Worshipping in Truth

I read an article about a woman in New York who was cited for driving in a carpool lane with a mannequin. She had dressed it up with a brunette wig, makeup, stylish clothing, and sunglasses. A police officer, knowing what was going on, pulled her over and requested to see her I.D.—and the mannequin’s as well. Not amused, she told the officer she saw no problem in driving around with her dummy because everyone else was doing it.

Whether there are a lot of people driving around with dummies, I don’t know. But I do think there are a lot of people worshipping dummies—or at least a dumbed-down version of God. The second of the Ten Commandments has to do with worshipping the right God in the right way:

You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in Heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. . . . (Exodus 20:4–5)

We must worship God the way He wants us to worship Him, because how we worship matters as much as whom we worship. Does this mean that it is wrong to wear a cross or to have a painting or drawing of Jesus? No. But it is wrong when we have those objects to use as an aid to worship.

Jesus said, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). It is good to worship God in spirit. But Jesus said we must also worship Him in truth.

There is a right way to worship the right God. And God is not pleased when we feel we need images or icons or statues to help us in our worship.