I realize that this Special Edition of my blog may bother some. Some may liken me to a Grinch telling children that there is no Santa Claus. But I feel compelled as biblical shepherd to speak up about the TV Series “The Chosen”—more specifically, why I not only choose not to watch it, but encourage all Christians not to watch it. I will present several reasons divided into two groups of reasons.
Group Number One: The clear teaching of the Bible (two reasons)
(1) The second Commandment forbids making images of God.
"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. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me…” Exodus 20:4-5
I know some disagree with the interpretation and application I believe is best and safest. To those who insist (as I once did) that making images of Jesus is not making an image of God because Jesus was a man, may I remind you that Jesus is the one and only God-man? While the deity and humanity of Jesus are distinct, they cannot and must not be separated. Images of Jesus are images of God.
Images are not limited to statues or even pictures. Motion pictures are images, that move. TV shows and movies create and present images of the God-man that are infinitely below who He is. They are human interpretations of who Jesus is, and therefore they cannot be accurate. Being inaccurate they are misleading at best, and at worst, blasphemous.
Why does God prohibit images of Himself? Two reasons; (a) We tend to think what we see is Him—and even if we do not formally worship the image, it plants a false picture of God in our minds. (b) God communicates Himself through words, not pictures. Remember Peter’s words about Jesus in 1 Peter 1:8, Jesus Christ “whom having not seen, we love.” If the Bible tells us to love Jesus whom we have not seen, why do we insist in seeing Him?
(2) The Bible warns us not to add to or subtract from the Bible.
You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. Deuteronomy 4:2
For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. Revelation 22:18-19
I recently saw a video in which actor, Kirk Cameron (a Christian actor, not a theologian) was defending and affirming “The Chosen” precisely because even though it adds to the Bible, it is good. Please Click Here to watch this 48 second video clip.
The Bible says not to add to the Bible, yet in this unbiblical statement we are told that adding to what the Bible says “enhances” the Bible. Since when does the Bible, which is the very words of God, need to be enhanced? Please think about this!
I will expound on the profound danger of adding to the Bible especially in story books and films, next time.