“You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God…”
—Exodus 20:3–5 (NASB)
As followers of Christ, it’s vital that we handle the Word of God accurately (2 Timothy 2:15). This includes the way we interpret the Ten Commandments—particularly the second, which speaks of images and idolatry. In our desire to honor God, we must be careful not to impose burdens He did not command or misunderstand His warnings about idolatry.
Over the years, some well-meaning preachers have taught that any image—especially of Jesus, angels, or saints—is a violation of the second commandment. While this may come from a sincere desire to avoid idolatry, it often leads to unnecessary confusion and fear over things that Scripture itself does not condemn.
Let’s look more closely at what the second commandment actually says and what it forbids.
What the Second Commandment Prohibits
The context of Exodus 20:4–5 is clear: God is forbidding the making of idols—images created for the purpose of worship or service to false gods. The key issue is not the mere existence of an image or likeness, but its use in worship.
God repeatedly condemned the worship of created things (Romans 1:23–25), whether they were representations of nature, animals, or heavenly beings. Examples include the golden calf (Exodus 32), Baal worship (1 Kings 18), and the idol temples of pagan nations.
Idolatry is ultimately a matter of the heart. As Colossians 3:5 states, even greed can be a form of idolatry. What God forbids is giving the honor, love, and devotion that belong to Him alone to anything else—whether that be a physical idol, money, a person, or an image.
What the Second Commandment Does Not Forbid
Interestingly, God Himself commanded the making of certain images for symbolic and instructional purposes:
The Bronze Serpent (Numbers 21:8–9) was lifted up to foreshadow Christ (John 3:14). The Ark of the Covenant had golden cherubim on it (Exodus 25:18–22). The Tabernacle curtains were embroidered with images of angels (Exodus 26:1).
These were crafted at God’s direction, not man’s invention. None of them were objects of worship, but tools to point people to God’s presence, holiness, and mercy.
In this light, artistic expressions such as paintings, drawings, or statues—when not worshipped—are not inherently sinful. They can serve as reminders of truth, as long as they don’t become substitutes for God Himself.
Images of Jesus and Saints: What’s Appropriate?
Some Christians find encouragement from artistic depictions of Jesus, biblical events, or Christian martyrs of the past. While these can be powerful visual reminders of faith, they must never become objects of veneration or prayer.
Scripture is clear: We are to pray to the Father (Matthew 6:9), through the Son (John 14:13–14), by the power of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:18). Saints who have gone before us would not want our worship—they would direct us to Christ alone (Acts 10:25–26, Revelation 22:8–9).
Having a picture of Jesus on your wall to remind you of His love is no more sinful than having a photo of your family. But turning that image into a focus of worship or seeking it for divine help crosses into error.
A Loving Call to Discernment
Paul exhorts us to “test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). We are also reminded not to let others pass judgment on matters where Scripture gives freedom (Colossians 2:16–23).
It’s important to learn directly from God’s Word, not just from human tradition or the opinions of popular preachers. Like the Bereans in Acts 17:11, we are called to search the Scriptures to see if what we hear is true.
When confronting others in the Body of Christ on matters like this, we are to speak with gentleness, humility, and love—not harshness or superiority (Galatians 6:1, 2 Timothy 2:24–25).
Conclusion
The second commandment is a holy call to worship God alone—not a blanket condemnation of every piece of religious art. Let us be faithful not only to the letter of God’s law but to its spirit: a heart that loves, honors, and obeys the one true God.
Let’s avoid extremes—both the error of idolatry and the error of condemning what God has not. And let us build one another up in truth and grace, pointing each other always back to Christ, the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15).
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