052. Chapter 47: The Second Commandment
------------ CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN ------------ The Second Commandment The second commandment requires the proper manner of worship. Each master wants to be served according to his dictates. It is neither a matter of indifference to God as to how we serve Him, nor ought we to be of the opinion that He will be pleased just so long as He is served, even if it is in a manner which is acceptable to us. No, He wishes to be served in a manner pleasing to Him and which He has prescribed to us. He indeed takes note of the manner of service as carefully as the service itself. God is a Spirit and therefore He also wishes to be served in Spirit and in truth. He has therefore given us the second commandment in addition to the first commandment in order that we would not err in this, thereby decreeing the manner whereby we must serve Him. In this commandment we are to note 1) the matters which are prohibited and commanded, and 2) the added incentives. The Content of the Second Commandment
First, the matter itself is presented within a covenant context. The subject matter pertains to graven images and likenesses -- and lest an excuse be made, the matters of which we can make likenesses are distinguished and elaborated upon. Images may thus not be made of:
(1) that which is in heaven above. Heaven is the residence of God, the angels, and the deceased saints. In the second heaven are the sun, moon, and stars, and in the lower heaven are clouds, hail, snow, and the birds.
(2) that which is in the earth, that is, animals of all sorts, people, trees, and herbs. (3) that which is in the waters under the earth, which pertains to all manner of creeping animals and insects, as well as all kinds of fish. By way of this delineation, all things (and thus all that exists) are excluded. All that exists is to be found in heaven, earth, or the waters -- and of all that exists there, no images may be made.
There are three types of activities relative to these objects: we Song of Solomon 1:1-17) make them, 2) bow before them, and 3) serve them.
(1) We can make them. This pertains to any method by which we can make an image -- be it by way of carving, sculpturing, painting, or whatever other method can be devised. This command is a command of the first table, and thus the making of images for religious purposes is forbidden, but not the making of images relative to the second table; that is, as pertaining to civil use -- be it the imprints upon money, the decoration of homes, or whatever other purpose there may be (for which stipulations have also been defined). The Lord Jesus approved of the image of the emperor imprinted upon his money (Matthew 22:20-21).
(2) We can bow before such images in a pious, worshipful, and reverent manner, be it that with such reverence one ends in the image or that one wishes to honor God thereby.
(3) We can serve such images. This is done when we decorate them, put them upon altars, worship them, sacrifice gold, silver, or whatever else to them, carry them about the streets, or put them on display in order that they may be honored by everyone -- as well as any other manner in which one engages in any religious exercise relative to them.
The Incentives Conjoined to this Commandment
Secondly, the incentives which are conjoined to this are as follows: The first incentive is derived from its appropriateness. "I am the Lord"; that is, I am an invisible and incomprehensible Spirit, and it is therefore inappropriate for Me to be served by anything that is tangible. "I am thy God"; that is, even if other nations behave themselves in this manner, then you must not imitate them for you have entered into a covenant with Me, have chosen Me to be your God, and are My people. It therefore behooves you to serve Me according to My precepts. I do not want to be served by images, and thus, you must refrain therefrom. The second incentive is derived from the awesome majesty of God: “I am a jealous God." A husband will take careful notice of the conduct of his wife, and if she does not behave herself appropriately, he will be overcome with jealousy and will zealously exert himself with vehement and dreadful passion to chastise her. This is likewise true for Me. I take careful notice of your conduct, and I shall readily detect any deviations in it. My jealous anger will thus be kindled against you, and I shall punish you for dishonoring Me and for your idolatry. The third incentive is derived from the detrimental consequences. "... visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me." I shall not only punish the transgressor himself, but I shall also punish him in his children (which is the severest judgment upon parents), and I will do this to the third and fourth generation. God dealt in this manner with the first world, for their children who had not yet committed actual sin drowned as well as the fathers (Genesis 7:21). All the descendants of Eli were punished because of his sin (1 Samuel 2:31). Due to Jereboam‘s sins all that had breath among his descendants were destroyed (1 Kings 14:14).
Objection: "The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father" (Ezekiel 18:20).
Answer (1) Scripture does not contradict itself. God states plainly that this is the manner in which He acts, and whatever He wills not to do, He refrains from doing. In this case God promised that He would not do this.
(2) Even if the son were to be punished for the unrighteousness of his father, he is nevertheless not held accountable as if he himself had committed the sin of his father. Everyone‘s commission of sin is personal, but judgment may come upon the children -- not eternal judgment, but temporal judgment.
