Relics:
Notre Dame in French means, “Our Lady.” Notre Dame is the old French appellation of the Virgin Mary and also the name of other structures dedicated to her; the most grandiose is the great cathedral in Paris: the Cathedral of Notre Dame that recently caught fire.
Can God’s power be found in any ancient buildings or relic? NO, these things have no power, whatsoever! Even if the entire original cross of Jesus had been discovered intact, it would have no spiritual value. If Notre Dame were to stand for another 1000 Years, its stones, timbers, stained glass windows, its organ with 8000 pipes and its altar would save no one.
Relics or buildings do not enable anyone to get closer to Jesus Christ. The bones of a saint are just that, bones! Relics, bones, or whatever, should not be prayed to, kissed, bowed to, worshipped, or used as some sort of bridge to God. Praying to, or before these things is nothing but blatant idolatry.
Philippians 2:10, “That at the name of Jesus (alone) every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and those in earth, and those under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” That’s faith!
Exodus 20:3, “You shall have no other gods before me,” meaning in His place, or in His presence.
Isaiah 42:8, “I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I NOT give to another, neither my praise to GRAVEN IMAGES.”
John 4:24, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” Not with idols, nor with icons, or relics!
The Catholic church claims to possess many ancient relics associated with Jesus and his apostles. These are usually on display, or placed in vaults throughout their churches, shrines or at the Vatican itself. Millions travel from around the world to see these artifacts, bowing before them, praying to them and even kissing them, in expectation of some special blessing or answered prayer.
In the sixteenth-century, one of the greatest scholars of our time Erasmus, wrote about the proliferation of relics, and the number of buildings that could be constructed from, so-called wooden relics claimed to be from the actual cross of Jesus.
The Catholic church claims to possess at least thirty, so called Holy Nails, Hmmmm! Also, they possess a piece of cloth called the Shroud of Turin which is said to have covered the body of the crucified Christ. Furthermore, they claim to have the actual crown of thrones that had been placed upon the head of Jesus. And here’s one for the ages, if you can believe this, they say they possess the “Holy foreskin of Jesus.”
A church in France claims to have a skull on a plate, claiming it belonged to John the Baptist; another, claims to possess the bones of Peter. There are thousands and thousands of these shrines set up to honor and worship the saints of Catholicism, especially Mary.
Exodus 20:4-5, “You shall NOT make unto yourselves any graven image, or 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 yourselves to them, nor serve them, for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God,”
Romans 1:25, “Who changed (exchanged) the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator, Verse 26, “For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections:”
The power is in Christ’s resurrection!
Concerning the making of images of saints: sin does not lie in the making and possessing of them, but in the making and possessing of them for the purpose of worshipping before them.
Salvation is by faith and faith alone; Christians are to believe in Jesus death, burial, resurrection, ascension and soon return!” We are to love our brethren, pray for our enemies and get the gospel of Jesus out to a dying world; these are the things that please God.
Acts 10:34, Peter writes, “Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: but in every nation he that fears him, and works righteousness, is accepted with him.”
Phillip LaSpino www.seekfirstwisdom.com