Why Making Images of God Is a Form of Idolatry | John Calvin

Deep Dive into Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin - It Is Unlawful to Attribute A Visible Form to God, and Generally Whoever Sets Up Idols Revolts against the True GodIn John Calvin's excerpts from Institutes of the Christian Religion, he argues vehemently against the use of images and idols in Christian worship. Calvin asserts that God explicitly forbids pictorial or physical representations of Himself because they corrupt His divine majesty and glory. By reducing the infinite, invisible God to finite, inanimate matter like wood, stone, or gold, humanity contradicts God's very nature and engages in absurd falsehood. Calvin notes that while God sometimes used physical signs, such as clouds, smoke, or a dove, these were temporary symbols meant to restrain human minds rather than encourage the creation of permanent idols. Furthermore, the cherubim on the mercy seat were intended to conceal God's mysteries, not to justify the use of images in worship.Calvin firmly rejects the historical Catholic defense, particularly Pope Gregory's claim, that images serve as books for the uneducated. Instead, Calvin aligns with the biblical prophets in declaring that whatever men learn of God from images is entirely futile and false. He contends that true spiritual instruction should come from the preaching of the Word and the administration of the sacraments, which alone clearly depict the truth of Christ.The creation of idols stems from human nature's perpetual desire for a tangible, physical deity to provide comfort. However, Calvin warns that any use of images inevitably leads to idolatry, as people begin to venerate the physical objects. He dismisses the Catholic distinction between serving and worshiping images as a deceptive and childish evasion. Finally, while acknowledging art as a gift from God, Calvin insists it must only depict visible subjects, praising the early church for avoiding images and condemning the Council of Nicaea for its blasphemous defense of image worship.Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologianYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@ReformedExplainerSpotify Music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1t5dz4vEgvHqUknYQfwpRI?si=e-tDRFR2Qf6By1sAcMdkdwhttps://buymeacoffee.com/edi2730