What does the Bible say about beauty? 

The Bible passages mentioned below can be used in sermons, prayers, pastoral care, or worship planning focused on beauty. 

Beauty and goodness 

In the beginning, God fashioned the world and called it good (Genesis 1). The Hebrew word also has the connotation of beautiful. As such, the goodness and beauty of the world reflect that of its creator. 

Beauty of the temple 

God is beautiful, and the temple, God's earthly dwelling, reflects that beauty: 

• Psalm 96:9, worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness 
• Psalm 27:4, the psalmist's one request is to live in the house of the Lord and to behold the beauty of the Lord 

Beauty as fittingness 

Beauty also has the quality of being fitting. In Ecclesiastes 3, the Preacher lists a number of human experiences and then says that everything is beautiful (fitting, appropriate) in its time (Ecclesiastes 3:1-11). Tears at a funeral can be beautiful, as can tears of joy at a wedding. A fresh young face is beautiful, but so is one lined by years of experience. 

God as the source of beauty 

Failure to recognize that all beauty has its source in God can lead to a form of idolatry — worshiping the reflection rather than the source. Ezekiel 16 is a long parable on the ways in which Israel abused her God-given beauty by prostituting herself to the nations. 

Physical beauty 

Several Bible passages emphasize that physical beauty is a fleeting thing. Physical beauty reflects the beauty of a good heart. 

• Proverbs 31:30, beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised 
• 1 Peter 3:3-4, beauty in the inner being, the lasting beauty of a gentle spirit 

Beauty of Jesus' Transfiguration 

See Transfiguration Day  

With his face blazing with glorious brightness, the transfigured Jesus is not only a picture of divine glory, but also of his splendor as the new human who perfectly reflects the image of God. The Transfiguration thus pictures the beauty and glory of all humanity in Christ. 

• Matthew 17:1-9, the Transfiguration story in Matthew 
• Mark 9:2-8, the Transfiguration story in Mark 
• Luke 9:28-36, the Transfiguration story in Luke 

Beauty of the new creation 

John's vision of the new creation in Revelation 21-22  is nothing if not an evocation of beauty. From precious stones to stately gardens, the New Jerusalem, where God finally dwells with God's people, is a destination of overwhelming, glorious beauty. 

Sermon ideas about beauty

Sermons about beauty can discuss the human experience of beauty in light of the biblical message about beauty and its source. It is said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I wonder if someone whose heart is filled with hatred or lust is capable of perceiving beauty at all. To the greedy, a Rembrandt is measured in its cost. To the lustful, a beautiful person is reduced to their available orifices. The deeper we are mired in sin, the more ugly reality becomes. 

In art, what finally distinguishes the ugly from the beautiful is that it evokes and expresses reality and truth. The sentimental depiction of ordinary life in Norman Rockwell's famous Thanksgiving Picture and the ugliness of war expressed in Picasso's Guernica can both be called beautiful. But paradoxically, many would say that the Picasso more fully expresses the truth of life, and is therefore the more beautiful. 

Writers through the ages have observed that the things we find beautiful can never fully satisfy our souls because our desires are fulfilled in God. And in his song "Not Dark Yet" Bob Dylan observed, "Behind every beautiful thing there's some kind of pain." In sermons about beauty, we can explore these connections.  

Excerpts about beauty 

Following are sample excerpts from Zeteosearch.org sermon resources about beauty: 

"Beauty is a necessity, not a luxury. Beauty moves us, awakens us, provokes us, bringing freshness and newness to hearts that have too easily grown old and stale." Article about Theology by Charles Kalmut from Homiletic and Pastoral Review.   

Worship ideas about beauty 

Following are sample excerpts from Zeteosearch.org worship resources about beauty: 

• "The eyes of the creator live deep within, penetrating the 'diamond in the rough', revealing that which remains un-birthed." Poetry by Ana Gobeldale from Worship Words.   
• "Come, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Holiness present in the silent pulse of the earth beneath us." Call to Worship by Carol Penner from Leading in Worship.