The Spirit-Filled Artist: Why Beauty Still Matters to God

“See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God—with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge, and with all kinds of skills... Also I have given ability to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you.”— Exodus 31:1–3, 6

Tucked quietly into the early chapters of Exodus is a passage that carries immense weight for artists, creatives, and craftsmen. God, preparing His people to build the tabernacle, handpicks artists—and anoints them with His Spirit. Not just with skill, but with wisdom, understanding, and knowledge for the task at hand.

This moment tells us something vital: God Himself empowers and equips artists when He has a purpose in mind. What may seem trivial—adorning sacred spaces with beauty—is anything but trivial to Him. In fact, it’s part of how He chooses to reveal His majesty.

Beauty Matters to God

The takeaway from these verses is clear: Beauty and majesty matter to God. He not only values beauty—He enables its creation through His Spirit. He equips artists to produce beauty that goes beyond natural talent, pointing to the supernatural.

But what about now? The tabernacle was built thousands of years ago. Does beauty still matter to God in our modern world?

Scripture answers with a resounding yes. It continually affirms that the gifts and talents we carry are from Him, and that we are to use them to glorify God and serve others.

God Still Calls Creatives

Here are just a few reminders from Scripture:

• “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” — 1 Peter 4:10

• “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” — Matthew 5:14–16

• “Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings.” — Proverbs 22:29

• “All who are skilled among you are to come and make everything the Lord has commanded.” — Exodus 35:10

• “There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord... the same God at work.” — 1 Corinthians 12:5–6

So, how does this apply to the culture around us today—especially in the arts?

Modern Art and the Loss of Objective Beauty

In the West, we’ve largely abandoned the idea of objective beauty rooted in truth. Instead, modern institutions often encourage artists to deconstruct beauty—to strip things down and rebuild them as abstract, distorted, and emotionally subjective expressions. The emphasis has shifted from skillful execution to internal meaning. From the external “good” of creation to the internal turmoil of the individual.

Artists are now told to look inward, rather than outward toward the world that God declared “good.” They are taught that the value of their work lies in its intention, not its excellence.

But has this shift served us?

Has it elevated our culture? Has it inspired our artists to rise above themselves and reach for something greater?

Or has it left them turning inward—desperately searching for beauty in a place it was never meant to be found?

You Cannot Give What You Do Not Have

There’s a well-known truth: you cannot give what you do not have.

Our culture has told artists that what’s inside of them is enough. But the Bible tells a different story:

“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” — Jeremiah 17:9

When we urge young artists to create beauty from within, apart from God, we send them on an impossible quest. They try to form beauty from the emptiness in their souls—and the result?

Ugliness. Emptiness.

We see it all around us. The farther we move from God’s standard of beauty, the farther we drift from beauty itself.

And the consequences are not just cultural—they’re personal.

The Artist’s Burden

Artists are uniquely vulnerable. Their hearts and minds often go deeper, feel more intensely, and struggle more profoundly. History is full of brilliant creatives who battled depression, anxiety, and deep inner darkness.

Why? Because they were told to dig deeper into themselves—to find the divine within—only to discover pain, chaos, and confusion. The pursuit of self-as-god has left many artists isolated and broken.

Jesus said, “Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.”We can say the same of art: out of the overflow of the heart, the hand creates.

And so we must ask: what is the overflow of the modern artist’s heart?

Where Do We Go From Here?

As we evaluate the art our culture now produces—its themes, its tone, its intent—can we honestly say this modern, agnostic, abstraction-heavy direction has brought good fruit?

If we are willing to be intellectually honest, the answer is a sobering no.

The path forward for artists is not further inward. It’s upward.

We must call our artists back to something greater than themselves: to the Creator of all things, the Giver of beauty, the One who called creation “good.” Only when our artists are filled with the Spirit of God—like Bezalel—can they create art that reflects His majesty and speaks to the human soul.

Because beauty does still matter. Because God still calls artists. Because art still has the power to point to Him.

Let’s raise up a generation of Spirit-filled artists who create not from emptiness, but from abundance. Not from confusion, but from truth. Not for self-glory, but for the glory of the One who is Beauty Himself.