(3) Children are also sinful and thus worthy of all punishment. However, God is and can be very longsuffering. Yet if the fathers aggravate matters greatly, this will create a situation where God‘s wrath may also be poured out upon the sinful children. The fourth incentive is derived from that which is to our benefit. "And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me, and keep My commandments" (Exodus 20:5-6). Since the fall no one has been able to perfectly love God and keep His commandments, and therefore no one can be justified by the works of the law. Since the law has not been given unto justification, however, but as a rule of life for partakers of the covenant, God is pleased with the upright efforts of His children and rewards them -- not meritoriously but on the basis of grace and mercy. After Nehemiah had completed the work of the Lord with great zeal in rebuilding Jerusalem and reforming the people, he said, "Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of Thy mercy" (Nehemiah 13:22). The Sins Prohibited As we did with the previous commandment, we must first consider the sins which are prohibited, and then the virtues commanded. The sins which are prohibited are the following: The first sin is the worship of images, concerning which the following question must be considered: Question: Are men permitted to make images of God -- that is, of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit -- and of deceased saints, in order to worship and honor them, or to serve God and the saints by them?
Answer: The Papists are in disagreement with each other as far as their manner of image-worship, the one insisting that they must be worshiped, and the other that they should only be honored. The one maintains that he must literally worship the images themselves, so that in this act of worship he ends in the images themselves, whereas others maintain that it must be done figuratively, solely for the purpose of worshiping and honoring, by means of the image, the person represented by this image. They are in agreement that the making of images of the divine Persons is permissible, as well as that men are permitted to make images of the saints -- images to be used in the churches for religious purposes in order to thereby honor God and the saints. The Council of Trent commanded the worship of images in session 25, and appealed to the second Council of Nicea, which pronounced an anathema upon all who do not worship the images of saints and who, to some degree, waver in this -- yes, upon all who admit that images must be honored, but who refuse to worship them. The papists are currently embarrassed about their idolatry with their images, and seek to cover it up somewhat. They teach their people to say: "We do not worship the images, but we have them to bring thereby to memory that person whom it represents. We do not honor them for their own sake, but for the sake of the one whose image it is, whom we honor by means of these images." However, their actions contradict their words. They perform all that can be done externally in a religious sense toward their images. They remove their hat with deep reverence, and reverently bow themselves before the images. They kneel before them and with folded hands recite the Lord‘s Prayer or other prayers before them. They put them on display upon altars and adorn them with all manner of expensive decor. They light candles before images that cannot see, and celebrate a mass for them, etc. He who will not honor them is in danger of being beaten or killed. What more can the heathen do as far as their idols are concerned? The Lutherans maintain that men are indeed permitted to make images, but that they may not honor them. They are only put within the church to represent sacred history, in order thereby to be stimulated to engage in religious activity.
We declare, on the contrary, that the making of images of the Trinity is absolutely forbidden. We neither know the spiritual nature of the angels nor the true physical appearance of Christ and the apostles. Thus, the images made of them are without resemblance, and it is vanity to make an image and say: That is Christ, that is Mary, that is Peter, etc. Yes, even if we had their true pictures, we may nevertheless not worship, honor, nor engage in any religious activity toward them. We may not honor Christ, Mary, Peter, and other saints in this manner. The question is twofold, and we shall refute each part individually. In the first place, one may make no images of God whatsoever; that is, of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
First, this is absolutely forbidden in this commandment and in many other passages. Consider only the following passage: "Ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves ... lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female, the likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air, the likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth: and lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the Lord thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven" (Deuteronomy 4:12
Secondly, God cannot be depicted and it is therefore God‘s will that such ought not to occur. "To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto Him" (Isaiah 40:18).
Thirdly, it highly dishonors God. "And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things" (Romans 1:23). The Papists readily imitate this. They depict God the Father in the appearance of a man, that is, of an old man; God the Son in the appearance of a four-footed beast, that is, of a lamb; and God the Holy Spirit in the appearance of a bird, that is, a dove. They thus dishonor God as the heathen do.
Fourthly, it corrupts man. "Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves ... lest ye corrupt yourselves" (Deuteronomy 4:15-16). For this prompts man to think of God -- who is a Spirit, and who must be served in Spirit -- in physical terms.
Objection #1: God has manifested Himself in such appearances, and therefore He may also be depicted in this manner.
Answer (1) We deny the deduction. God has expressly forbidden it and thus this is the end of all controversy.
(2) These manifestations were prophetical visions and not images, and were no manifestation of the extraordinary presence of God.
Objection #2: Both the images of God and of the saints have educational value.
