All personal issues aside ... heh.
I'm learning things for the first time, some new things, some things to simply a greater extent, that I don't even know I can write them all. I might offend some of you. (... But wait! No one reads this. Haha.)
Something specifically that I wish I could publish on my deviantART site is a conviction that will make me sound either Amish or Puritan to some of you. But it is the issue of depicting Christ. In few words, I am convicted and repenting of this. I shouldn't have been doing it!
Why? It is simple. Christ is God, and God is spirit. It is true that Christ came in flesh, but did even one of us physically witness that? If not, by whose illustration can we say we have seen Him face to face? Not by the Bible, certainly; not by the Spirit (unless we are Paul.)
Look at the Ten Commandments. The second commandment (it's been trunciated into the first if you are Catholic,) speaks all about this:
"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. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments." - Exodus 20:4-6
I do not believe this commandment (as the Amish may imply) is saying that we cannot make artwork of God's creation. I do not think that children were stoned if they drew a picture of their pet lamb. Don't misunderstand me. It is clear that the context is referring to the golden idols that many had.
Traditionally, we think, "well yeah. They made statues and called them gods. That's absurd!"
That's true, to an extent. But look at the history, for a moment:
- Who was this speaking to? The Israelites.
- What were the Israelites doing? Leaving Egypt.
... So let me shine a little light on something about Egypt. Before I knew Christ, I was quite captivated in Egyptian mythology. It's not hard to tell. I knew a lot about the deities. At my lowest, I prayed to one of them a few times. I did not think that my statue of Bastet was literally Bastet. I understood it to be a representation of someone that (I had hoped) may actually exist.
The Egyptians actually believed Bastet to be a real, living being in the flesh. They believed this to some level about most of their deities. They depicted her because they thought she could be depicted.
... But let me ask. Can God, who is spirit, who cannot be contained because his existence is infinite in both time and space, be depicted? We can't wrap our minds around that; how can we wrap our pencils around it? I speak the same for every story and allegory that attempts to depict more than an aspect of God. Can God be guessed as a thing of literature might? Can we presume to know what God would say or do in a fictional circumstance? If you can assume God into fiction, I question the depth of your real relationship with Him ... Because lately, I tremble when I compare the God I know to the God I once tried to insert in my fictional works.
Again, folk will say, "but Christ DID come in the flesh! Why can't we draw Christ then?"
My conviction stands firm. I wasn't there. You weren't there. No one here is that old. I absolutely believe that Christ walked on earth in the flesh; I do not presume to know what He looked like, however, and because He is my Lord, I do not think it is my place to presume upon a thing. There is no crime in depicting flesh, but when that flesh is God incarnate, the Lord who was crushed to redeem me, are my hands truly worthy of that? I think a few children's books illustrations can be spared for the sake of not treading on something that may not be my place. The bottom line is that if we truly believe that Christ is God, then why depict Him when God has commanded we should make no such idols -- (being images that represent a deity.)
If nothing else, consider this. Many people have the inclination to want to revere an image and base their idea of God on that image. (Look at how they do!) It's really not worth that stumbling block. There are better ways to honour Christ than drawing Him. Especially those who make light of their images of Him.
Now, to those of you who disagree -- and of you there may be many -- I know I will probably hear your thoughts on this.
But my real concern is this. For those of you who share my convictions ...
Why did you say nothing to me when you saw me doing this?
I'm learning things for the first time, some new things, some things to simply a greater extent, that I don't even know I can write them all. I might offend some of you. (... But wait! No one reads this. Haha.)
Something specifically that I wish I could publish on my deviantART site is a conviction that will make me sound either Amish or Puritan to some of you. But it is the issue of depicting Christ. In few words, I am convicted and repenting of this. I shouldn't have been doing it!
Why? It is simple. Christ is God, and God is spirit. It is true that Christ came in flesh, but did even one of us physically witness that? If not, by whose illustration can we say we have seen Him face to face? Not by the Bible, certainly; not by the Spirit (unless we are Paul.)
