As adults, we recognize how difficult it can be to separate images we have seen from the reality of our Lord. We know He didn’t look like whatever picture we may have seen. We know better than to pray to that image or to worship that false image in our minds. But what about our children?

How often have parents pointed to illustrations in a Bible story book and said, “There’s Jesus feeding the 5,000” or “There’s Jesus healing the blind man”?

We need to protect ourselves from wrongly seeing Christ as some actor or faulty illustration we have seen, how much more should we protect our children? We should strongly object to the thought that images “can be spiritually helpful for our children.” I contend just the opposite: they can easily draw our children into sin.

Let us remember the words of our Lord in Mark 9:42,

Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.

I have been encouraged by stories of pastors who, at one time, had no problem with images of Jesus. Then after a time of studying the issue came to embrace our standards on this issue. It is my hope and prayer that others will also come to see that we should not use images of Jesus as a matter of God’s glory, as a matter of obedience, and as a matter of protecting our children.

Terry Carnes is a Ruling Elder in Christ Covenant Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Warminster, Penn.

[1] Question 109: What are the sins forbidden in the second commandment?

Answer: The sins forbidden in the second commandment are, all devising, counseling, 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 pretense: Whatsoever; simony; sacrilege; all neglect, contempt, hindering, and opposing the worship and ordinances which God has appointed.