“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
A "masterpiece" seems like a pretty fancy word to describe us, doesn't it? I don't know about you, but I have a hard time thinking of myself as a great work of art. But the Bible calls us "God's masterpiece." Some translations say "workmanship" or "handiwork." This implies a high level of skill—not from US but from the Artist.
Do you remember in the very beginning of the Bible when God saw all of His creation, and said, "It is very good"? Every time He created something, He would say, "...And it was good." So there is the conundrum, right? God says that what He created is good, and yet, this is also true:
“Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”
How can sinful people ever be good?
“Jesus said to him, 'Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.'”
When Jesus says that "no one is good" (Luke 18:19), what He's talking about is the ability to be perfect on our own. When God created us, we were "good" because that's how He created us. We weren't good because of anything we'd done ourselves, but because God, the Creator of all things, made us.
This remained true even after sin entered the world (Genesis 3). Every moment of every day, God continues to create each and every one of us as a perfect image of Himself (Genesis 2:7). However, due to sin, we become imperfect and sinful.
This is why we need help from God the Father, Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit. God extends His forgiveness for our sin (John 3:16-17). Jesus grants us the gift of salvation through His sacrifice on the cross (Romans 6:23). And the Holy Spirit helps us make wiser, better decisions everyday, as we're constantly faced with temptations to sin again (John 14:26).
God is the Sculptor. We are the clay.
“O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We all are formed by your hand.”
Imagine God as a Sculptor who has created a beautiful, masterful work of art. It's a gorgeous vase, with all the curves where they should be, plus two wonderful, graceful handles. It works very well too!
We are made.
The Sculptor intended the vase to be useful—not just lovely to look at. It holds water, carries it well, and it doesn't leave a weird flavor when people drink from it. Then the Sculptor puts His vase out into the world. He releases control over how it is used or cared for or what it's filled with.
We are in the world.
Unfortunately, because the world is a harsh place, and those using the vase don't have as much care as the Sculptor did when he was creating this beautiful artwork. It gets dirty. It cracks. It starts to smell.
The only person who can fix it, the only one who can restore it to its former glory, is the Sculptor.
We come home to our Creator.
Finally, someone takes the vase back to the Sculptor. He holds His masterpiece in His hands and weeps at how it has been damaged by the world. It's nothing like how He created it to be. Yes, it may still technically function, but it isn't the masterpiece it first was—but He still sees that gorgeous creation behind the grime and brokenness.
Slowly, the Sculptor cleans it, using the only cleanser that will work. He lovingly oils it, healing the cracks. The process isn't fast or immediate. The potter takes a lot of care with the vase, knowing that if He rushes, it will permanently break.
But He's a master, and He knows His masterpieces inside out. He won't allow it to break because He has loved it so much. He might have to put it back in the kiln to set some of the cracks in the fire or to reheat refreshed glaze. But He knows what He's doing. Someday, He'll be able to see it fully restored, and it'll stay with Him this time.
Masterpieces Walking Around
“Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”
This is a loose analogy for how God sees us. He created us perfectly. We are His masterpieces. He loves us so deeply, and He knows us inside and out. But aren't meant to be kept in a controlled environment.
We're allowed to have free will and experience His creation fully (Romans 12:4–7; 1 Corinthians 12:4). He designed us to do good things and make the world better than it is (Philippians 2:13; Colossians 1:16). We're meant to shine God's light through us—like lanterns in the darkness (Matthew 5:14; Acts 13:47).
As we move through our lives, we begin to get dirty and broken. Our cracks aren't a part of God's original design, but because of the world's sin.
Are all people God's masterpieces?
“See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.”
While the children of God are like the vase that has been given into the care of the Sculptor and are slowly being cleaned and restored, someone who does not know Christ is like the vase that's still out in the world. It's still beautiful, and it still technically functions, but that it's not as amazing as it was created to be.
Someone who hasn't accepted Christ is still one of God's masterpieces. They were created perfectly at the beginning. But the damage sin and the world has done continues to ravage their souls.
“Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.”
A person who doesn't know Christ isn't inherently "bad." They were still created by God, weren't they? And God doesn't create mistakes. We ought to look at everyone as a created masterpiece of God—regardless of what they believe or who they follow.
That said, the only way for them to be with God is for them to be restored through the grace of Christ's death on the cross (Titus 3:4-7). So while we ought to love unbelievers and see them as masterpieces, we should continue to pray for their souls to be drawn toward God (John 14:6). And we must live our lives as examples of the works of art who were reclaimed by our Creator and are being lovingly restored.