By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. Hebrews 11:3
The art of God was created by the Word of God, spoken outside of time and space, possessing the inherent power to bring forth visible physical matter from invisible spiritual energy. Hence, all that exists, from the whole of the cosmos to its subatomic particles, bears the clear impression of God.
This is unequivocally stated by the apostle Paul in Romans 1:20: “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (niv). Yet it is the natural response of mankind to ignore this truth and to deny God credit for His creation.
The root of this blindness is the human desire for autonomy, aided by the fact that God is the only Artist shown in the gallery. Because all things are the work of His hands, and nothing exists that He has not made, it is commonplace for us to take God’s art for granted, or even to believe the critic who says it’s really not art at all, but rather something that just happened—a serendipitous accident that simply stumbled into existence through a mindless meeting of time and chance.
Were this said of the Mona Lisa or the Sistine Chapel we would think it totally absurd. Why then, when even the simplest molecule in nature is infinitely more complex and perfect than these masterworks by da Vinci and Michelangelo, do we give less credence to the higher art form and spurn its Designer and Creator? Perhaps we need to take a closer look at the art of God before blindly accepting the critic’s opinion of its origin and meaning.
The proper starting place for a visual study of the art of God is with its basic components or elements. And, as our concern is more with art than science, we will use the classical poetic model of air, fire, water, and earth to guide us through the exhibit.
From the beginning of time the art of God has displayed His infinite power and glory. With His Word and with light He has illuminated it for us to see and enjoy and understand. Now, using those same elements, we will take a closer look at its perfections.