![]() God condemns creating and worshiping idols. Christians are called to flee from these sins that serve as idols in our lives and pursue godly living (vv. 6) and these were practices of life before Christ (v. In Colossians 3:5 we find, "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." Judgment would result from such practices (v. Second, giving sin priority over God in our lives is called idolatry. First Peter 4:3 also states, "For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry." This is a practice the Bible clearly prohibits for those who follow Christ (1 Corinthians 10:7 Galatians 5:20). Is there any sense in which people continue to worship graven images today? First, there are still many cultures in which people literally worship idols. In terms of function, however, both were specifically considered idol worship and were forbidden throughout Scripture. The difference appears to be that a graven image is a carved idol whereas a molten image is an idol molded out of a substance such as silver or gold. ![]() Judges 18:14 makes a distinction between a graven image and a molten image. Leviticus 26:1 commands, "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." Again, the reason for commands against graven images is because only the Lord is to be worshiped. In the King James Version of the Bible, graven images are specifically mentioned more than forty times, always condemning the practice of making or worshiping them. In contrast, God commanded His people to worship only the one, true God of Israel (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). In Egypt, for example, the Israelites would have been aware of many idols that were worshiped by the Egyptians. Such images or idols were common in ancient culture, particularly in the nations surrounding Israel during its wilderness journey. The words "graven image" are first found in Exodus 20:4 of the King James Version of the Bible: "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth." It is a phrase that literally refers to an idol, whether made of wood, stone, metal, silver, gold, or other items. What does all of this mean? It means that the Catholic Church isn’t hiding the commandment to forbid images, we just group it with the commandment “You shall have no other gods before me” as it is related to that.The Ten Commandments mention a 'graven image.' What is a graven image? THOU SHALT NOT MAKE UNTO THEE ANY GRAVEN IMAGESģ.) Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vainĤ.) Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holyĩ.) Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbourĮven in early circles of Protestantism, it is understood that this commandment is included in the commandment “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” For example, Lutherans, based on Luther’s Large Catholicism, removes the commandment that forbids graven images:ġ.) Thou shalt have no other gods before me.ĩ.) Thou shalt not covet neighbour’s houseġ0.) Thou shalt not covet neighbour’s wife, neighbour’s servants, animals, or anything else THOU SHALT NOT MAKE UNTO THEE ANY GRAVEN IMAGESĢ.) Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vainģ.) Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holyĨ.) Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbourĩ.) Thou shalt not covet neighbour’s wifeġ0.) Thou shalt not covet neighbour’s house, servants, animals, or anything elseĪctually it is written in the official list of the Catholic Church! However, sometimes, due to the length of the first commandment, it is sometimes shortened to “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Why? Because Catholics understand that the commandment to forbid graven images is related to the very gist of the first commandment, which is that you shall have no other gods but Yahweh.Įven in the Jewish Talmud, Jews consider the commandment “not to build any graven image” as part of the commandment “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”ġ.) I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.Ģ.) Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Some Anti-Catholics will use this claim to support their Anti-Catholic rhetoric that the church actually hides the Church’s “sin” of making graven imagesįirst, let’s take a look at the Catholic List, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:ġ.) I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
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