In this short blog we’ll answer the question ‘What does the Bible say about God’s creativity?’ This is part of our larger series concerning Christian innovation and design, and fits within the most recent conversation about creativity and innovation in the Bible.
So, what does the Bible say about God’s creativity? The Bible presents creativity as one facet of God’s identity and being. God’s creativity is revealed in nature (Ps.24), in creatures (Job 12.7-10), in humanity (Gen.1.26-28), in the unfolding redemption of the future (Jer.29.11), and in the promised New Creation (Isa.65-66).
Human beings are the crown of creation, and as such God’s creativity is most nobly demonstrated in our creation. To whit, here’s some of my favorite Bible verses about God creating us:
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
– Genesis 1.27
“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.”
– Psalm 139.13
”For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
– Ephesians 2.10
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
– Jeremiah 1.5
“I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”
– Psalm 139.14
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
– 1 John 4.7-8
”But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
– 1 Peter 2.9
”Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
– 2 Corinthians 5.17
”Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
– 1 Corinthians 6.19-20
The true meaning of creativity in the Bible involves the Creator’s creations perpetuating Creation. I realize that’s a mouthful, but it’s also the easiest way to remember a profound truth.
God, our Creator, created everything (what we call “Creation”). Human beings are part of that creation (hence we are God’s “creations”), and we have been called by God to ‘fill the earth and to subdue it’, having ‘dominion’ over the land and the animals. Thus, our holy calling involves perpetuating Creation (for certainly the work of filling and subduing and exercising dominion is creative work, insofar as it involves setting things into an order that did not previously exist) as God’s mini-creators.
All creative work is emulation of our Creator, and we are never more like God than when we are creating.
Here are my 5 favorite God and creativity quotes:
“Insofar as man partakes in the creative process does he partake of the divine, of God, and that participation is his immortality.”
– Alfred North Whitehead
”Creativity is God’s will for us and should be practiced like any other spiritual practice—a day at a time.”
– Julia Cameron
“We exist to fully participate in the creation of our own lives.”
– Toni Sorenson
“Great artists die to self in their work, collaborate with their work, know it and are known by it as Adam knew Eve, and so share in the might act of creation.”
– Madeleine L’Engle
“Design shows intention, intelligence, and a sense of proportion. We react to all that in very primitive and subliminal ways. The more intelligence, imaginative design thrives within the city, the less desperate things seem. Great design implies a level of care, and care comes with some overtones of safety and security. In many ways, it resembles love.”
– Tom Barlow
What does the Bible say about creativity? If you really want the best answer to this question, you’ll need to read between the lines. Go deeper than simply looking for verses that use the words “create” or “creativity”, and inspect what else the Bible says. For example, consider the fact that the Bible itself is a work of creative genius—a collection of prose and poems, architectural designs and short fiction (parables), a celebration of clever victories and rhetorical innovation. The Bible tells the story of artisans and craftsmen, weavers and designers, engineers and statesmen, all brought together in a kaleidoscope of destiny, healing, and love.
Perhaps the most important truth the Bible offers is that creativity is a gift from God. God made us to be like God, and since God is a Creator we are meant to create, too. In fact, when we create, we are emulating our Creator, and the playground in which our creativity manifests is the Creator’s Creation.
What is God’s view of creativity? This is a bit like asking “What is God’s view of God?” Creativity is one aspect of God’s divine essence. God cannot be separated from God’s ability to create, such that when we’re made in the image and likeness of God we, too, become creators. God sees creativity like you and I see mirrors—it’s just God, reflecting back a thinner version of divinity, checking for blemishes and finding none.
Creativity is a gift from God. We have been made by God to become like God, and so there will always be some sense in which we are God’s apprentices. And, like a good teacher, God wants us to get hands-on in the administration of our world. He wants us to have stewardship and dominion. He wants us to exercise his government, his creativity, and his peace over the earth. But he doesn’t want us to do it alone. God wants to be involved. We are, sadly, like children who tear the ingredients away from the chef, sullenly muttering “Let me do it.” And God will let us. He will sit back and watch as we ruin the recipe, burning the bread and pouting at the smoldering mess we insisted on making alone. He is not impressed with our solo efforts. We are not ready to go alone. We never will be. And so our teacher teaches us again. And again. Cautioning us against too much seasoning, chiding us for taking our eyes off the stove for too long.
Becoming godly involves becoming more creative. More imaginative. Because being godly involves being like God, and God is imaginative. Imagination is godly. And when we create, we are godly, also.
How can you describe God’s creative power? It’s tempting to describe God’s creative power in grandiose language—God makes seas and skys and heavens and wonders and so forth—or even in fine detail—God makes whispers and microbes and wavelengths and quarks—but the truth is that God’s creative power is most frequently revealed through the myriad of little ideas we all have about how to love and serve one another. God’s creative power is on display when you help an old lady put her luggage in the compartment above her seat. God’s creative power is on display when you tell your father you love him. God’s creative power is on display when you choose not to take offense, refuse to be passive aggressive, or greet ignorance with mercy.
The most creative ideas from God are those ideas that you haven’t yet had. You’re God’s best work, and God’s Spirit is working in you, sponsoring new dreams, new ideas, and new hopes for the future.
So get to it!
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