Of Idols or Images of God, Christ, and the Saints (Second Helvetic Confession, 4a)
This article by Ronald Cammenga expounds on the Second Helvetic Confession's teaching against religious images, grounding the prohibition in God's invisible and immense nature as Spirit. Drawing on Scripture and Reformed confessional standards like the Heidelberg Catechism, the author argues that God's people should be instructed through the preaching of His Word rather than through visual representations, and that true reformation includes the destruction of idols and images used in worship.
Previous article in this series: November 1, 2016, p. 62. Images of God Since God as Spirit is in essence invisible and immense, he cannot really be expressed by any art or image. For this reason we have no fear pronouncing with Scripture that images of God are mere lies. Therefore we reject not only the idols of the Gentiles, but also the images of Christians. Having set forth the truth concerning who God is, the truth that He is the triune God who is one in being and three in persons, the...
Full article available on sb.rfpa.org
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