Creative in the Image of God

Humans are creative. We paint, weave, sing, and invent, among a litany of other processes. The process of

making something out of an idea, transforming abstract inspiration into reality is deeply fulfilling and integral

to our status as image-bearers. Our creations can show care—a knitted blanket recalling the love of the

mother who made it; our creations can be practical—clothes and houses to keep us safe and warm; or, they

can be expressive—a child’s artwork that speaks not only to our minds but to our hearts. We imitate the

breadth of the creative nature of our own Creator.

In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth; later, He created us in his image. As the Old

Testament progresses, we see God as Creator again and again. We see God show care for his people, from

David to Hannah. During the Exodus from Egypt, God sends down manna to sustain His people, providing

for their practical needs. After the great flood, God places a rainbow in the sky as an expression of his

promise, a symbol that speaks to both our minds and hearts. In these cases the reason, the process ,and the

product are all good and reflective of God’s nature.

By nature, we create. However, by nature, we are also sinful. We see this sin in how we consider our

creations and the process of making them. From impatience, wanting to finish a boring project quickly; to

fear and anxiety that our ideas or execution are lacking; to pride, considering the work of our hands as better

than others’ or rejecting the need for improvement, our creations reflect our sinful nature. Again, we see the

narrative of our sinful creations from the beginning of the Biblical narrative. When humanity built the Tower

of Babel, it was a representation of our pridefulness. Although the bricks that built the tower were not

inherently sinful, the intention behind this creation was antithetical to God’s sovereignty, as we sought to

“make a name for ourselves” to uplift ourselves to the same status as God (Genesis 1:4). We can also see this

sin in our creation themselves—we turn care into disregard, seeking the next product with no concern for the

environment or means of production; we turn practicality into deadly utility, creating weapons of mass

destruction, and we turn expressions of beauty and community into prideful endeavors for personal

validation.

The process of creation is just as important as the finished product. Like all things, the creative process can

be a source of worship and sanctification, a counterbalance to the brokenness we sometimes create by our

very nature. If we view our creativity as a facet of our status as image-bearers, then we can better reflect the

creative nature of God through prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit. According to Galatians 5, acts

undertaken with the power of the Spirit bear specific spiritual fruit. With prayer and intentionality, we can

sow the seeds of the Fruit of the Spirit in even our most mundane acts of creation. Projects of utility become

gifts of creative kindness—a mother’s prayers stirred into a hot meal. Projects of expression reflect our joy in

creation—a painting displayed not because of its physical beauty but because of the feelings it evokes in it’s

creator. Projects of care show the selflessness in creation—the time and effort invested when we create for

another person with the expectation of payment.

Similarly, our works can reflect the original Creation—the beauty of the earth reflected in paintings, songs,

and writing as a response to God’s wonders and a means to share that wonder with others. Again, we see this

throughout the Bible and the history of the church. From the Psalms that expound on the intricacy and care

of God’s creation, to classic hymns like “This is my Father’s World,” to writers like C.S. Lewis illustrating

God’s goodness through stories like The Chronicles of Narnia, we see humans using creativity as worship for

millennia.

Thomas Aquinas explains the necessity of God for goodness in human creation; “because good is convertible

with being, as one is also; he called God the absolute good, from whom all things are called good by way of

participation.”1 As created beings, we receive our goodness from God; we receive this goodness by actively

participating in our ongoing spiritual sanctification, seeking to reflect God’s goodness in our action and

intentions. By extension, the things we create are only good through participation; if we depend on our

efforts, either the product or the process will be flawed. Through divine dependence, we can sanctify our

efforts and creations, offering them up to God as worship. Through prayer, we can invite the Holy Spirit into

our creativity as a means to better our creations. Through His goodness, we can use art to imitate the breadth

and wonder of His creation to demonstrate the wonder and awe it inspires.

Humans have a heritage of creativity, as we are made in the image of the Creator. Our society tells us that

what we create is only good if it is worthy of money, praise, or use. God answers with the Spirit, giving us a

way to sanctify our creativity as a means of worship and to fulfill our status as creative image-bearers.

Endnotes

1. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, I.VI.4, translated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province

(New Advent, 1920), www.newadvent.org/summa/1006.htm.