The good, the true, and the beautiful. How can we best understand God’s standard for these? Where we look first matters a great deal. Do we look first to the shifting culture around us or to God’s Word? In the light of general and special revelation (creation and Scripture), God expects Christians to discern what is good, true, and beautiful from what is bad, false, and ugly (Ryken, 37-45). Clearly this discernment matters. However, there has been such a devaluing of these standards in the last century that many in our culture seem no longer able to make these distinctions. The postmodern worldview that is now so prevalent has left in its wake many who believe that in the arts, as well as in theology—goodness, truth, and beauty are merely a matter of subjective taste.

In contrast, God’s instructions for the tabernacle in Exodus 31 reveal His aesthetic standards in the crafting of both the structure and its articles (Ryken, 37-8). As a copy of the heavenly temple this was the place where the presence of God dwelled with His people, and He was worshiped. Everything in its construction pointed to the goodness, truth, and beauty of God Himself—the infinite excellence of His character and being, or glory  (Block, 257-8, 305). Here there is a principle revealed for the Christian artist. As Philip Ryken states, “. . . [O]ur art must be in keeping with the character of our God, who Himself is good, true and beautiful” (Ryken, 44).

Dr. Harry Reeder’s excellent article, “The Triune God: Good, Beautiful and True” (Tabletalk Magazine), underscores the significance of defending these standards. Along the way he unpacks the language used in our culture that distorts these realities. Reeder states “Each of us is an abettor in the relativization of goodness, beauty, and truth, claiming that there is no true truth, only ‘my truth,’ which may or may not be ‘your truth.’” He follows with good news for the Christian:  “Our Redeemer will deliver us from our sin so that we might not only behold truth, beauty, and goodness, but so that we will love truth, beauty, and goodness because we first love Him, the Lord of truth, beauty, and goodness.”

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Philippians 4:8)

Dennis, Lane T.; and Grudem, Wayne, eds. ESV Study Bible. Wheaton: Crossway Bibles, 2008.

Reeder, Harry. “The Triune God: Good, Beautiful and True.” Tabletalk Magazine (September 1, 2010).

Ryken, Philip Graham. Art for God’s Sake: A Call to Recover the Arts. Phillipsburg: P&R Publishing, 2006.

Block, Daniel I. For the Glory of God: Recovering a Biblical Theology of Worship. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2014.