Question 98-99

 

Question 98: Then, can't those images be used as teaching aids in church?

Answer: Yes. We shouldn't try to be wiser than God. God wants his people to be taught not by dumb idols, but by the preaching of his living Word.

The image of God is Christ. The invisible image is made visible. Colossians 1:15, "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation."

Each church community portrays Jesus in various ways. They portray him as Jesus Christ preaching the gospel, Jesus Christ on the cross, and Jesus Christ resurrected. No church would call these images idolatrous.

 

Question 99: What does the third commandment require of us?

Answer: We are not to blaspheme God, nor to use his name in cursing, perjury, or unnecessary oaths; nor by being silent bystanders to such terrible sins, nor to participate in them indirectly. In short, the commandment is that we are to use God's holy name in all our words and deeds, confessing our faith in him, praying to him, and praising him.

Third, you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

The commandments God gave were not directed at unbelievers, but rather as words given to His people. Those who do not believe in God are sinners who have no connection to the Bible, so even mentioning them is meaningless.

However, if believers claim to believe in God, yet are mired in legalism, worldliness, and self-righteous mysticism, they are blaspheming God's name. If they call God "Father," God considers them vain and demands they stop calling on His name.

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