The second commandment prohibits making any likeness of God, and since Jesus Christ is God, this includes any picture or statue of Him. Most representations of Jesus Christ depict Him with long hair, soft feminine features, and a sentimental look in His eyes, which contradicts the masculine portrayal in the Bible. The apostle Paul notes that long hair on a man is a dishonor, and first-century societal norms, as seen in art of that era, favored short hair for men. Jesus Christ, described as a carpenter and outdoor worker, displayed strength by chasing moneychangers out of the Temple courts and enduring physical hardships like fasting for forty days and severe beatings before crucifixion. He was not effeminate, and Isaiah describes Him as having no notable beauty or form that would make Him stand out. Therefore, most images of Jesus Christ falsely represent Him, opposing every biblical description of His true nature.

Satan has made every effort to deceive humanity into believing his counterfeit version of the true Jesus Christ, relentlessly portraying Him as soft, weak, and effeminate, and not as a man to be greatly admired. To sweat blood in the face of adversity can be seen as more in keeping with satan's counterfeit version, a man so feeble that He nearly exsanguinates Himself at the thought of suffering. The true Jesus Christ came as a human being to pay in our stead the death penalty we all have incurred, knowingly facing the most horrendous of deaths devised by men cut off from God. He did all this, demonstrating the greatest example of human courage like no other man ever could. We owe it to Him to portray Him in the light revealed in the truth of His Word.

Sadly, distortions of meekness have led to a pervasive effeminization of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, portraying Him as weak and timid. John Ritenbaugh critiques the popular hymn by Charles Wesley, "Gentle Jesus Meek and Mild," for instilling characteristics of weakness, timidity, diffidence, and docility, traits despised in rugged, self-reliant cultures. Many have ingrained false images of Our Lord as a pusillanimous, long-haired hippie or as a helpless baby in icons, which misrepresent the true nature of meekness. If these portrayals define meekness, they evoke repulsion, mirroring the disdain for the timorous, wishy-washy spirit seen in much of mainstream, nominal Christianity.

The effeminate image of Jesus Christ, often portrayed as gentle, meek, and mild, does not fully capture the essence of His authority as Lord and Master. He is kind and merciful, with great longsuffering and patience, yet He demands certain non-negotiable qualities from His followers. As our Lord and Master, He commands belief, obedience, faith, loyalty, love, honor, praise, and the fruits of righteousness. He expects production from those committed to His cause, emphasizing the importance of bearing spiritual fruit that endures eternally. His teachings reveal a stern side, warning that failure to produce fruit may lead to severe consequences, as He is not a wishy-washy underling but a commanding authority striving to achieve His purpose through us.

Throughout nearly two millennia, false depictions of Jesus Christ have clouded our understanding, largely influenced by a great false church and her daughters, promoting a different gospel and a different Christ. From an artistic perspective, the images propagated by these entities often portray Him in ways that diminish His strength and vitality. We see Him as a swaddled babe in a manger, a long-haired, soft-eyed, delicate-handed young preacher who appears so frail that a slight breeze might topple Him. Such an effeminate portrayal suggests He lacks the strength to even lift a board of wood without breaking His wrist. Additionally, images of Him as a lifeless corpse, either hanging on a cross or lying limp in His mother's arms, further emphasize a god with no power, no life—a depiction that aligns with what satan would relish, a defeated figure. These portrayals, while capturing moments of His life and death, are mere snapshots that fail to convey the fullness of His character, teachings, and purpose. They are far too simplistic, missing the complexity and nuance of who He truly is. Even after years in the church of God, many of us still struggle with these popular, misconstrued images of Him that linger in our minds from past exposures in churches or homes, hindering our ability to fully recognize and understand Him as He truly is.

The modern portrayal of Jesus Christ as merely gentle, meek, and mild is a distorted image that fails to capture the fullness of His character. This effeminate depiction, often seen in pictures as a weak, longhaired, lanky figure unable to exert strength, contrasts sharply with the reality of His nature. Such a view reduces Him to a powerless savior on a cross, bound by nails and incapable of action, ignoring the fierce and authoritative aspects of His being. This incomplete image, perpetuated by many, strips away the powerful and just side of His character, presenting a god made from only a fragment of His true essence. In truth, He is not always the soft figure of popular imagination, but a Being of intense emotion and action when the situation demands it, as evidenced by His anger in the synagogue and His forceful cleansing of the temple. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, unchanging in His essence, embodying both mercy and wrath as the ultimate expression of righteousness.