Years ago, Life magazine carried on its cover an artist’s rendering of God as an old man with long white hair and stern facial features.

Charles Hodge said, “Idolatry consists not only in the worship of false gods, but also in the worship of the true God by images.”

Any visual portrayal of deity can be dangerous. No created thing can convey God’s true and complete character. That’s why God commanded Israel not to make any image or likeness of anything in heaven or on earth as an object of worship. Such images dishonor God because they distort His glory, and this can lead to sin.

Theologian J. I. Packer suggests that the people of Israel intended to worship Jehovah when Aaron made the golden calf. He says they were using the bull-image as a reminder of God’s great might in delivering them from Egypt. But strength is just one aspect of His character. The calf showed nothing of His holiness. Thus the people turned the “feast to the Lord” into a wild, sensual party (Ex. 32:5-8).

To worship an image or picture of any Person of the Trinity is idolatry and veils God’s glory. It leads us astray. “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (Jn. 4:24).

  — Dennis J. De Haan