The Bible recognizes general revelation, the idea that God can be known in some measure to all people through his creation; indeed, Paul asserts that this general revelation renders people without excuse for failing to acknowledge God or give thanks to him (Rom. 1:18–21). The understanding of God’s specific character and historic purposes, however, can be known only by revelation at his initiative; it cannot be known in the first instance by visual or auditory perception or by the imagination of human intellect (Isa. 64:4; 1 Cor. 2:9) but must be revealed “through the Spirit,” the breath or life of God directly impacting the soul.
In Scripture, activity associated with the fine arts is connected with divine inspiration. In the case of visual arts, Bezalel, the chief artisan of the Mosaic tabernacle, is introduced as a man “filled with the Spirit of God” (Exod. 31:1–3). The association of the Spirit of God with musical activity is more pronounced. Samuel, having anointed Saul king, tells him that he will encounter a band of prophets coming down from the sanctuary, prophesying to the accompaniment of musical instruments; the Spirit of God will come upon him, and he himself will prophesy, being “changed into a different person” (1 Sam. 10:5–6). Prophetic activity is carried out under the direction and impulse of the Spirit of God, and in the Bible, prophecy, and music are closely allied. David appointed the Levitical musicians to “prophesy” in the praise and thanksgiving of worship before the ark (1 Chron. 25:1–7). Elisha called for a player on the lyre in order to prophesy to the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom (2 Kings 3:13–15). The prophetic books of Scripture are filled with song, and the public regarded Ezekiel more as a musician than as a prophet, to his consternation (Ezek. 33:32). In early Christian worship, constant thanksgiving with “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” is a direct result of being “filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18–20). Rejoicing, whether in music, spoken praise, or choreography, can be at the impulse of the Holy Spirit. The gospel records that Jesus was “full of joy through the Holy Spirit” when the seventy reported the results of their preaching of the kingdom of God; the Greek word can indicate leaping or dancing (Luke 10:21).
Of paramount importance is the Spirit’s direction in literary activity; the doctrine of the inspiration of Scripture is well developed and needs no elaboration here. The role of the Spirit of God in the formation of prophetic literature is, of course, especially evident; prophecy took shape as “men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Pet. 1:21). A hint of the impulse of the Spirit in psalmic poetry may be seen in the poet’s words, “My heart is stirred by a noble theme.… my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer” (Ps. 45:1). In a similar vein, the young man Elihu claims a spiritual impetus for his poetic contribution to the debate between Job and his friends (Job 32:6–22). Some of the great word pictures of Scripture are presented in the context of the special movement of the Spirit upon the author. Ezekiel’s spectacular vision of the four living creatures supporting the throne of the glorious Lord was the occasion of the Spirit’s coming upon him (Ezek. 1:1–2:2), and John the Revelator was “in the Spirit on the Lord’s day” (Rev. 1:10, NASB) when he was granted the vision of the radiant, living Son of man.
From a scriptural perspective, therefore, one may speak of an inspired work of art, particularly one that is rendered in the service of God. Of course, not all visual, musical, choreographic, or literary materials, even if used in a worship context, are inspired in the biblical sense; while they may have been executed with great skill, they may not have the stamp of the Spirit of God as vehicles of the holy. Further, an artistic creation may indeed be “inspired” but not with the Spirit of God; in the spiritual warfare of the unseen realm, so real to biblical people but a closed book for modern rationalistic minds, other dark powers make their influence known through the work of practitioners of the fine arts. The Christian worshiper uses a biblically informed discretion in judging any artistic creation to be “inspired.”