A 1 - Making any man-made (graven) representational image or likeness of God, making any image for the purpose of worshipping God through or with it, bowing down to or serving in any way someone else's representational image.
Q 2 - Are all man-made images prohibitted?
A 2 - No: "And you shall make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work will you make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat." Exodus 25:18. "and in the lampstand four cups shaped like almond blossoms, its bulbs and its flowers." "See that you make them after the pattern for them, which was shown to you on the mountain." Exodus 25:34, 40.
Q 3 - How do we know that the commandment is against all attempts to portray God through a graven image?
A 3 - "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." Acts 17:29.
"Take therefore good heed to yourselves; for you saw no manner of similitude on the day that the LORD spoke unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire: Lest you corrupt yourselves, and make for yourselves a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female, the likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flies in the air, The likeness of any thing that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth:" Deuteronomy 4:15-18.
Q 4 - Does the 2nd Commandment forbid graven images of Christ?
A 4 - "That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honors not the Son honors not the Father which has sent Him." John 5:23. "And He said unto them, You are from beneath; I AM from above: you are of this world; I AM not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that you shall die in your sins: for if you believe not that I AM, you shall die in your sins." John 8:23-24. (See Ex. 3:14.)
The question really is do you believe that Christ is fully God?
A 5 - "He that has My commandments, and keeps them, he it is that loves Me: and he that loves Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him." John 14:21. "But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: " Galatians 1:15-16.
Two things that God longs to do: 1st to reveal (disclose, show) Himself to us personally; 2nd to reveal Himself through us to the world - that is we are the animate picture frames for His glory to display.
Q 6 - Does the Bible really teach this?
A 6 - "I am Jehovah (the self-existant One): that is My name: and My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images." Isaiah 42:8. "Even every one that is called by My name: for I have created him for My glory, I have formed him; yes, I have made him." Isaiah 43:7.
God created us for His glory not inanimate images (pictures).
Q 7 - What is the folly and punishment of making graven images?
"What profits the graven image that the maker thereof has graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusts therein, to make dumb idols?" Habakkuk 2:18. "Every man is brutish in his knowledge: every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. They are vanity, and the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish. The portion of Jacob is not like them: for He is the former of all things; and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: The LORD of hosts is His name." Jeremiah 10:14-16.
"Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loves and makes a lie. I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches..." Revelation 22:14-16.
