Matthew Willard Lankford
Puritan Board Freshman
In another discussion, I made the point that it is important for Baptists and those who may not subscribe to the Westminster Confession of Faith to note that historically Reformed Baptists/Particular Baptists also believed that making purported images of the Lord Jesus Christ is unlawful. Is anyone else aware of any historic Reformed Baptist/Particular Baptist resources which take a stand against making images to represent the Lord? Quotes?
Here are a few historic voices I've found which seem to be against making images to represent the Lord:
Hercules Collins' An Orthodox Catechism (a Baptist adaption of the Heidelberg Catechism Orthodox Catechism - Hercules Collins
Benjamin Beddome's A Scriptural Exposition of the Baptist Catechism (http://books.google.com/books?id=16c9AAAAYAAJ):
Benjamin Keach's The Progress of SIN, OR THE TRAVELS OF Ungodliness (p. 39 http://books.google.com/books?id=WtkCAAAAQAAJ):
John Gill's commentary on Isaiah 40:25:
Charles Spurgeon's sermon Iconoclast Sermon #960 Volume 16 (http://www.spurgeongems.org/vols16-18/chs960.pdf):
[Note: There are a number of other comments by Spurgeon relevant to this subject which could be added.]
J.C. Philpot's sermon The Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the Knowledge of Christ (sermon found in Volume 8 of Philpot's sermons, available in pdf http://grace-ebooks.com/library/J C Philpot/JCP Philpot Sermons Volume 8.pdf):
...
...
From A.W. Pink's Gleanings From Exodus (http://www.pbministries.org/books/pink/Life_of_Faith/faith_06.htm):
It would also be interesting to find examples of contemporary Reformed Baptist/Particular Baptists voices against making images to represent the Lord. He are a few voices I've found which seem to be against making images to represent the Lord:
Richard Bennett (former Roman Catholic priest and president of Berean Beacon Berean Beacon proclaims the Good News of Salvation, The Gospel of Jesus Christ. The President and founder is Richard Bennett, a former Roman Catholic Priest. - Home):
Albert N. Martin on Mel Gibson's idolatrous Passion movie: The Passion Movie: To See or Not To See - SermonAudio.com Transcript: IDOLATRY CONDEMNED: Albert N. Martin Against Celluloid Jesus
[Note: Martin refers people to John Piper's work at the end of his sermon. I would just issue a caution about Piper, since he said "God broke the Second Commandment when he became incarnate" and endorses the use of forbidden images. Source: http://www.puritanboard.com/f15/john-piper-2nd-commandment-36910/ Note the link to the audio is broken on the original discussion, but can still be found here: http://media.desiringgod.org/audio/c...0204_panel.mp3]
Voddie Baucham (http://www.gracefamilybaptist.net/voddie-baucham-ministries/):
Tom Chantry of Christ Reformed Baptist Church has several sermons concerning the Second Commandment in his series on the Ten Commandments: http://crbc.us/series/14-The-Ten-Commandments
James White (Alpha & Omega Ministries http://www.aomin.org/):
(The Forgotten Trinity, p. 18)
(Ibid., p. 20)
(Ibid., p.38)
Here are a few historic voices I've found which seem to be against making images to represent the Lord:
Hercules Collins' An Orthodox Catechism (a Baptist adaption of the Heidelberg Catechism Orthodox Catechism - Hercules Collins
Q. 105 What is idolatry?
A. Idolatry is having or inventing something in which one trusts in place of or alongside of the only true God, who has revealed himself in his Word.1
1
1 Chron. 16:26; Gal. 4:8-9; Eph. 5:5; Phil. 3:19
Q. 106. What is the Second Commandment?
A. Thou shalt make to thee no graven Image, nor the Likeness of any thing which is in Heaven above, or in he Earth beneath, nor in the Waters under the Earth: thou shalt not bow down to them,nor worship them, for I the Lord thy God and a jealous God, and visit the sins of the Fathers upon the Children, unto the third and fourth Generation of them that hate me, and shew Mercy to thousands of them which love me, and keep my Commandments.
