The Cross Is An Idol

Today most Christian churches erect the cross. In their defense, they insist that the cross is just a symbol of the church (Meaning of the cross- Britannica) and not an idol. However, the cross is an idol detestable to God and it cannot be rationalized with the excuse that it is a ‘symbol’ of the church. Let us confirm through the bible that the cross is an idol.

1. Second Commandment: Cross is an Idol

 Exodus 20:4 “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…”

In the second commandment, God forbids us from making an image- idol in the form of anything in heaven, on earth, or in the waters. Then what about the cross, is it an exception from the words “in the form of anything”? No, it is not an exception. In fact, if it were, the Bible would have recorded that it is an exception. Therefore, the cross is an idol.

Exodus 20:5 “You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.”

Not only does God forbid us from making idols such as the cross but, He also forbids us from worshiping them. Those who make, and/or revere them are disobeying God’s commandment- committing idolatry.

2. Power of Idols

Jeremiah 10:2-5 This is what the Lord says “Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the heavens, though the nations are terrified by them. For the practices of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter. Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good.”

Worshipping a man-made image is an act of those who do not believe in God. God said we should not learn the ways of idolatrous nations, for their practices are worthless. Why? It is because idols made by men are likened to scarecrows in a field. They cannot walk or talk, they cannot harm us nor can they do any good, they bear no power. In this day and age, many Christians wear a cross and carry it in their cars as a talisman for comfort and make cross hand gestures but, as the prophet Jeremiah wrote, it is all worthless.

3. The Result of making the cross- an idol

Deuteronomy 27:15 “Cursed is anyone who makes an idol—a thing detestable to the Lord, the work of skilled hands—and sets it up in secret.” Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

Those who set up an idol in secret are cursed by God and they cannot be saved. To enter Heaven, we must not set up man-made idols such as the cross.

4. What happened to Israel who made and worshipped idols?

Jeremiah 2:27-28 They say to wood, ‘You are my father,’ and to stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ They have turned their backs to me and not their faces; yet when they are in trouble, they say, ‘Come and save us!’ Where then are the gods you made for yourselves? Let them come if they can save you when you are in trouble! For you, Judah, have as many gods as you have towns.

The words “They have turned their backs to me” imply that the people of Israel forsook God and worshipped idols of wood and stone. Faced with trouble, they asked God to save them. To this God asked where their man-made gods are. Can you feel how distressed God must have felt? Finally, the Israelites were destroyed. This serves as a lesson to us in the New Testament times.

Romans 15:4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

Though claiming to believe in Almighty God, many Christians have turned their backs to Him by worshipping and imposing a special meaning on the wooden cross. They have forsaken Jesus Christ who suffered great pain in our stead, from rejection to persecution and slander then finally, crucifixion on the cross; all this to establish the New Covenant Passover for the salvation of our souls. Are not those who turn their backs to God destined for destruction like the Israelites?  Let us turn back to God by rejecting the cross which is an idol. To enter heaven, let us revere God and keep the feast of life, the Passover of the new covenant.