Today's post is by guest writer Lucas Ward.
Finally, I was asked about hanging crosses on the wall to ward off evil. The New Testament doesn't say anything about the use of crosses or other Christian emblems, e.g., the fish symbol many put on the back of their cars. Believing they have power to ward off evil veers one uncomfortably close to the charms and magic that was discussed and condemned in our last article, but what about wearing a cross on a necklace as a reminder of your faith? It is not called for in the NT, but neither is it condemned. It is not spoken of at all, and so we need to be careful about making up and enforcing rules that God doesn't. There are some principles from the OT (Rom. 15:4) that provide warnings against what such emblems might become.
Numbers 21:4-9 tells the story of the Israelites yet again murmuring against God, and God sending in venomous snakes to punish them. When the people prayed for relief, God told Moses to build a bronze serpent and place it upon a pole so that anyone who had been bitten could see the bronze serpent and be healed by looking upon it. The bronze serpent was then kept, evidently as a memorial of God's mercy to His people. Over the years, however, the people perverted that memorial into an idol to be worshiped. Hezekiah eventually destroyed the serpent as he cleansed Judah of idols: "And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it." (2 Kings 18:4)
After Gideon defeated the Midianites and freed the Children of Israel from their oppression, the people offered to make him king. Gideon's response: "I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the LORD will rule over you.” (Jdg. 8:23) This is a great show of faith and humility. Gideon did, however, ask for a portion of the spoil taken from the Midianites, with which he built a golden ephod, apparently as a memorial of the victory God had given His people. Very quickly, however, this became problematic: "And Gideon made an ephod of it and put it in his city, in Ophrah. And all Israel whored after it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family." (Jdg. 8:27) To whore after something is regular OT speak for committing idolatry as a person breaks the purity of his relationship with God to chase other gods. So, again, we see a good emblem and memorial of God's mercy and power becoming an idol in the eyes of the people.
This is where we need to be cautious regarding Christian emblems. There is no problem if they are merely reminders of your faith and/or a way to proclaim your faith to others. If we begin to pray to them, as if to God, or if we pray through them, as if they were more trusted avenues to God, then they become idols. They are things we put between God and ourselves. Do you prefer to hold on to or look at the cross when praying? Do you kiss the cross to show devotion to God? Then I must warn you that you are on your way to the snare Gideon's family fell into. We cannot allow these emblems in any way to represent God. Images which represent God or gods are idols. Idolatry is a sin.
Rev. 21:8 "But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
Lucas Ward
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