Q. 107 What is God's will for us in the second commandment?
A. That we in no way make any image of God1 nor worship him in any other way than he has commanded in his Word.2
1
Deut. 4:15-19; Isa. 40:18-25; Acts 17:29; Rom. 1:22-23
2
Lev. 10:1-7; 1 Sam. 15:22-23; John 4:23-24
Q. 108 May we then not make any image at all?
A. God can not and may not be visibly portrayed in any way. Although creatures may be portrayed, yet God forbids making or having such images if one's intention is to worship them or to serve God through them.1
1
Ex. 34:13-14, 17; 2 Kings 18:4-5
Q. 109 But may not images be permitted in the churches as teaching aids for the unlearned?
A. No, we shouldn't try to be wiser than God. He wants his people instructed by the living preaching of his Word—1not by idols that cannot even talk.2
1
Rom. 10:14-15, 17; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:19
2
Jer. 10:8; Hab. 2:18-20
Benjamin Beddome's A Scriptural Exposition of the Baptist Catechism (http://books.google.com/books?id=16c9AAAAYAAJ):
§ Is it a sin to worship the true God by images? Yes. Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves, for ye saw no manner of similitude, Deut. iv. 15, 16. Can we form any image of God in our minds? No. To whom will ye liken God? Isa. xl. 18. Is it impossible then to form it with our hands? Yes. For we must not think that the Godhead is like unto gold or silver, or stone graven by art or man's device, Acts xvii. 29. Do those therefore that attempt it put a great affront upon him? Yes. They change the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like unto corruptible man, Rom. i. 23.
Benjamin Keach's The Progress of SIN, OR THE TRAVELS OF Ungodliness (p. 39 http://books.google.com/books?id=WtkCAAAAQAAJ):
This Seth begat Enos, so he is called in Greek; in Hebrew, Ænosh; that is by Interpretation, sorrowful, sick, miserable; so named 'tis thought, from the Consideration of the woeful State of those Days. For, it seems, that Sin prevailed wonderfully (as worthy Annotationers make report) by profane calling on the Almighty, and by calling Idols by the Name of the Lord, and by making Images and Representations of Him.
John Gill's commentary on Isaiah 40:25:
There is nothing whatever, that is a fit likeness and similitude, by which to represent the Lord.
Charles Spurgeon's sermon Iconoclast Sermon #960 Volume 16 (http://www.spurgeongems.org/vols16-18/chs960.pdf):
THE First Commandment instructs us that there is but one God, who alone is to be worshipped. And the Second Commandment teaches that no attempt is to be made to represent the Lord, neither are we to bow down before any form of sacred similitude.
[Note: There are a number of other comments by Spurgeon relevant to this subject which could be added.]
J.C. Philpot's sermon The Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the Knowledge of Christ (sermon found in Volume 8 of Philpot's sermons, available in pdf http://grace-ebooks.com/library/J C Philpot/JCP Philpot Sermons Volume 8.pdf):
We want a Person to be the object of our faith; for faith needs an object, and especially in the matter of worship or service, a personal object. Do you not feel that you want some personal object to believe in, to hope in, to worship, to adore, to love? The feeling of this want has been the source of idolatry. When men had lost the knowledge of the only true God and could not look forward in faith to the Messiah who was to be revealed, they set up a visible idol that they might have a personal object to worship—a visible representation, as they conceived, of invisible Deity. A personal God, then, is an object with us of prime necessity, for we cannot worship what is unknown or wholly invisible. The invisible God therefore has made himself visible in the Person of his dear Son; and when he is pleased to shine into the heart, he makes himself known there in his personal glory, as the apostle beautifully speaks, "For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Cor. 4:6.) It is in the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, that God is thus seen and known; and when the Lord the Spirit takes the veil of unbelief and ignorance off our heart, then is fulfilled that inward transformation into the same glory of which the apostle testifies: "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Cor. 3:18.) Now it is most necessary for our faith and hope to believe in this glorious gospel which thus makes known the glory of God in the face, or, as the word might be rendered, the Person of Jesus Christ; for we cannot worship or serve God under a sense of his burning displeasure in a broken law. We cannot draw nigh to the Majesty of heaven as a consuming fire, any more than the children of Israel could draw near to Sinai's blazing top. But he has come near to us when we could not come nigh to him. He has come near to us in the face of a Mediator; "for there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."
