A SIMPLE THEOLOGY OF BEAUTY Part 2
In the first post, we discussed the concept of beauty the “Purist” camp follows. For this post we are discussing the second camp, which I call the “Grace” camp, for a lack of a better word. I’m sure some of you know or maybe heard variations of this view applied for a multitude of things, whether rightly applied or not. Here, the thought is that since Jesus has fulfilled the Law’s requirements, there is no condemnation on not following ceremonial laws, such as the restrictions on tattoos, pork, cutting of hair or beard and so on. This view is also used to justify the use of makeup and jewelry as under the jurisdiction of the age of “Grace”. Now, while this view is not exactly wrong (and Yes, I don’t think tattoos are a bad thing, and men can wear necklaces), it misses the point entirely. And both “Purist” and “Grace” camps are justifying or condemning makeup and jewelry based on a very similar view of Law and Grace, one that is unnecessarily narrow and restricted. While the age of Christ, which we live in, is an age of great Grace and Mercy, it doesn’t mean past ages were without grace or in the Old Covenant God was a Strict Father and now in the New Covenant He’s our Yes man, or in the case of the first camp, He’s still a strict Father who will punish you if you don’t follow so called strict rules. The concepts of Law and Grace are far richer than that. The Biblical story details a progressive revelation so beautiful it is called God’s word. Similar to the Eternal Word of God, God is revealed perfectly with normally frail and usually imperfect human vessels. This itself is Grace, God’s revelation and acts apart from our works, and it is the way God has always worked, from Genesis to the book of Revelation. God gives man life, His image, and all the earth first, before He’s given an instruction about the trees. Israel is saved from Egypt (note my use of the word saved) before given Laws concerning their conduct. Even the Law is a form of grace, for they were God’s way of showing the Israelites how to live, and how their savior, Yahweh himself, looks like. Even today, even if we’re not constrained by its requirements, it is still a way to find out what God is like, for if you can find Jesus in the Old Testament, you have found a great secret Saints of old searched for in vain. Apply this to beauty and we see a similar progression, Genesis shows a newly created earth, untouched by human interaction, but God is not done yet. He tells humans to subdue and rule the earth and gives them the power to do it. We are given the power to shape and modify the earth, participating in the Lord’s work. That means being artists, scientists, musicians, accountants, laborers, whatever it is you are called to do, you shape and beautify the world just as God intended. You (in a very real sense) make it up, dress it up and adorn it with Jewels, and this is not one you wash off or remove, it is permanent and beautiful. This may be hard to imagine, but an example is a simple contrast of the image of the world in Genesis and the world in the book of Revelation.
In Genesis, the earth was forests, deserts and unmodified earth, this is exemplified by the temple and center of the world being a garden. In the book of Revelation, the center of the world is the New Jerusalem, a beautiful city, adorned with all sorts of precious stones and metals, a river flows from it, giving the earth life. Kings are to it to bring their splendor, their created wonders to it for the Glory of the God. The progression is from Garden to City. This doesn’t mean we are to destroy the environment, rather the opposite, we are to beautify it, the New Jerusalem has trees, and the river of life fertilizes the land. To further tie this to the concept of human, and specifically female beauty, the New Jerusalem is called a bride, a female, and she’s adorned with everything beautiful. If you’re following this logic, you would see that beauty is very important to God’s plan and a consequence of His grace and our participation in his work. In anticipation for our glorification in the Second Coming of Jesus, we are to prepare, follow His call to subdue the world with Him and on His behalf, and this often involves beautifying ourselves, in whatever way we can that is good. This is not restricted by any Law God gave, it is rather upheld by it, and the call to beauty in Jesus’ name is even more urgent than ever. In the last post of this series, we will explore the theology of Beauty this leads us to and in whom this beauty is found. If you have any questions, ask in the comments section. Thank you for reading, and God bless you.