Whether ministers recognize it or not, the reformed tradition has always seen the real correlation between superstition and idolatry and images of God’s being (for all persons of the trinity). Images of Christ are antithetical to what is at the heart of the reformed tradition which focuses on the audible rather than the visible. Portraying God via images is essentially pagan and the means by which the pagans worship their gods (Amos 5:5-27). 

This is the third and final installment of this series. You can find part 1 here and part 2 here.

Having laid down the foundation for how allowing for images of Christ indeed strikes at the vitals of various reformed doctrines, let us consider some common objections:

1. We do not use images in Lord’s Day worship but simply in teaching children. Answer. The second commandment of the Decalogue and the Standards do not forbid making images of Christ simply in public liturgy but rather the making of images of any kind (as it pertains God’s essence and any person).
2. I am not worshipping the image; it is simply about Christ in a pedagogical manner. Answer. All knowledge of Christ is unto the end of worship and doxology (Ephesians 1:3-18) and therefore, to learn of Christ pedagogically but not doxologically is not Christian pedagogy. Furthermore, the scriptures and confession not only forbid worshiping images, but also worshiping Christ in and by and through the image. In addition, if people truly do not worship the image of Christ why has it often been the case when such images are removed from nativity sets, windows, and other places on church property that people are deeply troubled, angered, divisive, and demanding that such images remain?
3. This logic leads to the rejection of the Christian arts. Answer. Christians are free to depict the Christian story, events, and concepts visibly; however, God’s being and essence are not to be visibly depicted. God commands His people to remember Him and His acts of redemption with stones and various visible monuments and yet condemns them for visibly portraying His essence.
4. This logic would make the incarnation impossible as the incarnation indeed makes Christ visible. Answer. God made His Son visible by His own prerogative and He never told anyone else to do the same or imitate Him.
5. Jesus took on flesh and so it is that we can physically portray Him. Answer. You do not know what He looks like therefore, such portrayals are idolatrous projections. Jesus is God and man in one flesh and portraying one nature and not the other truncates the hypostatic union.
6. Images are only for Children in their early years. Answer. The proverbs say that one is to raise up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it. If you train children in the way of images, then they will very likely not depart from knowing Christ through images. The thousands of adults in the visible church (reformed and all others) who have and use images attest to this.
7. In the OT God appeared visibly in various ways (fire, smoke, bushes, temple) and so it is that it is appropriate to portray God visibly. Answer. In all the visible manifestations of God His essence remains hidden. Notice how on Sinai and the temple, God’s naked essence is hidden in smoke. God’s visible manifestations portray His essence and being as hidden.

Having considered the common objections and answered them, let us conclude with some further considerations and conclusions.

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