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We are not to look for dreams, visions, voices, supernatural appearances, sights in the sky, open and outward views of Christ in his glory, or of Christ hanging upon the cross. We are not to expect or even desire any thing that is visible, something which the eye of sense might almost apprehend or the bodily finger almost touch. I cannot, I dare not, limit the power or the wisdom of God: and I doubt not that some, if not many of the Lord's people, have been so powerfully impressed by what they have seen and heard of and from the Lord, that it was to them as if they had actually seen his bodily shape or heard his spoken voice. But we walk by faith, not by sight, and if we seem to see invisible things, we see them only by the eye of faith, or if we hear gracious words, we hear them only by the ear of faith. God in his word has given no promise to the natural eye or the natural ear; nor are we saved by what our natural eyes see or our natural ears hear. It is by grace we are saved through faith, and not by seeing supernatural sights or hearing audible words. The apostle Paul was indeed caught up to the third heaven, and there heard unspeakable words, and doubtless viewed ravishing sights; but the Holy Ghost has drawn a veil over them, for the apostle says of them, that they were "things not lawful for a man to utter."
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God does not speak with a new revelation from heaven, nor give us something with his own voice from above, as though he would furnish us with a new Bible, or reveal to us some fresh truth not contained in it. All truth is in the Scripture; but though truth is in the Scripture, there is a veil over the book of God, so that we can neither understand nor believe it until it is removed. But when the Lord the Spirit is pleased to take the veil of unbelief and ignorance from off the mind, and to remove the veil from off the word of truth, and thus gives us power to receive and believe what God has there written, this is a revelation, or an uncovering of the word without, and the heart within; and the Spirit who works this, is a Spirit of revelation; for it is the Lord the Spirit who takes the veil away, as the apostle declares: "Now the Lord is that Spirit." (2 Cor. 3:17.) It is thus that Christ is revealed in the heart, as he is revealed in the word. Do we see by faith his Deity? It is because in the word he is revealed in the Scriptures as God, and the Son of God. Do we see by faith his humanity? It is because he is spoken of in the word as the Son of man. Do we see his complex Person as the God-Man? It is because he is revealed there as Immanuel, God with us. Many of the dear saints of God, when they hear or read of a revelation of Christ, are tempted to look for some supernatural sight or mysterious manifestation which God has never promised to give. He will reveal his dear Son in them and make him known unto them; but it will be in his way, not in theirs, in harmony with his word, and not with the fancies or expectations of their own mind.
From A.W. Pink's Gleanings From Exodus (http://www.pbministries.org/books/pink/Life_of_Faith/faith_06.htm):
Two is the number of witness, and in this second commandment man is forbidden to attempt any visible representation of Deity, whether furnished by the skill of the artist or the sculptor. The first commandment points out the one only object of worship; the second tells us how He is to be worshipped-in spirit and in truth, by faith and not by images which appeal to the senses. The design of this commandment is to draw us away from carnal conceptions of God, and to prevent His worship being profaned by superstitious rites.
