25 Bible Verses About Creativity

It should be no surprise that the Bible—the authoritative resource on the Creator of the universe—is packed full of Bible verses about creativity. The book begins with the creation in Genesis and ends with the recreation of the New Heavens and Earth. In between, we learn of God’s great plan to create something beautiful with our lives.

The Bible says that people are created in the image of God. Thus, human creativity reflects the heart of a creative God. He designed people with the ability to see beauty in the world and discover new ways to recreate it. Consider God’s limitless creative process and the enjoyment He experiences in creating new things as you meditate on these Bible verses about creativity.

What Does the Bible Say About Creativity?

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). From the start of this creation account in the opening chapter of the Bible, we learn that God is the author of creation and the originator of creativity. At the story's culmination, God creates humankind—His most complex and extraordinary invention.

The Bible says that God was pleased with His creation. He took much pleasure in the process, stopping six times to observe His handiwork and declare that it was good. Upon final inspection of everything He created, God said it was “very good.” Naturally, God wants us to enjoy ourselves creatively, savor our accomplishments, and feel good about our artistic endeavors.

Many different art forms are found in the Bible, including dancing (Exodus 15:20), singing (Psalm 33:1–3), making music (2 Chronicles 5:12–13), writing (Psalm 45:1), painting (Ezekiel 23:11–15), decorative paneling (2 Chronicles 3:5–7), embroidery (Exodus 26:1), weaving (Exodus 29:5), spinning (Exodus 35:25), sculpting (Psalm 144:12), carving (1 Kings 6:18), engraving (Exodus 28:9–12), and ornamentation in gold (1 Kings 6:31–35) and ivory (Psalm 45:8).

The Finger of God

The “finger of God” and “hand of God” are metaphors expressing God’s creative power and authority over His created beings.

Psalm 8:3
When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you set in place (NLT)

Isaiah 48:13
My hand laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand forth together. (ESV)

God Is the Source of All Creativity

Human creativity has its source in God, who is the Creator of everything.

Genesis 1:27
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (ESV)

Exodus 31:1–6
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Look, I have specifically chosen Bezalel son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts. He is a master craftsman, expert in working with gold, silver, and bronze. He is skilled in engraving and mounting gemstones and in carving wood. He is a master at every craft! And I have personally appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to be his assistant. Moreover, I have given special skill to all the gifted craftsmen so they can make all the things I have commanded you to make” (NLT, See also Exodus 36:1–2)

Ecclesiastes 3:11
Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. (NLT)

Psalm 104:24
O LORD, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. (ESV)

Isaiah 45:7–12
“I create the light and make the darkness. I send good times and bad times. I, the LORD, am the one who does these things. … What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, ‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’ Does the pot exclaim, ‘How clumsy can you be?’ How terrible it would be if a newborn baby said to its father, ‘Why was I born?’ or if it said to its mother, ‘Why did you make me this way?’ This is what the LORD says—the Holy One of Israel and your Creator: “Do you question what I do for my children? Do you give me orders about the work of my hands? I am the one who made the earth and created people to live on it. With my hands I stretched out the heavens. All the stars are at my command.” (NLT)

God’s Masterpiece

Master crafters know that creating something beautiful takes time, sometimes even a lifetime. As we remain in fellowship with God, He makes something beautiful of our lives. He does the crafting as we abide in Him. Each draft is an investment in the final outcome. As God’s work of art, each of us is unique, created for a purpose.

Isaiah 64:8
And yet, O LORD, you are our Father.
We are the clay, and you are the potter.
We all are formed by your hand. (NLT)

Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (NLT)

Psalm 139:13-16
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

Philippians 1:6
And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. (NLT)

Creativity Used for Serving God

In the Bible, people served God by using their creative talents to build the tabernacle and the temple. They also worshipped the Lord creatively with music and dance.

