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Beauty

 We've now discussed two of the three transcendentals. We've seen that truth is ultimately about what is real, and that God is transcendent Truth itself. We've seen that goodness is ultimately about flourishing and growth, and that God is transcendent Goodness itself. Both truth and goodness are things that generally churches have pursued. We understand the importance of seeking out the truth, especially in regards to the Gospel. We also understand the importance of contributing to flourishing, especially in serving the poor. 

Beauty is something we haven't pursued as much.

Just like truth and goodness we crave beauty. We seek it out relentlessly. It is something we need in our lives. Look at the music industry or the fashion industry. We spend billions and billions of dollars seeking some form of beauty. Most people understand the value of a skillful painting or a talented musician, but we aren't sure why.

Beauty is fundamentally about perfection. It's about the highest ideal that we strive for and desire. As you've probably guessed at this point, God is Beauty itself. He is perfect. He is the highest ideal and greatest desire of our hearts. 

The Beautiful calls us to a higher state of existence. It inspires us to grow and improve ourselves. Beauty is the objective of the Good. We flourish and grow towards an ideal. Beauty also illuminates the Truth because it puts things in perspective so we can see what is real most clearly. 

What does it mean for us as Christians to be Beauty people? First we recognize that God is the source of all Beauty. Things are only beautiful insofar as they reflect and participate in Him, just as with truth and goodness.

It also means that genuine beauty is something to be celebrated and admired. Christians should be at the forefront of art, music, architecture, and more because we believe that the beautiful points us to God. It means that our places of worship, homes, and businesses should be vibrant places of color and art. It means that we should strive to make beautiful music.

Of course we also know that sin is a real presence in the world today. It can distort our perception of the beautiful and cause us to pursue ideals that are less than perfect. All one has to do is take a look at the rampant sexual immorality in our culture. I believe that this is a distortion of our desire for beauty. 

We also recognize that our human methods of attaining beauty are imperfect and limited. Art and music are wonderful things to be used to glorify God and point people to Him. However, they are limited. No one song can capture the full glory of God and no piece of art can do justice Beauty itself.

As I've said I think this is the one we've struggled the most with. How many churches do you know celebrate art and music? How many put forth an ideal for its members to grow and strive for? I haven't seen many, if any, at all. 

Next week we will look at how truth, goodness, and beauty relate to one another and why it is important for us as Christians to embody all three. 

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