Our Artist God
In the opening chapter of his book, Music Through the Eyes of Faith, Harold Best asserts that “[c]reativity is not just for artists …, it is a part of our humanity. Everybody, to one degree or another, is creative. … Creativity is the ability to imagine something—think it up—and then execute it or make it.” 1
I agree with Best’s assertion. In fact, I take his statement that “everybody … is creative” as one evidence of many that we are made in the image of God (Gen 1:26). Our God is a creator God. We might even say that our God is an artist. He who formed creation―everything from the vast universe to the most microscopic object―not only thought it all up but he then had the power to make it all happen. Now we, of course, do not possess that same power, but we have been given the same desire to create.
What’s your medium? Music? Drama? Wood? Pastels? Video? Ceramics? Circuit boards? Words? Watercolor? Photography? Fabric? Stone? Perhaps you make your living as an artist, or maybe you apply your creative senses in your everyday activities. This is you “imaging” the image of your Creator God.
So, does God have anything to say about how we create? In other words, does God care about creativity and the arts? God actually has quite a bit to say about the arts in his Word. While space doesn’t allow for an expansive discussion of this topic, here are a handful of biblical takeaways to get you going.
God is the Ultimate Creator
Gen 1:1; Ps 51:10; Isa 45:7; 65:17; Eph 2:15
God not only creates, but he also continues to sustain and care for his work of art. Who among us can say that about our art? In this sense, God’s act of creating never ends. In his creating, he imparts life―existence, physical life, and spiritual life. God doesn’t create for his own self-serving purposes, but because it is in his character to create. He is the artist’s Artist!
We Are God’s Creative Work of Art
Gen 1:26-27; Eph 2:8-10
The apostle Paul says in Ephesians 2:10 that “we are [God’s] creative work” (NET). The Greek word used here (poiēma) is the word from which we derive the English word, “poem.” God, the Divine Poet, has fashioned us in Christ to be his precious work of art―his unique creation. And as it says in Psalm 100:3, “It is he who made us and we are his.”
God Delights in Creative Diversity
Acts 2:1-11; Rev 7:9-10
Our God is a God of limitless creativity. The diversity of scientific kinds, species, and subspecies ought to prove this alone, but then we add to that the diversity of languages and cultures―all of them reflecting God’s creativity―and the point is solidly made. There is no one approved form of art―God delights in diversity of creative expression.
God is the Giver of All (Artistic) Gifts
Exo 31; 35:30-36:5; 1 Cor 12
It’s worth noting that the first occurrence of God filling a person with his Spirit is in Exodus where it says God filled Bezalel “with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills―to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts” (Exod 31:3-5). Not only could Bezalel do the creative work asked of him, but he was also given the ability to teach others to do the same (Exod 35:34). As it is with creative gifts, so it is with all gifts.
Only “Christian” Art?
Matt 23:37-40; 1 Cor 10; Rom 12:1
The doctrine of vocation leads us to understand that everything we create is valuable, not just that which has a gospel or evangelistic purpose. Some Christians will focus on art that in some way tells a gospel story. This is wonderful and needed, but it in no way diminishes the contributions of the person who uses his/her God-given gifts in a way that may not explicitly witness to the gospel, yet is still beautiful, functional, and/or awe-inspiring.
Artistic Gifts Are to Be Stewarded
Rom 12:6-8; 1 Pet 4:10
Like all spiritual gifts (for example: administration, teaching, evangelism, faith, generosity), the gift of creativity is to be stewarded as well. “Stewarding” looks like receiving the gift with thankfulness and disciplining ourselves to practice and grow in knowledge and skill so that we might be more effective to serve God and our neighbor with our gifts.
You Are Not Your Gift
Ps 103:13-14; John 3:16; 2 Cor 3:4-6a
I first heard this phrase from Michael Card, an early pioneer of contemporary Christian music. Because of the power of art and the attraction it affords for personal and/or financial gain, it can be tempting for those with artistic gifts to take pride in them and use them selfishly. Additionally, because artistic creations are often subject to criticism, it can also be easy to attach our identity too intimately to our artistic abilities. But, as Michael Card said, “You are not your gift.” Your existence and value are not authenticated by what you do or what you create, or by what others think of what you do or create. You are, above all, a person made in God’s image and dearly loved by him. In Christ, you are God’s precious, beloved child for whom Christ suffered and died. May that be enough.
Creating with Joy and Freedom
John 15:11; Gal 5:1
Our purest example of creative expression is the Lord God who has made all things “for the love and delight of it.”2 God desires us to know this same delight. As we create, unhindered by the opinions or criticism of others, we come to delight in the experience itself, irrespective of the accolades or practical “uses” of what we create. When we know who we are in Christ, we can “fail” or mess up and learn from it, not allowing that “poor performance” to tell us who we are. This is freedom. Here is joy.
We affirm that “God is both the supreme imaginer and the consummate craftsman, the true poet and the exact grammarian.”3 As we create, we “image” the One who has made us in his image. As Harold Best concludes: “In the final analysis, [art] making is neither a means nor an end but an offering, therefore an act of worship.”4 So by the invitation of our gracious, merciful, creative, and generous God, “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker” (Ps 95:6).
Dr. Brad Pribbenow is the Dean of Lutheran Brethren Seminary and the Professor of Old Testament.
Brad has recorded four full-length albums, two of which are available on most streaming platforms. Salvation (2002) is a collection of nine original songs. Hymns: Volume 1 (2003) is a recording of twelve “worship team friendly” hymn arrangements. These can be found
1 Harold M. Best, Music Through the Eyes of Faith (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1993), 11. Emphasis original.
2 Timothy E. Saleska, Psalms 1-50, Concordia Commentary (St. Louis: Concordia, 2020), 1.
3 Best, Music Through the Eyes of Faith, 13.
4 Best, Music Through the Eyes of Faith, 15.