Exodus 35:10
“Let every skillful craftsman among you come and make all that the LORD has commanded” (ESV)

Exodus 36:8
The skilled craftsmen made ten curtains of finely woven linen for the Tabernacle. Then Bezalel decorated the curtains with blue, purple, and scarlet thread and with skillfully embroidered cherubim. (NLT)

1 Chronicles 22:15–16
“You have a large number of skilled stonemasons and carpenters and craftsmen of every kind. You have expert goldsmiths and silversmiths and workers of bronze and iron. Now begin the work, and may the LORD be with you!” (NLT)

2 Chronicles 2:5–7
“This must be a magnificent Temple because our God is greater than all other gods. But who can really build him a worthy home? Not even the highest heavens can contain him! So who am I to consider building a Temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices to him? So send me a master craftsman who can work with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, as well as with purple, scarlet, and blue cloth. He must be a skilled engraver who can work with the craftsmen of Judah and Jerusalem who were selected by my father, David.” (NLT)

2 Chronicles 2:13–14
“I am sending you a master craftsman named Huram-abi, who is extremely talented. His mother is from the tribe of Dan in Israel, and his father is from Tyre. He is skillful at making things from gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and he also works with stone and wood. He can work with purple, blue, and scarlet cloth and fine linen. He is also an engraver and can follow any design given to him. He will work with your craftsmen and those appointed by my lord David, your father.” (NLT)

Psalm 149:3
Praise his name with dancing, accompanied by tambourine and harp. (NLT)

Proverbs 22:29
Do you see someone skilled in their work?
They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank. (NIV)

1 Chronicles 6:31–32
David assigned the following men to lead the music at the house of the LORD after the Ark was placed there. They ministered with music at the Tabernacle until Solomon built the Temple of the LORD in Jerusalem. They carried out their work, following all the regulations handed down to them. (NLT)

1 Chronicles 25:1-7
David and the army commanders then appointed men from the families of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to proclaim God’s messages to the accompaniment of lyres, harps, and cymbals. Here is a list of their names and their work … They and their families were all trained in making music before the LORD, and each of them—288 in all—was an accomplished musician. (NLT)

Human Creativity Abused

Like every good gift God gives, creativity can be abused by fallen, sinful humans. The Bible gives examples of people who used their talents to dishonor God rather than serve Him.

Deuteronomy 27:15
“Cursed is anyone who carves or casts an idol and secretly sets it up. These idols, the work of craftsmen, are detestable to the LORD.” (NLT)

2 Kings 19:18
And they have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire and burned them. But of course the Assyrians could destroy them! They were not gods at all—only idols of wood and stone shaped by human hands. (NLT)

Isaiah 40:19–20
Can he be compared to an idol formed in a mold, overlaid with gold, and decorated with silver chains? Or if people are too poor for that, they might at least choose wood that won’t decay and a skilled craftsman to carve an image that won’t fall down! (NLT)

Isaiah 44:10–13
Who but a fool would make his own God—an idol that cannot help him one bit? All who worship idols will be disgraced along with all these craftsmen—mere humans—who claim they can make a god. They may all stand together, but they will stand in terror and shame. The blacksmith stands at his forge to make a sharp tool, pounding and shaping it with all his might.   His work makes him hungry and weak. It makes him thirsty and faint. Then the wood-carver measures a block of wood and draws a pattern on it. He works with chisel and plane and carves it into a human figure. He gives it human beauty and puts it in a little shrine. (NLT)

Acts 19:23–26
About that time, serious trouble developed in Ephesus concerning the Way. It began with Demetrius, a silversmith who had a large business manufacturing silver shrines of the Greek goddess Artemis. He kept many craftsmen busy. He called them together, along with others employed in similar trades, and addressed them as follows: “Gentlemen, you know that our wealth comes from this business. But as you have seen and heard, this man Paul has persuaded many people that handmade gods aren’t really gods at all. And he’s done this not only here in Ephesus but throughout the entire province!” (NLT)

Sources

• Creativity. Dictionary of Bible Themes: The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies.
• Creativity. Baker Encyclopedia of Psychology & Counseling (2nd ed., p. 288).