I have been encountering, once again, people who love to display pictures of a man depicting Christ. I cannot understand why some people do not get this whole matter of idols.
One person said in disgust of modern Christianity, that we would not know Jesus if He came to our door, while showing a picture of a man who was suppose to represent Christ. It seems reasonable to accept this unless one knows the Word of God. My answer to her was this:
"If a man came to our door claiming to be Christ we would know it was not Him because of the scripture that says this: Luke 17:20-25 "20 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’[a] For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”
22 Then He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 And they will say to you, ‘Look here!’ or ‘Look there!’[b] Do not go after them or follow them. 24 For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day. 25 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation"
It is important to know the word of God. Far too many people are resting their faith on human thinking because they do not know their Bibles, these are the people who will be fooled into following a man or doctrine that is not of God.
The Word of God is our standard for all our thinking, not emotional desires. I shiver when I looked at that photo because I came out of the Catholic church and left behind all the idols, statues, pictures and rituals that permeated that religion. I am finished with anything fleshly. God is Spirit and we must worship Him in Spirit and in truth. If we need something to see we lack faith.
Hebrews 11:1 "11 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things NOT seen."
Those who must see a material idol, lack faith and need to go back to the Word to discern what true faith looks like.
John 4:24
"God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."
The best way to become close to God is to read His Word, pray frequently and obey what He tells us. We can learn to hear the Holy Spirit, when we walk closely with Him we know when He is speaking, and we can discern when we are thinking fleshly, or Spiritually.
Romans 8:1
"8 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
Galatians 5:25
"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."
Matthew 12:39
"39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:"
If we require idols of any kind to help us believe, or to remind us of Christ, then we lack faith. Christ lives in every believer, He is Spirit and we walk in the Spirit, therefore we should have no need for a physical sign, except when we lack the faith that Christ lives in us.
Are we ready to eliminate all idols from our lives in favor of that powerful faith in Christ alone.
John 6:28-29
"28Therefore, they said to Him, "What shall we be doing so that we shall be working the works of God?" 29Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you* be believing [or, trusting] in Him whom that One sent."
Objects have no value in our relationship with Christ or our worship, the are detractors from the work of Christ in our Spirit.
