Westminster Shorter Catechism · Question 51 of 107
What is forbidden in the second commandment?
A.The second commandment forbiddeth the worshiping of God by images, or any other way not appointed in his word.
Which Bible passages support this answer?
The Westminster Assembly attached these Scripture proofs to answer 51. Read them together and ask what each one shows about the answer.
- Deuteronomy 4:15-19
15Be very careful, then, because you saw no form at the time the Lord spoke to you at Horeb from the middle of the fire. 16I say this so you will not corrupt yourselves by making an image in the form of any kind of figure. This includes the likeness of a human male or female, 17any kind of land animal, any bird that flies in the sky, 18anything that crawls on the ground, or any fish in the deep waters under the earth. 19When you look up to the sky and see the sun, moon, and stars—the whole heavenly creation—you must not be seduced to worship and serve them, for the Lord your God has assigned them to all the people of the world. (NET)
- Exodus 32:5, 8
5When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it, and Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow will be a feast to the Lord.” 8They have quickly turned aside from the way that I commanded them—they have made for themselves a molten calf and have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt.’” (NET)
- Deuteronomy 12:31-32
31You must not worship the Lord your God the way they do! For everything that is abhorrent to him, everything he hates, they have done when worshiping their gods. They even burn up their sons and daughters before their gods! 32(13:1) You must be careful to do everything I am commanding you. Do not add to it or subtract from it! (NET)
What does this answer mean?
The second commandment forbids worshiping God by images, or in any other way not appointed in his Word. Images cannot show the true God as he is, and worship invented by people puts our ideas in place of his instructions. This answer is a short statement of what is often called the regulative principle of worship.
Where Reformed churches differReformed Christians agree that God is not to be worshiped by images. They differ on whether pictures of Jesus, such as those in many children's Bibles, fall under this commandment. The Westminster Larger Catechism (question 109) forbids 'the making any representation of God, of all or of any of the three persons', and some Presbyterians read that as ruling out pictures of Christ; other Reformed families do not draw that conclusion. Follow the teaching of your own church and elders.
What can we ask our children?
- What two things does this commandment forbid?
- Why can't a picture or statue show what God is like?
- Where do we learn how God wants to be worshiped?
Can I print this question?
Yes. Every printable here is free for home, church and co-op use. Press Print on any of these pages for a clean sheet.
- Memory card for question 51 (fold-over card, question on the front)
- Copywork page for question 51 (trace, then copy)
- Memory cards for questions 51 to 60
- Copywork for questions 51 to 60
- All Westminster Shorter Catechism printables
Text: The Shorter Catechism, constitutional text of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Public domain (1647). Proof references: Scripture proofs added by the Westminster Assembly, as transcribed by The Westminster Standard. Scripture quotations are from the NET Bible; see permissions.
Checked against a second edition on November 15, 2026. Explanation and questions by Household Theology Press. Last updated November 15, 2026.