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The Greek word poiēma is used ONLY TWICE in the Bible and both times in reference to the creative power of God. First, when He created eARTh referred to as “things that are made”—a phrase translated from poiēma. Romans 1:20 And second, in reference to the recreating of our heARTs referenced as “masterpiece”—a word also translated from poiēma. Ephesians 2:10

In essence, God demonstrates Himself as both Creator and Redeemer through and in us.

We’re both a complete work created by the Creator, and a transforming process being recreated by the Redeemer.

Humankind was the only part of creation that God made with His hands, in His image and after His likeness. Genesis 1:26 He poured the very essence of His divine artistry in us. We were created perfect in every way.

The Bible went on to reveal that sin entered. I like the way the great theologian Charles Spurgeon puts it: he says, when sin entered it was as if “we quit [God’s] … workshop”. [Treasury of David, p239.]

Because of sin our hearts turned away from God and our ways of thinking and behaving toward God and our fellow human beings were also distorted. And sin had but one consequence—eternal death. Romans 6:23

But God wasn’t having it! Absolutely not!

Determined not to lose the crowning jewel of His creation eternally to death, God puts His redemptive plan in motion. A plan to draw us back to Himself, back into His workshop, in order to recreate His ART/His poiēma in our heARTs.

Let’s talk about God’s heart and how He loves.

God has a “SO LOVE” heart. A heart that loves far beyond a Significant-Other kind o’ love. God’s SO—to-such-a-great-extent—LOVE, is a die-for kind o’ love.

For God so loved the world, He gave His one and only Son [to die], that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

In the act of creation, God stooped down to breathe life into us. However, in the act of redemption God offered Himself up, to die.

And He didn’t just die, God bled for us. He endured a crown of thorns that pierced His brow and spilt His blood. He endured hammering nails that tore through skin and bone and spilt His blood. He endured a piercing sword that slit His side and spilt His blood.

God bled and died to redeem us back to Himself, and to rescue us from eternal death.

This is gifted to us as grace and can only be received through faith. For those who choose to accept His gift, Romans 6:23 God likens the process to a potter transforming clay. Isaiah 64:8

And again, we see God returning to the posture of stooping—molding and shaping us, recreating the ART in our heARTs, redeeming us back as His masterpiece.

… we are God’s masterpiece [poiēma]. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.

Ephesians 2:10

What does this mean—to be created anew?

Created anew in Jesus means we are again spiritually acceptable to God because of His redemptive power which is working in and through us. His redemptive power enables our hearts, our thoughts and our behaviors to glorify God and to be beneficial to our fellow humans.

In other words, we are redeemed/saved not by good works but for good works.

ART to heART. Now we are twice God’s—once by creation, twice by redemption. We are His ultimate workmanship—His work of art.

Shabbat Shalom. Rest assuredly in knowing you are a work of ART in progress in the hands of the genius Creator and Redeemer who uses only the right tools to reshape your heART into its perfect masterpiece design. You Are A Masterpiece, body and heART!

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After-word: In the last Shabbat Shalom post I referred to God’s poetic expressions in creation through the ART He created in the midst of eARTh and the crowning jewel of His creation—human—as His masterpiece. [You can see more on that in this post: You’re A Masterpiece: God’s Work of Art.] One reader’s comment referred to the ART in heART which was expounded on for today’s post—“God’s Art to HeART”.

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