Answer (1) God has nevertheless forbidden this. This is pagan thinking and we should not pretend it to be beneficial, since it is forbidden.
(2) God will not have us taught by dumb images, but by His Word. "Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Psalms 119:24
Objection #3: God has commanded the making of images, such as the brazen serpent (Numbers 21:8) and the cherubim in the temple (Exodus 25:18; 1 Kings 6:35).
Answer: The serpent was erected at the time the Israelites had been bitten by the fiery serpents. The serpent was not a portrayal of God nor of the saints, and the making of images of them can thus not be proven by this. It was a sacrament -- which must always be an external sign -- conveying that all who have sinned and have been caused to fall by the devil, that old serpent, would be saved if they would look to and believe in Christ, the seed of the woman who would bruise the head of the devil (John 3:14). It was not erected in order to have honor rendered to it, for when the people began to honor it, it was crushed and destroyed (2 Kings 18:4). The cherubim as well as the palm tree associated with the temple were but shadows -- just as all religious practice was conducted by way of shadows. They were neither images of God nor of the saints (which is the point of contention here), nor was honor rendered to them. Rather, they served as ornaments of that building, which, as the most glorious building upon earth, at once directed them to Christ. The second part of the question deals with the worship of images. May one render any religious honor to images? The papists answer in the affirmative and we in the negative. Our reasons are as follows:
First, there is neither a command nor an example of the worship of images. Thus, it is at the very least willworship, which is forbidden in Matthew 15:9. In its very essence it is idolatry, however, for it is the rendering of religious honor to that which is not God. It is already idolatry to render religious honor to angels and deceased saints, and if one then furthermore honors their image (or them by means of the image), there is a double offense.
Secondly, the worship of images has been so clearly and expressly forbidden, that it cannot be forbidden any more clearly. It is done so frequently that it is an act of the greatest obduracy and defiance imaginable to yet worship images. Out of a multitude of texts consider only the following:
(1) This commandment not only forbids the making of images, but also the bowing before and the serving of them. And in order to remove every excuse, there is a delineation of the images when we read, "... any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth." Their images are images of that which is in heaven and upon earth. Their use is thus expressly prohibited.
(2) Add to this: "Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the Lord your God" (Leviticus 26:1). The opposition makes a distinction between idols and the images of saints. This text, however, removes this excuse, for not only the making of idols for the purpose of bowing before them is forbidden, but also the making of a graven image, a standing image, or any image of stone. Their images are, however, graven images -- images erected upon their altars -- images of wood and stone which are placed in the street and elsewhere in order that one can bow down to them, which they indeed do.
(3) Add to this Deuteronomy 27:15 : "Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen." Their images are, however, graven and molten images and the work of the hands of craftsmen, and they do not only put them in secret places, but they even put them on public display. Their images are thus an abomination to the Lord and the threat which has been added is thus applicable to them.
(4) "Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols" (Psalms 97:7). They serve their images, however, and boast themselves of their idols, concerning which they relate so many miraculous incidents. They will thus come to shame.
Evasive Argument #1: This commandment (and all the texts which have been quoted) pertain to pagan idols, which are images of fabricated things that either have never existed, or been designated as gods. Our images are not idols, however. They are images of things which yet exist and have existed: God, angels, Christ, Mary, and other saints -- and we do not deem these images to be God. Thus, these texts do not oppose us.
Answer (1) This commandment and all the quoted texts do not make such a distinction. Even if one would have to understand the word pesel to refer to a pagan idol (which is nevertheless not the meaning of the word -- it being the graving and sculpturing of various images), the word temunah (= a likeness) is added to it. The making of a likeness of anything that is in heaven, upon earth, or in the waters is as much forbidden as the making of an idol. Their images are likenesses of something and are thus forbidden.
(2) A heathen has never yet deemed the image which he honored to be God Himself, who has made heaven and earth, nor have they done so in reference to their deified saints. They knew quite well that they or another person had made that image. The Ephesians indeed made an express distinction between the great goddess Diana and the image which fell down from heaven (Acts 19:35).
(3) The Israelites made a golden calf, but they knew that this calf was not Jehovah nor had it delivered them out of Egypt. Rather, they wanted to honor God thereby and therefore said: "These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the Lord" (Exodus 32:4-5). They did not consider this calf to be God Himself, but instead, they wanted to honor God thereby.
(4) This calf was the image of something that existed, and yet it was an idol. It is expressly referred to as an idol: "And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands" (Acts 7:41). It is thus very evident that images are idols and that the worship of images is idolatry.
