The Practice of Idolatry within the Church

Indifference or ignorance

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"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments."[24] 

This commandment prohibits the creation and use of graven images. It essentially brings to mind that God is a Spirit, not to be conceived of or fashioned in man's image, or any other creature. In Deuteronomy 4:12-16 is found a concomitant passage,

"And the LORD spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice.  And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone. And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it. Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire: Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female...."

 

            What is forbidden is the similitude of Lord Himself. No similitude of the Divine was given to the people and none was to be made. And in the New Testament, we see that no "similitude" of Christ Jesus was given, and the commandment must remain unabridged. Any similitude or image of Father, Son or Holy Spirit is sinful and insulting to the majesty of the Lord God. And what of those who seek balm for their conscience in preferring pictures over statues, as if the lack of one dimension transforms the image into a thing acceptable unto God ? They well imagine that they have acted more nobly toward the Lord because theirs is not a "graven image." It comforts them not to be upon the Roman road of idolatry, oblivious to the fact that they parallel it upon the Greek route.[25] God forbids the making of a likeness of anything. Therefore it is a transgression of God's law to make a "representation" or "semblance" of anything in heaven or upon the earth, to delineate God. He calls those who break this commandment "those who hate me",[26] and those who keep the commandment, "those who love me"[27]. Punishment for iniquity is promised to the transgressors, while blessing is pledged to its adherents. From God's perspective idolatry is spiritual adultery, so with the indignant reaction of a betrayed husband, He continues, "for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me."[28]

 

The Lesson of the Golden Calf

 

            The children of Israel languished in impatience and unbelief at the base of Mount Sinai, waiting for Moses, who seemingly would not return. Impatience grew into murmuring, murmuring into vociferation. God they had never seen with their eyes; and now His anointed, "this Moses. . .we wot not what is become of him.« He too, it appeared, had vanished, never to return. »Up," they enjoined Aaron, "make us gods.« The corporeal yearning of their hearts demanded visible forms for religious expression. But there is a price to be paid; the pure must be forfeited to produce the crass. They must part with their gold, and bring it to Aaron and he took it, "and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods (Elohim), O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD.« The children of Israel looked upon this idol and called it "Elohim. . .which brought thee up out of Egypt.« Aaron ratified this designation, for with the image as centerpiece, tomorrow would be a feast to Jehovah. But what did God see ? The answer is given in Scripture, "They made a calf in Horeb and worshipped the molten image. Thus they changed their Glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass; they forgat God their Savior."[29]

 

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