When you hear the word art, different images may come to mind—your kid’s finger-paint masterpiece on the fridge, the mural you pass on the way to work, or the oil painting you saw in a museum. But did you include the Bible in your mental list? The Bible is itself a work of art, and it contains stories of art. Art in the Bible reminds us that all acts of creativity originate in our creator God. Not so sure? Let’s look at four examples in the Bible that highlight the artistry of God and his people.
Genesis 1:1 tells us that in the beginning, God created everything. Like a painter who moves from a blank canvas to a finished piece, God spoke into existence light and land, animals and birds, man and woman. But unlike human artists, who start with materials like paint and a canvas, God created a wondrous world out of nothing. After God created the world, he gave the first couple, who were made in his image and likeness, instructions to “. . . be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28, CSB). God wanted his creation to point back to their creator. And God wanted to be with his creation, too.
In the Old Testament, the Israelites built two important structures to house the presence of God. After the Israelites were rescued from Egypt, God instructed them to build the mobile tent of meeting. Later, Solomon constructed the temple in Jerusalem. God used skilled artists to create and outfit both meeting places with metal and stone fixtures, furniture, curtains, fragrances, and even special garments for the priests—all of which aided in worshipping God (Exodus 31:1–11; 1 Kings 7:13–14). Both structures served as stunning displays of God’s creativity. They provided a beautiful space for the people of God to worship him. But access to both the tent and the temple was limited to certain times and people—until the New Testament.
Before Jesus died, he promised the disciples he would send a helper to be with them in his absence. This promise of a helper puzzled his disciples, but today we understand that he was talking about the presence of the Holy Spirit. When the Corinthians struggled to honor God, Paul reminded them in 1 Corinthians 3:16 that the Holy Spirit resides within each believer. Christians are “God’s temple,” where the presence of God resides. The beautiful structure where God’s glorious presence lives is not a building anymore, but his people—people he created like a potter with clay. We can worship and enjoy our creator all the time because he is always with us.
But God’s artistry goes a step further.
When Paul wrote to the Ephesians, he said in Ephesians 2:10 that each person is God’s “handiwork” created to do good works for the glory of God. This verse echoes God’s command in Genesis 1:28 for Adam and Eve to fill the earth with his good creation. Like Adam and Eve, Christians are to steward the good work he has done in our lives by doing “good works” that point others to God. As Christians, we are living art—God’s handiwork—a visible canvas of God’s work on display. And through our lives and our work, we can glorify God, our creator.
In Revelation, we read of the new heavens and new earth that God promises for all believers. The artistry of new creation will surpass anything we can imagine creating in our present world (Revelation 21:1–5). While many artists have completed canvases on display in museums or in homes, most artists also have a canvas or two they never finished. God, the ultimate artist, used wide sweeping brush strokes to create a world he loves. Unlike a canvas that lays forgotten and incomplete in a studio, what God began, he will complete (Philippians 1:6). Even while we look ahead to God’s promise of new creation, we can trust that God is working in our lives now to make us more beautifully like him.
From the first declaration in Genesis to the new creation promised in Revelation, God’s creativity is on display. Like an artist’s signature in the corner of a painting, every act of creativity serves as a reminder that God, whom we worship, is the master artist. The next time you pass by a piece of art—whether it’s your child’s fridge art, a famous painting, or a patch of wildflowers—remember that this act of creativity has its origin in creator God who “has made everything beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
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