The Second Commandment - A True Image Of God
The 2nd Commandment: How Do We Perceive God?
Exodus 20:4-6
lHow do we perceive God? Is it through our senses... eyes, ears, fingertips, etc.?
lHow do we explain Him to ourselves and/or to others?
We commonly think of the 2nd commandment as a prohibition of strange carvings of Dagon (the fish god), or Molech, or a human figurines with the head of a wolf. But the prohibition of false deities is already covered in the first commandment... "have no other gods besides me". If you obey that first command you wouldn't need this subsequent warning against idolatry. It would be redundant.
The second command must therefore also refer to the use of pictures, statues, and other false representations of the true Creator God.
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The 2nd command says make no pictures or carvings as representations of Me.
Lifeless inanimate objects could never properly represent the living God. In this same spirit there should be no false theories or explanations of who and what I am (for example; the trinity teaching, which is an attempt to explain the living God that is not what has been revealed in scripture and disobeys His directive to "not add to what has been given").
The Creator will explain and reveal Himself to humanity as He sees fit.
Did You Know: God Has Provided An "Approved" Likeness Of Himself
Genesis 1:27 --> Genesis 5:1-2 perceiving the likeness of God begins with human beings. We are living images of a living God. We are a representation that is superior to lifeless pictures, objects, or abstract theories.
The Creator of the universe is active, thinking, feeling, planning, affectionate. He is not creation of human ideals, nor an impersonal "force" within the universe like fertility, strength, logic, math.
Lifeless pictures and statues distort and diminish our understanding of the living God and also limit our understanding of our relationship with Him.
Of all things in the physical realm only living beings could begin to picture the living God. And of all the living things on earth only human beings are designated as the beginnings of a reasonable likeness of God.
I say beginning because it is only through Jesus, the "Son of Man"... (the Son who came in the likeness of a human being) that we have a worthy image of God. Through Him we see how God approaches life. We see Jesus following the lead of God’s spirit and seeking God’s will. In Jesus we are presented with the most complete image of the Father (of God) available to the flesh & blood mind. An image of God that is meaningful and has purpose because it also points to our own personal, spiritual, and eternal destiny.
The Creator will make this likeness complete in us. Beginning in the flesh and completed in the spirit.
1. How then are flesh & blood humans like God?
2. How are flesh and blood humans not like God?
3. How do we to become more like Him?
How We Are Like God
God gives us creative abilities, leadership abilities which are similar to Him but on a greatly limited scale. Of all the physical creation only human beings have this power of mind. We reason, analyze, plan, visualize the future... We create literature, art... we design and build. We organize, manage, supervise both things and other people. In this way we are LIKE the living God.
How We Are Not Like God
Humans are created in the image of God... yet in many ways we are NOT LIKE Him. We treat each other badly, we have limited grasp of spiritual realities, we are biased, opinionated, unjust, selfish, and quickly get into conflict.
How Do We Become More Like God?
Human beings have the the capacity to consciously choose and actively develop qualities of character. Fore example we might decide we need to be more self assertive and develop strategies and habits to make it part of our personality. We might decide we need to be more positive, more thrifty, more serious, more mindful, etc.
When this capacity to make a decision about who and what we want to be is applied to spiritual matters then we move toward being a more complete image of our Creator.
Colossians 3:1-10 ... the spiritual qualities that define this new man are found in:
Galatians 5:19-24... the fruits of the flesh and the fruits of the spirit show themself in our lives by a very different processes.
The fruits of the flesh come naturally without any effort on our part... selfishness requires no effort. Fighting is our default setting unless we exert self control.
The fruits of the spirit require considerable effort to live by. We have to exert our mental emotional strength and determination of will to practice and learn humility, justice, service, and purity. These are aspects of God's true image which we lack and must put on.
The likeness of God found in flesh and blood humans is only a beginning! We must add to it to get the full picture, or image of God. We get this additional information from:
1. God's word
2. the presence of His holy spirit in us
Jesus Provides The Perfect Human Example
God's word presents us with the person, the teaching, the example, the life of Jesus Christ. In Him we receive example and instruction on what it takes to complete this likeness of God.
Christ who has been raised and is alive is present in us. This is the holy spirit which convicts, counsels, strengthens and helps us judge ourselves.
John 14:6-11 the likeness of God we have is living, and it is active in us.
Colossians 1:15 where I have gone you too will go
Our Creator's goal is to transform us... our nature and our character... into Christ's image... who is complete in the likeness of God... our creator... our Father. This process will be complete upon your resurrection unto spirit.
1 Corinthians 15:45-53
1 John 3:2 the completeness and maturity of Christ
Living In Obedience To His Commandments
Exodus 20:4-6 the second commandment actually has two parts. The first part says no images, the second part warns of accountability. We must answer for our words and deeds because it is through these that we complete the image of God.
Kneeling, bowing, praying, before a picture or an object (yes, I would include in this an image of a cross) might look and feel like an act of devotion and submission... but true worship is demonstrated through the keeping of our Creator's commands.
John 4:23-24 knowledge and understanding of God's truth are essential for growing holy righteous character... and filling out, or completing, our image of God.
Proverbs 2:1-5
Once you gain understanding of truth (which is received from God through His word and spirit) then you are held responsible and accountable for what you know.
James 1:22-25 --> 1 John 2:4-6
We worship of God by obeying Him, by emulating Him, by learning through practice to think and live as He does. We honor and show respect for Him by living this way.
Negative Effects of Creating False Images Of God
Pictures, objects, and all false representations of God keep us from seeing Him in the multifaceted reality of His being. He acts with gentleness and mercy, He can also act with wrath and judgment. The living God can not be limited to any 2 dimensional, or even 3 dimensional depiction.
His presentation of Himself to us is active, alive, and moral in nature. BY moral I mean that our understanding of Him is based on the quality or character of His actions; just, merciful, faithful, affectionate, self controlled etc. Anything less is a deceptive.
Use Of Images & Objects As Aids In Worship Are A Diversion
Reduction of the fullness of God's truth and incomplete presentation of God's truth are highly effective strategies of Satan. It is one of his tactics to get folks to visualize Jesus Christ as a lifeless inanimate picture, statue or object... this subtly diverts our attention from the fullness of the living Christ. It dulls undermines our perception of the vibrant, perfect, living God and gets us focused on created things (the first step towards violating the 1st commandment - have no other gods before me).
2 Corinthians 3:18 - 4:1-7 this image of God is not so much seen, not so much heard, not so much touched, as it is experienced in the quality of life lived in obedience to our Creator's commandments.
Conclusion:
The 2nd commandment is a warning to keep our eyes and attention on the living God who is known and perceived through His works.
Deuteronomy 4:15-20 you know me not through any image, or object, or even my own appearance… but through the nature of what I do. I am the God who brought you out of Egypt!
The ultimate of God's works is the life of Jesus Christ, the perfect or complete spiritual representation of our heavenly Father.
The 2nd commandment protects our special relationship with our Creator... we are made in His likeness... yet, destined to become even more fully like Him... fashioned into His spiritual image... and raised to a special place in His own family.
Our Creator is greater than anything we can see or imagine. His likeness is truly perceived through living and doing... and this understanding is built upon the foundation of obedience to His commandments and putting on His spiritual outlook; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, loyalty, gentleness, mercy, and justice.
This message is part of a 4 part series covering the 1st four commandments. The commandments which outline what it means to love God with all our hearts, all our minds, and all our being. Here are links to all four -
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