Some Christians mistakenly believe that any image, icon, or statue used for religious purposes is inherently idolatrous. They cite verses such as Exodus 20:4-5, which commands:
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.”
At first glance, it appears as though God forbids the creation of any image, period. However, a closer look at Scripture in its proper context reveals that God prohibits the creation of idols—images worshiped as gods or falsely revered. The Bible does not condemn images in themselves, especially when they are used in ways that honor and direct people toward God.
This article will demonstrate the biblical distinction between idolatry and the legitimate use of religious images, as shown in the Old and New Testaments.
The Bible shows that God explicitly commanded the creation of certain images to serve as part of worship and to teach divine truths. For example:
In Exodus 25:18-22, God commanded Moses to make two cherubim of gold to place atop the Ark of the Covenant:
“You shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat… And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim.”
These statues were not idols because they were not worshiped. Instead, they represented God’s heavenly throne and served as a visible reminder of God’s presence among His people. Just because something represents something and is an icon, doesn’t mean you can assume we worship it.
In Numbers 21:8-9, when the Israelites were plagued by venomous serpents, God commanded Moses to make a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. Those who looked at it in faith were healed:
“The LORD said to Moses, ‘Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.’ So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole.”
The bronze serpent was not idolatrous because it did not represent a false god. Instead, it served as a symbol of God’s healing power and pointed prophetically to Christ, as Jesus Himself confirmed in John 3:14-15:
“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
The bronze serpent did not heal the Israelites in itself—God did, using the image as a visible reminder of their need to trust in Him. It only became idolatrous much later when the Israelites wrongly worshiped it, as King Hezekiah recognized and destroyed it to eliminate idolatry (2 Kings 18:4). In the same way, the cross may be boasted about and revered as the cross of Christ allowed us to have victory over death. However we should recognize it is ultimately God that saves, heals, protects, forgives sins, etc.