All that is good, true, and beautiful is a reflection of God. Marred by the fall nothing is perfect, yet made by the hand of God, the whole universe is bursting with the goodness—though now seen through a mirror darkly—of its Creator. The heavens declare His glory, the lilies of the field His care, and the mountains His eternality. Poetry, art, law, philosophy, and literature praise God; insofar as they contain particles of their intended truth.
The splendor falls on castle walls
And snowy summits old in story;
The long light shakes across the lakes,
And the wild cataract leaps in glory. (Tennyson).
These lines shout praise to Jehovah. How? They are beautiful; melodious, symmetrical, and full of grace. They are true; accurately portraying God’s universe from the perspective of the poet. They are good; causing the heart to rise in admiration of lovely things. Even when found in the creations of unbelievers, all that mirrors back the divine logos should be claimed by the Christian.
John Calvin wrote:
“…in reading profane authors, the admirable light of truth displayed in them should remind us, that the human mind, however much fallen and perverted from its original integrity, is still adorned and invested with admirable gifts from its Creator. If we reflect that the Spirit of God is the only fountain of truth, we will be careful, as we would avoid offering insult to him, not to reject or condemn truth wherever it appears. In despising the gifts, we insult the Giver. How, then, can we deny that truth must have beamed on those ancient lawgivers who arranged civil order and discipline with so much equity? Shall we say that the philosophers, in their exquisite researches and skilful description of nature, were blind? Shall we deny the possession of intellect to those who drew up rules for discourse, and taught us to speak in accordance with reason? What shall we say of the mathematical sciences? Shall we deem them to be the dreams of madmen? Nay, we cannot read the writings of the ancients on these subjects without the highest admiration; an admiration which their excellence will not allow us to withhold. But shall we deem anything to be noble and praiseworthy, without tracing it to the hand of God?”
The message of the Bible is not one of rejection of the earth, but of the reconciling of the cosmos back to God. The entire creation is waiting with earnest expectation for the complete redemption of the children of God. So while we wait for the city where righteousness dwells, abhor what is evil and cling to what is good. In the world to come all that is delightful and true in this world will be there, only grown into its matured perfection. As sons of the highest, seek to create beautiful things.
Reflective Wanderer 