Is it Idolatry to Wear a Cross?

Is it idolatry to wear a cross?

The short answer: No. It is not idolatry for a Christian or any person to wear a cross, as long as they are not using it as an object of worship.

The Biblical answer: Some use the old testament commands against graven images and idolatry to say that any form of a cross, whether a cross necklace worn around the neck or a decorative cross hung on the wall is partaking in idolatry (scroll down for Bible verses).

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But Christians must have sound doctrine; and for sound doctrine, we must get our views from the Bible and interpret Scripture correctly.

Exodus 20:3-5 says:

3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:

5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

The context of these verses is having “no other gods” before the true God. Notice that after the commandment in verse 4 to abstain from making a graven image, that it is immediately followed in verse 5 by the words, “Thou shal not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them”. When you wear a cross are you bowing down and serving that cross? Are you treating it as you would treat God? If so, you are committing idolatry. If not, you are simply wearing a gold cross necklace, for example, in honor of the Lord Jesus Christ and His death, burial, and resurrection to pay the penalty for your sins.

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Crosses, in fact, can be a good conversation starter to share the Gospel and win souls for the Lord. That is not a bad thing.

It comes down to this: a cross is a symbol, nothing else. It is a symbol of your Christian faith and if you like jewelry and say, silver cross pendants, there is nothing wrong with wearing one around your neck and there is nothing wrong with hanging crosses on your wall as one way to to proclaim to others that you are a Christian.

Another aspect of this question that people often forget also is that as Christians living under the new covenant, we are at liberty (Galatians 5:1); not that we should use our freedom in Christ as an excuse to sin, but Biblically, wearing a Christian cross is not a sin anyway (1 Peter 2:16).