Their is another quote of someone on here talking about a picture of Christ.

Okay so the second I saw these I was like "waaaa!?" Now in my home above the entertainment center is a nice painting of Jesus (well obviously NOT Jesus but what is suppose to be Jesus) and my Church has like this big plastic type cross bolted to the outside of the building, a small wooden cross outside on the ground, and a small wooden type cross up on the wall inside the church. Now am I to understand that this is sinful?

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Joshua
Non-Denominational
Fair Haven, Vermont
Romans 1 = Smack to the face about the human condition!
24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. - Romans 7:24-25

It is sinful to make an image of God. Jesus is God. Therefore the painting of Jesus is idolatry. Therefore it is a sin.

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Larry Bray
Elder - Reformed Presbyterian Church of Boothwyn, PCA
Boothwyn, PA - http://www.rpcb.org/
Free Online Reformed Seminary - http://www.tnars.net
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Christian ritual costs nothing and is worth nothing. True Christian religion costs all that we have and is worth everything.

Joshua, the scripture tells us that sin is any trespass of God's law and that involves explicit and implicit understandings of the Law. Some requirements and restrictions are pretty obvious (explicit) but others may have to be understood through 'good and necessary' consequences (implicit), a logical argument.

Convictions also play an important role in what may be sin, it is possible that what is sin for one person may not be sin for another - scripture says that to know something is wrong and then to do it is sin.

Images of Christ are a much argued area in understanding the second commandment. Classic protestantism rejects images of Christ because it believes that Christ should only be pictured in the sacraments of baptism and communion. Jesus himself said, "Do THIS in remembrance of me".

Images tend to confuse and mislead and add distortions to our image of God. God of course is Spirit and it would make no sense to try and image the Father, Jesus left no description of his physical appearance. Many of the images we see are really the long-haired Merovignian kings of 5th through 8th century France and Germany, these pictures became the false image for portraying God the Son. That's just weird!

For some, an image of Christ is a blatant trangression of the 2nd commandment. Obviously not all churches see it that way but then again, churches tend toward liberality in their convictions as they seek to please men and end up dishonoring God in the journey.

The cross, again, is a symbol that is not prescribed or suggested for use by the scripture. The scriptures are clear on what our 'point of contact' is to be with God, the scriptures themselves are to be sole revelation of the Godhead. Any other image or object that we might use as an aid to help us focus on God can quickly and too easily become an idol.

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Bob Vigneault C.O.L, L.E., G.E, Dr.O.P., O.U.T.
The Heartbeat of Heaven (blog)
Deacon/Christ Presbyterian Church, Janesville, WI OPC www.christ-opc.org

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Thanks for the explanation guys I hardly notice the picture up on my wall, and my dad has debated with himself many times whether or not he should take it down. As for the crosses over at my Church they... hmm I hate to say they seem to be just decoration of sorts you know? they are just THEIR nothing is done with them. Thanks again guys.