As Christian parents, we want to teach our kids about Jesus in ways that are engaging and meaningful — but is it okay to use children’s Bibles that include pictures of Him? In this episode of Ask FGBC, Pastors Cam Porter and Jim Butler join Wim Kerkhoff to discuss how our good intentions can sometimes bump up against the Second Commandment. They offer wisdom on raising children to love Scripture itself — not just the images — and how to ground their faith in the Word of God. If you’re navigating how best to disciple your kids, this short but important episode is well worth your time. Watch the video and check out the full transcript to learn more.
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Transcript
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
Children’s Bibles, pictures of Jesus, second commandment, reformed belief, image forbidden, teaching children, Bible reading, sentimentality, good intentions, Word of God, accurate summary, biblical text, paraphrasing, media representation, Christ’s image.
SPEAKERS
Wim Kerkhoff, Pastor Jim Butler, Pastor Cam Porter
Wim Kerkhoff 00:08
Is it okay to have children’s Bibles with pictures of Jesus in them?
Pastor Cam Porter 00:15
I think that’s another simple answer. I think the answer is, No, we, you know we believe, traditionally the you know the reformed believe, with respect to the second commandment, that images of God and Christ, of course, are forbidden. And do you want to elaborate on that one?
Pastor Jim Butler 00:41
I think, yeah, that’s the kind of the basic argument. It’s a second commandment violation when you have pictures of Jesus, yeah, and again, I know that there’s a lot of people that say, well, that’s not what the second commandment means. Well, we can have that debate, or we can have that argument. I you know, children’s Bibles, per se, pictureless children’s Bibles. I get the desire to make it simpler and to make it understandable for children. So I don’t necessarily have an ax to grind with that, but I do think teaching your kids to read and read their own Bibles is probably the number one option, again, not denigrating the place of a pictureless Children’s Bible. Or there can be pictures of trees and plants and fish and birds and all that, but, but, yeah, and, you know, explaining simply when you read Scripture can do that work as well.
Pastor Cam Porter 01:40
I think there’s a, you know, there’s a there’s a measure of sentimentality, and I think good intentions on the part of parents and family members, because they want their children to learn more about God, to learn more about the Lord Jesus Christ, and, you know, to bring a measure of of excitement and familiarity and to sort of have some, some measure of connection. But I, you know, I think, as Jim mentioned, a great exercise would be in instructing those children in in the Word of God from, from, you know, the Bibles that that we have, in order that as they grow their they have a they have a knowledge of language. They have a knowledge of these sentences. They have a knowledge of the the verses and how the how the Bible reads, and to avail of the word and and not images, because it is by the Word of God that God saves sinners, and that God and how God edifies his people, and and so we go by the Word and and certainly not by the picture, and certainly not by by pictures that that violate the second commandment.
Pastor Jim Butler 02:56
And in the children Bible, Children’s Bible market, some are better than others. I think it, you know, due diligence on the part of the parents to find the good ones. You know, things that change meaning, or things that paraphrase in a way that obscures meaning. I would stay away from that, just like I’d stay away from an adult translation that obscured, rather than shone the light upon the glory of God’s Word. So yeah, and if you’re going after a Children’s Bible, you know, tear out all the pictures and make sure it’s a good, good, accurate summary, because that’s ultimately what it’s going to do. It’s going to summarize or paraphrase biblical text, but has to do that properly. It cannot give up the sense of Scripture to communicate to little Johnny.
Wim Kerkhoff 03:46
I agree with that. But I was getting to thinking if Jesus came today. Well, first, much the church would reject him, but secondly, like his picture would be in the media and everywhere, right? I don’t think he’d say, well, take it down, or don’t know, don’t take pictures of me. He’s like, I’m a man, right?
Pastor Cam Porter 04:03
yeah, well, and you know, I think there’s a there’s a difference between Christ himself being here and an image construction by the vanity of man’s mind.
Wim Kerkhoff 04:13
The embellishing….
Pastor Jim Butler 04:14
And in the fullness of the time, it was not the age of smartphones and cameras. God orchestrated that according to His perfect plan and purpose.
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