[silviawang]

Deuteronomy 415 Since you saw no form when the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire, take care and watch yourselves closely, 16so that you do not act corruptly by making an idol for yourselves, in the form of any figure

[Guest man]

Deuteronomy 415 Since you saw no form when the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire, take care and watch yourselves closely, 16so that you do not act corruptly by making an idol for yourselves, in the form of any figure

[Matthitjah]

Holy Cow! I am so glad God lifted the condemnation from off of my life. If not I'm certain I couldn't breathe from the stifling yoke around my neck. Excuse me while I go and talk to the European Jesus portrait hanging in my living room.

[silviawang]

but I do know that some Christians worship the painting of JESUS,talk ,pray and kneel down to that image

Edited July 25, 2010 by silviawang

[MorningGlory]

but I do know that some Christians worship the painting of JESUS,talk ,pray and kneel down to that image

Then what they do is wrong. We are to worship GOD; not images or idols. Case in point; the Catholic custom of worshipping Mary, Mother of Jesus.

[MorningGlory]

We need to be mindful that there are weak people that might stumble over things that we wouldn't, and while a picture of Jesus might not cause us to sin, it might cause someone else to sin.

I hadn't thought of that; good point.

[Guest man]

but I do know that some Christians worship the painting of JESUS,talk ,pray and kneel down to that image

Here's an instance where the Lord gave something good to the children of Israel and over time they turned it into an idol.

Numbers 21

5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses:

[Guest man]

if something over time becomes an idol, you should get rid of it. as you will notice, there was nothing wrong with this item at the begining as it was not an idol.

this is what an idol is...

idol:

an image or other material object representing a deity to which religious worship is addressed.

it is not an idol till you attach worship to it, then it becomes an idol.

Nicely put.

[oldzimm]

If something was made to be an idol of anything and worshiped, that would be a sin because God is the only one we are to worship. If someone were to make something as art and not worshiped it, then I see no problem. I once heard a Biblical scholar say God wants us to be creative in our work for the glory of God.

Now that the thought process has started in my head again (thanks guys LOL). At my old Church there is an crucifix stationed on the alter. During the service there are time when the minister would pray to God in front of that crucifix. Would praying in front of that crucifix be considered wrong to God? I don't know, just thought I'd ask.

[Guest man]

if something over time becomes an idol, you should get rid of it. as you will notice, there was nothing wrong with this item at the begining as it was not an idol.

this is what an idol is...

idol:

an image or other material object representing a deity to which religious worship is addressed.

it is not an idol till you attach worship to it, then it becomes an idol.

Nicely put.

so you agree a picture of Jesus would be ok but worshiping said picture would be bad?

No, I don't agree. There's no such thing as a picture of Jesus. There's an image with the name of Jesus attached to it.....that's not Jesus. That's a false image. It's a lie. It's a deception of the devil.

Your definition of an idol, "an image or other material object representing a deity to which religious worship is addressed".

The deity that is represented in that image is Jesus. The focal point of our worship is Jesus. Even if one doesn't physically worship that image, when you close your eyes and think of Jesus, what do you see?

The bronze serpent started out as a good thing, but as time passed, it turned into something evil. That's why it was destroyed. People were burning incense to that thing, they gave it a name. Not everyone was worshipping that bronze serpent, but it was destroyed for what it had become to some people.

Not everyone worships that image of Christ, but for some people it has become an object of adoration. People pray to that image. They burn incense and candles to that image. People kiss the feet of statues made in that image. There's even a denomination that curses people who do not show respect to that image.

That image we all know as Christ is not harmless. It's not just a picture, painting or statue. It is something that should be shunned by all believers because it is a lie. It's a distraction, an invisible stumbling block, it is a image of the devil transforming himself into an angel of light. It is an idol, plain and simple.