Should a Christian have a statue or image of Jesus or Mary?
The Devotional Answer
The devotional heart of this matter is the Second Commandment: God forbids making images for the purpose of worshiping them (Exodus 20:4-5). The danger is not the piece of art itself, but the human tendency to shift focus from the invisible, glorious God to a visible, created object.
If a picture of Jesus or a statue of Mary is used purely as a tool for remembrance and reflection—like a photo of a loved one—it is a matter of personal freedom and conscience. However, if the object becomes a place where you direct your prayer, veneration, or devotion, you risk violating God’s command. We must worship God "in the Spirit and in truth" (John 4:24), not through physical objects.
The Simple Answer
The biblical consensus among many Protestant traditions is that while artistic depictions are permissible for decoration or teaching, statues or images used in worship, prayer, or veneration are dangerously close to idolatry and should be avoided.
The question to ask yourself is: What is the object for?
Acceptable Use: A stained-glass window, a Christmas nativity scene, or a historical painting used to tell a story or aid meditation.
Dangerous Use: Kneeling before a statue of Mary to pray, lighting a candle before a figure of Jesus as an act of devotion, or treating an image as a source of power.
The physical image must never replace the spiritual reality of a direct, personal relationship with God.
The Deeper Dive
The prohibition against images is rooted in God's unique nature as a spiritual being.
1. The Full Commandment
The Second Commandment states:
“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them…” — Exodus 20:4-5 (NIV)
The key is the purpose: it is the bowing down (veneration) and worship that is forbidden. God is jealous for His glory because He alone is worthy of worship. Attempting to confine the infinite God to a finite material object is not only forbidden but impossible.
2. The Incarnation and Depicting Jesus
Some argue that since Jesus became human (the Incarnation, Question 57), it is permissible to depict Him. However, most images of Jesus are based on pure imagination (the Bible gives no physical description).
Furthermore, when Christ ascended, He returned to His glorified, spiritual state. We are called to worship the resurrected, spiritual Christ, not a historical, physical depiction. Depicting God the Father is universally prohibited because He has never been seen in His essence.
3. Freedom and Conscience
Ultimately, your decision should be governed by your conscience before God (Romans 14). If owning a devotional image causes you or others to focus devotion on the image itself, it should be removed.
If it truly remains a neutral piece of art that simply reminds you of Christ, it falls into the realm of Christian freedom. The safest practice is to always direct your worship and prayers directly to the Father, through the Son, by the Holy Spirit.
God's Assurance
God assures you that He is found not in temples made with hands, nor in images of wood or stone, but in a personal, living relationship.
"God is Spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth." — John 4:24 (NIV)
You are assured that your access to God is direct, complete, and needs no physical intermediary.
Your Takeaway Thought
Do not let art or tradition compromise your worship. The safest practice is to ensure that your prayers and reverence are directed only to the true, living, and invisible God. Let your faith be centered on the person of Jesus Christ, not the picture of Him.