Look at the Ten Commandments. The second commandment (it's been trunciated into the first if you are Catholic,) speaks all about this:
"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. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments." - Exodus 20:4-6
I do not believe this commandment (as the Amish may imply) is saying that we cannot make artwork of God's creation. I do not think that children were stoned if they drew a picture of their pet lamb. Don't misunderstand me. It is clear that the context is referring to the golden idols that many had.
Traditionally, we think, "well yeah. They made statues and called them gods. That's absurd!"
That's true, to an extent. But look at the history, for a moment:
- Who was this speaking to? The Israelites.
- What were the Israelites doing? Leaving Egypt.
... So let me shine a little light on something about Egypt. Before I knew Christ, I was quite captivated in Egyptian mythology. It's not hard to tell. I knew a lot about the deities. At my lowest, I prayed to one of them a few times. I did not think that my statue of Bastet was literally Bastet. I understood it to be a representation of someone that (I had hoped) may actually exist.
The Egyptians actually believed Bastet to be a real, living being in the flesh. They believed this to some level about most of their deities. They depicted her because they thought she could be depicted.
... But let me ask. Can God, who is spirit, who cannot be contained because his existence is infinite in both time and space, be depicted? We can't wrap our minds around that; how can we wrap our pencils around it? I speak the same for every story and allegory that attempts to depict more than an aspect of God. Can God be guessed as a thing of literature might? Can we presume to know what God would say or do in a fictional circumstance? If you can assume God into fiction, I question the depth of your real relationship with Him ... Because lately, I tremble when I compare the God I know to the God I once tried to insert in my fictional works.
Again, folk will say, "but Christ DID come in the flesh! Why can't we draw Christ then?"
My conviction stands firm. I wasn't there. You weren't there. No one here is that old. I absolutely believe that Christ walked on earth in the flesh; I do not presume to know what He looked like, however, and because He is my Lord, I do not think it is my place to presume upon a thing. There is no crime in depicting flesh, but when that flesh is God incarnate, the Lord who was crushed to redeem me, are my hands truly worthy of that? I think a few children's books illustrations can be spared for the sake of not treading on something that may not be my place. The bottom line is that if we truly believe that Christ is God, then why depict Him when God has commanded we should make no such idols -- (being images that represent a deity.)
If nothing else, consider this. Many people have the inclination to want to revere an image and base their idea of God on that image. (Look at how they do!) It's really not worth that stumbling block. There are better ways to honour Christ than drawing Him. Especially those who make light of their images of Him.
Now, to those of you who disagree -- and of you there may be many -- I know I will probably hear your thoughts on this.
But my real concern is this. For those of you who share my convictions ...
Why did you say nothing to me when you saw me doing this?
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1 comment:
I love your heart of conviction and your pursuit of holiness in Christ's power, Heather! It's an encouraging example for me, especially when I want to dwell on idle things. Your testimony is so unique, how your state of sinfulness before salvation was the same as anyone else's but more visible.
Well, from what I have learned in scripture it's true that you shouldn't impose any finite limits on Christ. How prideful it would be to say we are the authority on what He looks like! How awful and hopeless it would be for us if we followed a predictable god we could put in a cage!
It actually makes me think of a wonderful truth that almost sounds like a contradiction to what you're saying: Hebrews 1:1-3 and I Corinthians 2. God spoke to the fathers through prophets before, and then He used His exact image for us to know Him! I am so glad God came in a form we could comprehend without losing His deity.
That said, I am tentatively of the mind that the Jesus movies that strive to portray His account as truly as possible are okay, even though they're obligated to use a finite man to play Him. Obviously there have been a lot of "sissified" depictions of Christ even by well-meaning people. But maybe one of the best way to show someone His person and works would be with some visual aides like those gospel movies. Hasn't God used those in some cases? What do you think?
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