RTaron
The Grandpa (Affectionately Called)
Please help. I have a friend that has taken exception to the Larger Catechism 109. How would you help him understand his error in thinking?
WLC 109 – “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, outwardly in any kind of image or likeness of any creature whatsoever…”
a. I do not think picturing Jesus in our minds is out of accord with the commandments of Scripture. The Catechism at this point seems to me an unnecessary application of the second commandment (Ex 20:4-6; Deut 5:8-10), which is more concerned with carved images that might be used as the object of worship instead of the Lord. Even passages such as Rev. 1 invite the reader into imaginative participation with descriptions of the ascended Christ. This by no means suggests that these images are complete representations or that they should be worshiped in and of themselves. Moreover, I do affirm the original intent of this passage to condemn superstition and idolatry in the use of images.
Thanks in advance.
WLC 109 – “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, outwardly in any kind of image or likeness of any creature whatsoever…”
a. I do not think picturing Jesus in our minds is out of accord with the commandments of Scripture. The Catechism at this point seems to me an unnecessary application of the second commandment (Ex 20:4-6; Deut 5:8-10), which is more concerned with carved images that might be used as the object of worship instead of the Lord. Even passages such as Rev. 1 invite the reader into imaginative participation with descriptions of the ascended Christ. This by no means suggests that these images are complete representations or that they should be worshiped in and of themselves. Moreover, I do affirm the original intent of this passage to condemn superstition and idolatry in the use of images.
Thanks in advance.