Are Symbols Bad for Us?

We can indeed be swayed by symbols. The cross has always been a symbol of Christianity which many have used deceitfully to draw vulnerable Christians away from the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Just because a building or a group bears a cross doesn't mean it represents true Christianity.

The Holy Bible contains God's word and has always been a symbol of truth and righteousness. Nevertheless there are countless persons that carry Bibles who do not represent truth but are full of lies and deceit. Having the word of God in their hand doesn't mean the truth is in their heart.

There are paintings of what some believe to be the Lord Jesus Christ which are nothing more than man's imagination. These are dangerous symbols which sway our minds in prayer. There are a number of people who actually visualize these paintings when praying to our Lord whom none of us have ever seen which comes perilously close to idol worship.

"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." (Ex. 20:4)

Paintings or statues of angels symbolize the eternal angelic world, yet the Bible clearly states that we are not to construct images such as these. People are easily swayed and many have actually bowed down to these paintings and statues.

"Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind." (Col. 2:18)

Most of these man-made symbols of angels are female yet there is no mention whatsoever of female angels in the Bible.

The statues and paintings of the Virgin Mary are symbols of holiness and many have begun worshiping them. She has even been labeled, "The queen of heaven," which is the title of a demon goddess from the Old Testament.

"The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me (God) to anger." (Jer.7:18)

Millions around the world bow down and worship these statues and paintings, calling her "The mother of God," rather than her correct title which is "The mother of our Lord." She is truly blessed and worthy as the one God chose to carry our Savior, but to be called "the mother of God" is to place her in the Godhead.

Symbols can be very persuasive, especially to weak and vulnerable individuals who gravitate to them like moths to a flame. Those who are spiritually weak can see a cross on a church and automatically assume it's a holy environment. They see a person carrying a Bible and assume the person is righteous. Worse than this, they see a painting of one they believe to be Jesus Christ and pray to the image.

Wealth has long been a symbol of wisdom and intellect which is far from the truth. In the same way, poverty has long been a symbol of ignorance which is also untrue. The Bible says that both riches and poverty come from God. (James 1:9-10)

Things that we take as symbols which assign certain meanings should be examined more closely because most of them are of man and not God.