Evasive Argument #2: It is forbidden to honor images with latreia, but not with douleia. Answer: (1) In the previous chapter we have shown this to be an invalid distinction. They ought to give proof that one may honor images with douleia.
(2) In the Hebrew language, no distinction is made between the honoring of God and the honoring of idols; the honoring of both is expressed with the same word.
(3) Even they themselves maintain that one must honor the image of Christ and the cross with latreia. Cajetanus speaks in this vein (in Not et G. Biel. lect. 49. in can. mis.): "As far as images of Christ are concerned, let them be worshiped with the same veneration with which Christ is worshiped, that is, with the worship of latreia." Concerning the cross they say (in Pontif. Rom. f. 205): "The cross will be at the right hand of the apostolic legate since one is under obligation to render latreia to it." Their evasive arguments are thus invalid, and therefore the thrust of the texts mentioned above is fully preserved.
Since their idolatry is so blatantly contrary to the Word of God, and they can find neither a command nor an example for their worship of images, they help themselves with the following evasive argument: "Our images are not pagan idols, nor do we worship these images." We already have responded to this. However, to have some argument as yet, they furthermore produce these texts:
Objection #1: "And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God" (Exodus 3:5-6). Here (so they say) God commanded Moses to conduct himself reverently toward the burning bush, and Moses demonstrated great veneration.
Answer: This was not an image, for it remained a bush; moreover Moses did not render honor to the bush, nor was he commanded to do so. Rather, he was charged to conduct himself reverently toward God who in an extraordinary manner revealed Himself to him in the burning bush. Moses did not cover his face for the bush, but for God, "for," it reads, "he was afraid to look upon God."
Objection #2: "In Thy fear will I worship toward Thy holy temple" (Psalms 5:7); "Worship at His footstool" (Psalms 99:5). One is charged here to render religious honor to the temple.
Answer: The temple, and all that was to be found in it, was a shadow of Christ. When approaching unto God, one can only do so through Christ. When they therefore turned to the temple and bowed before it, they worshiped neither the temple nor God by means of the temple, nor did they render religious honor to it. By means of the shadows, however, they looked unto Christ portrayed in the temple.
Objection #3: "... before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you" (Galatians 3:1). Here it is stated expressly that the Galatians had Christ set before them.
Answer: This is not stated here at all, for He was set before their eyes as being crucified among them; however, He had not been crucified in Galatia, but upon Golgotha. It is as much as to say: "Christ has been declared among you with such clarity as if He were crucified among you, as if He had been painted before your very eyes, and as if the scene had been displayed before you." Also here there is no instance of rendering honor.
We have thus discussed the first sin forbidden in this commandment: the worship of images. More sins are comprehended in this commandment, however, and we shall present them briefly. The second sin is to have a nonreligious disposition of heart. This occurs when there is no impression of God, no fear of God, and no love for God; no effort to either know, seek to know, or do His will; no esteem for the Word of God or for ministers; no desire to be united with the people of God, to confess the Lord, and to live to His honor; and therefore no coming to church, or doing so only on rare occasions when one does not know what else to do, or else merely to observe or to be seen. We read of this as follows: "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God" (Psalms 14:1); "But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised His words" (2 Chronicles 36:16); "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is" (Hebrews 10:25). The third sin is will-worship. This consists in serving God in a manner of our own devising, or in a manner which has been suggested to us by men -- doing so without concern and investigation as to the manner in which God wants to be served. We then imagine that God will be pleased with our work as long as we have a good intent to serve Him by means of that activity. The Lord Jesus rejects this in Matthew 15:9. The fourth sin is laxity and listlessness in the performance of religious duty. This occurs when there always seems to be an obstacle at the time for engaging in specific religious activity, and one is then satisfied if he is lawfully hindered. He goes up as a criminal to prison. It is quickly done, and, just as a child, he is glad when "amen" may be said. His conscience has then been put somewhat at ease. There is no time to read the Word of God, or if he reads it to do his duty, it is without desire and without attentiveness. He selects a short chapter or a short psalm, and is glad when he is finished with it. This will also be the case relative to public worship. For the least little reason he will stay out of church, and if he is there, he allows his thoughts to wander in all directions. He then goes to sleep and blames the minister -- his preaching being so unspiritual and long. To reflect upon what has been heard, or to relate it to others, is a task which is too cumbersome and not according to custom. When the sermon is finished, all is finished. To such it is applicable: "Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! " (Malachi 1:13); "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth" (Revelation 3:15-16). The fifth sin is to rest