It would also be interesting to find examples of contemporary Reformed Baptist/Particular Baptists voices against making images to represent the Lord. He are a few voices I've found which seem to be against making images to represent the Lord:
Richard Bennett (former Roman Catholic priest and president of Berean Beacon Berean Beacon proclaims the Good News of Salvation, The Gospel of Jesus Christ. The President and founder is Richard Bennett, a former Roman Catholic Priest. - Home):
Audio presentations:
Articles:
The Gospel and the Present Day Idolatry
The Gospel and the Present Day Idolatry - Richard Bennett) | Online presence of Sovereign Grace Baptist Church, Woodbridge, VA
No Graven Images in the Worship of God
No Graven Images in the Worship of God - SermonAudio.com
The Gospel and the Present Day Idolatry - Richard Bennett) | Online presence of Sovereign Grace Baptist Church, Woodbridge, VA
No Graven Images in the Worship of God
No Graven Images in the Worship of God - SermonAudio.com
Articles:
"Idolatry in the Evangelical Camp" (co-written with J. Virgil Dunbar): http://media.sermonaudio.com/mediapdf/91506152931.pdf
"Indifference or Ignorance: The Practice of Idolatry Within the Church" (co-written with Randall Paquette): A Puritan's Mind » The Practice of Idolatry Within the Church – by Richard Bennett and Randall Paquette
"The Passion of Christ: Mel Gibson's Vivid Deception" (co-written with J. Virgil Dunbar):
"The Passion of Christ" - Mel Gibson's Vivid Deception
"Indifference or Ignorance: The Practice of Idolatry Within the Church" (co-written with Randall Paquette): A Puritan's Mind » The Practice of Idolatry Within the Church – by Richard Bennett and Randall Paquette
"The Passion of Christ: Mel Gibson's Vivid Deception" (co-written with J. Virgil Dunbar):
"The Passion of Christ" - Mel Gibson's Vivid Deception
Albert N. Martin on Mel Gibson's idolatrous Passion movie: The Passion Movie: To See or Not To See - SermonAudio.com Transcript: IDOLATRY CONDEMNED: Albert N. Martin Against Celluloid Jesus
[Note: Martin refers people to John Piper's work at the end of his sermon. I would just issue a caution about Piper, since he said "God broke the Second Commandment when he became incarnate" and endorses the use of forbidden images. Source: http://www.puritanboard.com/f15/john-piper-2nd-commandment-36910/ Note the link to the audio is broken on the original discussion, but can still be found here: http://media.desiringgod.org/audio/c...0204_panel.mp3]
Voddie Baucham (http://www.gracefamilybaptist.net/voddie-baucham-ministries/):
The law is sin? By no means! - SermonAudio.com Transcript of the relevant selection from the sermon: IDOLATRY CONDEMNED: Voddie Baucham on Images of Christ in Films
Baucham's paraphrase of the Second Commandment from Culture Wars DVD:
Also see Grace Family Baptist's notes on the 2nd Commandment: http://www.gracefamilybaptist.net/media/filer/2011/11/15/2nd_-_part_1.pdf
Baucham's paraphrase of the Second Commandment from Culture Wars DVD:
Commandment number two: Don't even make anything that looks like me.
Also see Grace Family Baptist's notes on the 2nd Commandment: http://www.gracefamilybaptist.net/media/filer/2011/11/15/2nd_-_part_1.pdf
Tom Chantry of Christ Reformed Baptist Church has several sermons concerning the Second Commandment in his series on the Ten Commandments: http://crbc.us/series/14-The-Ten-Commandments
James White (Alpha & Omega Ministries http://www.aomin.org/):
True worship must worship God as He exists, not as we wish Him to be. The essence of idolatry is the making of images of God. An image is a shadow, a false representation. We may not bow before a statue or figure, but if we make an image of God in our mind that is not in accord with God’s revelation of Himself, then we are not worshipping in truth. Since sin and rebellion are always pushing us toward false gods and away from the true God, we must seek every day to conform our thinking and our worship to God’s straight-edge standard of truth, revealed so wonderfully in Scripture. We must be willing to love God as He is, and that includes every aspect of His being that might, due to our fallen state, be offensive to us, or beyond our limited capacities to fully comprehend. God is not to be edited to fit our ideas and preconceptions.
(The Forgotten Trinity, p. 18)
If we love Him and worship Him as He deserves, we will not dare to "edit" Him to fit our desires. Instead, we will seek to worship Him in truth.
(Ibid., p. 20)
Uniqueness. Otherness. It is part of the meaning of the word "holy" itself, and God makes it plainly known that He is holy. No images, no likenesses of Him are to be allowed, for such would create a connection that does not exist. He is Creator, everything else is created. He is infinite, everything else is finite. God asks the questions of anyone who would compare Him to anything in the created order:
Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as His counselor has informed Him? With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding? And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge and informed Him of the way of understanding? Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales; behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust. Even Lebanon is not enough to burn, nor its beasts enough for a burnt offering. All the nations are as nothing before Him, they are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless. To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him?
(Ibid., p.38)
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