Neville Goddard explained biblical ideas as descriptions of inner states rather than historical events. The terms molten and graven images show how we turn our own thoughts into fixed, external “facts” and then treat them as unchangeable. His point is practical: the Bible is warning us about assuming limitations and then worshipping those assumptions as if they are the final truth.
What Are Molten and Graven Images?
In the Bible, molten and graven images are physical idols. In Goddard’s interpretation, they symbolise the states and conditions we create through assumption. Instead of recognising imagination as an inherent power, we often give more authority to what we see in the outer world. We treat the result of old assumptions as if it has power over us.
The Illusion of the Material World
When we “worship” these images, we are accepting the outer world as the cause. We allow circumstances, labels, or conditions to dictate what is possible. Goddard taught that these outer facts are only the outworking of previous assumptions. They look solid, but they are not the cause—they are the effect.
Turning Inward: Stop Giving the Outer World Authority
The command to the self is not to make or worship these images is a command to stop giving the outer world more weight than imagination. The law of assumption states that your inner acceptance of a state is what produces your experience. When you stop treating external facts as final and start assuming the state you desire, you stop worshipping “idols” and return to the true creative source within.
God Within: The Only True Image
For Goddard, the “true image” is your "I AM that I AM" — operating in you as imagination. Looking outward for permission, signs, or proof is the same as worshipping idols. Looking inward—accepting the state you desire as already real—is how you honour the true image of assumption. Your assumption is what determines what you experience.
Conclusion: Your Assumption Creates Your Reality
Goddard’s explanation of molten and graven images is a practical warning: do not surrender your power to what you see. Circumstances are only the shadow of old assumptions. You change them by changing your inner state. When you understand that the Kingdom of God is within—your imagination—you start to live from the truth that assumption, not external fact, is the creative force.