in such a routine performance. One has said his morning and evening prayer, read a chapter, been to church twice, never neglected the Lord‘s Supper, and given his alms. What more is needed? All is well; I have done my duty and with this one is satisfied. One is of good courage that the Lord will take him into heaven, even though he has neither knowledge of the way of truth nor of spiritual motions. Of such the Lord says: "Forasmuch as this people draw near Me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour Me, but have removed their heart far from Me ... therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder" (Isaiah 29:13-14). The sixth sin is hypocrisy in religious practice. We practice this when in the engagement of religious exercise we have ourselves in view so that we may be honored by men. This occurs when a minister stirs up his gifts, appears to be filled with the spirit in prayer, preaches with much fire, but with all this, his objective is to be esteemed as godly and learned and to have the praise and esteem of the people. How abominable! This occurs when a person faithfully comes to church and sits there gravely and attentively in order to gain the reputation of being pious, or sings to let his voice be heard and how well he knows the tune. This also occurs when one sighs loudly during prayer, and makes worshipful and even foolish gestures in order to be seen and heard. This takes place when a person puts on a show of being very attentive during the sermon, while in the meantime he is secretly looking about to observe whether others see him. It is also the case when one casts but little in the basket of the deacon and is desirous that it sounds as if it were a great gift. In one word, hypocrisy is to create the appearance of serving God while in reality having men in view, and thus one‘s self (cf. Isaiah 58:2-3; Ezekiel 33:30-32). The seventh sin is to make physical representations of God in our minds. God reveals Himself to the soul of men as a Spirit, doing so in a manner much more devoid of the physical than can be expressed. When the natural man initially thinks upon God, however, he spoils this initial reflection upon God and changes that which is spiritual into something physical. One will either seek to maintain this physical representation of God, finding delight in creating various representations of God in the mind, or it will be contrary to the will of the person engaged in thought, who wishes to have spiritual thoughts of God but cannot do so -- this being caused either externally due to people speaking of God, or due to Satan‘s influence upon the imagination. The latter is not the sin of the person, but of Satan; that is, if the person is only passively involved, abhorring this, and laboring to resist it (John 4:24). The eighth sin is to have fellowship with idolatrous religious practices. This occurs when one goes to the mass out of curiosity for its idol (be it in their church or carried about on the street); or when one bows himself out of secret respect or reverence for their images; or if one observes the popish holidays known for their revelry (such as St. Nicholas, Three Kings, Copper Monday, Halloween, etc.) and revels, drinks, and plays likewise. One ought to follow in David‘s footsteps, who said, "Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips" (Psalms 16:4).
These then are the primary sins forbidden in this commandment. The Virtues Enjoined The virtues enjoined in this commandment are, first of all, the full surrender of one’s self to the service of God in all things, with all things, and at all times. "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" (Romans 12:1).
Secondly, the serving of God according to His will; that is, our entire conduct is to be governed by the will of God as revealed to us in His Word. This engenders purity in our religious practice. "As the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men" (Ephesians 6:6-7).
Thirdly, the serving of God with the soul; that is, with the spirit, in a spiritual manner, and with the intellect, will, and affections. "Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name" (Psalms 103:1); "With my soul have I desired Thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek Thee early" (Isaiah 26:9); "They that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24).
Fourthly, the serving of God with a perfect heart; that is, without a divided heart, having and seeking something in addition to God. Rather, one must wholly and solely be devoted to this, doing so with exertion of all the faculties of the soul. "... know thou the God of thy father, and serve Him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind" (1 Chronicles 28:9); "... they had sworn with all their heart, and sought Him with their whole desire" (2 Chronicles 15:15).
Fifthly, the serving of God with a joyful zeal; that is, it must not be a burden, but a delight, rejoicing in the fact that God as yet wishes to be served by us. One must consider it a great privilege that he may serve God and that He commands him to do something; he shall therefore carry it out with great earnestness and zeal. "Who maketh ... His ministers a flaming fire" (Psalms 104:4); "(Be) fervent in spirit; serving the Lord" (Romans 12:11); "Be zealous therefore" (Revelation 3:19).
Sixthly, the opposing of false religion and eradication of idols and images. Everyone must do so according to his own station. The governments are charged to do this. "... ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire" (Deuteronomy 7:5).
Moses did this to the golden calf (Exodus 32:20); Hezekiah did this to images and the brazen serpent (2 Kings 18:4); and Asa did this to the dreadful idol which his mother had made, and therefore he removed his mother from being queen (1 Kings 15:13).