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The Historic Faith
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Bible Verses About Icons

Early Christian writings overwhelmingly treat making religious images and bowing to them as idolatry, not as a normal part of Christian worship. Writers like Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Athenagoras, Tertullian, Arnobius, Theophilus, and Lactantius reject images as dead matter, made by human hands, and unable to hold divine power.

The Bible passages most often tied to this view are the commands against graven images in Exodus, Deuteronomy, Leviticus, and the anti-idol texts in Isaiah, Habakkuk, Acts, Romans, and 1 John. The evidence is broad and early, but it is mostly about pagan idols and image worship, not later debates over Christian devotional icons. A few late or indirect lines mention honoring images in other settings, but they do not outweigh the repeated anti-idol teaching in the main early witnesses.

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1 Exodus 20:4 2 Leviticus 26:1 3 Deuteronomy 7:25 4 Deuteronomy 27:15 5 Isaiah 44:9 6 Deuteronomy 5:8 7 Habakkuk 2:18 8 Isaiah 44:17 9 1 John 5:21 10 Acts 17:29

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23 references

Foundation Texts

Exodus 20:4 primary

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.

Core command against graven images

Leviticus 26:1

Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God.

Direct law against idols and carved images

Deuteronomy 7:25

The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therin: for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God.

Burn the graven images of pagan gods

Deuteronomy 27:15

Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen.

Curses making a graven image

Isaiah 44:9

They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed.

Isaiah's attack on graven images

Deuteronomy 5:8

Thou shalt not make 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 waters beneath the earth:

Parallel command in Deuteronomy

Habakkuk 2:18

What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols?

Habakkuk says graven images are teachers of lies

Isaiah 44:17

And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god.

Idol is worshiped as a god

1 John 5:21

Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

Short anti-idol command

Acts 17:29

Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.

Direct teaching that God is not like human-made images

Supporting Passages

Psalms 97:7

Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods.

Short psalm against graven images

Micah 5:13

Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands.

Direct rejection of worshiping the work of hands

Romans 1:23

And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

New Testament summary of image worship

Psalms 99:5

Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

Psalms 99:9

Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

Acts 14:1

And it came to pass in Iconium, that they went both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

1 Corinthians 8:4

As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.

Idol is nothing in the world

Deuteronomy 4:17

The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air,

Direct anti-image command context

1 Peter 1:11

Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

Deuteronomy 4:16

Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,

Direct anti-carved-image command

1 Samuel 6:5

Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

2 Samuel 5:21

And there they left their images, and David and his men burned them.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.