God Is Beautiful
For many years (a phrase which seems to introduce almost everything I say or write these days), I have thought about and preached on the subject of the beauty of God. I have never heard anyone teach on the subject, but I did through the decades come across two written sermons on the topic, “The Beauty of the Lord” by J. D. Jones and “Are There Shortcuts to the Beauty of Holiness?” (the short answer is “No!”) by A. W. Tozer. More recently, I read a review of a scholarly article about the American preacher Jonathan Edwards (of “sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” fame) that mentioned in passing that the beauty of God was one of the great themes in his preaching. I was thus encouraged that I have not headed off on an unprofitable tangent. In simple terms, beauty is that which attracts, causes a favorable interest, and creates an affinity. Such real, eternal beauty is found in our God. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
We can never conclude this study. Any attribute of God is both beautiful and infinite; thus, there is no end to His attractiveness. However, we are limited, and it is time to move on to another subject. In closing, let us remember the words of Paul in Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Because we live in a sin-cursed world and each of us possesses a sin nature, we must make a genuine effort to consider the goodness of God, including His beauty. Evil is evident everywhere, but God provides us with the opportunity to break free from the ugliness of sin, Satan, and the system of this world. God has attracted us to the Savior, Jesus Christ; He continues to draw us to all that is beautiful, all that is “lovely.”