In the past few weeks, we have examined the meaning of symbols for men generally and for the Christian (and Christian artist) more specifically, seeing that created symbols (which every part of Creation, both separately and together, constitutes) are used by God to reveal Himself to men (Ps 19; Rom 1; Gen 1; etc.).  

We saw also that God has constructed Reality in such a way that symbols simultaneously carry multiple meanings.  Primarily, they symbolize God in one or more of His Persons, or His Character or Actions.  Secondarily, they mean themselves and related meanings (e.g., a man means a man, but also may mean a father, son, king, servant, etc.).  We saw as well that mankind’s ability to rightly interpret these symbols as revealing God was greatly crippled by the Fall and the deliberate spiritual rebellion that occasioned it (Gen 3; Rom 1:18).  Finally, we saw that part of the Christian artist’s calling is to help restore the primary meaning of Creation’s symbols to men so that they might see God’s Glory, and turn to His Service.  This is especially true since artistry is essayed through the use of symbols.

We must remember that Christ has made Reality one.  All things interlock; all created things, as symbols, point to and reveal God on all levels.  Modernity, the modern anti-Christian mindset, atomizes—it attempts to split Reality apart and say that things mean nothing beyond themselves (and thus, ultimately, nothing at all).  The increasing result of modernity is that modern Western Man is alienated from God, society, family, and even himself.  The fact that Christianity teaches that all things interlock and have ultimate meaning is itself a great source of hope for modern despair-riddled, meaning-starved men, because that fact means that life, reality, work, even ourselves have real meaning before God.

Within fallen man, though, is lodged the tendency to suppress the Truth that Reality’s symbol reveals (Rom 1:18-32), and this devilish trait causes a most dire result:  it causes men to deny the primary, most important meaning of any symbol (the revelation of God), and attempt to interpret all symbols in terms of one or more of their interlocking secondary meanings (normally, in terms of themselves), fighting in depth to deny the obvious, primary meaning and claiming that the secondary meaning(s) are all that symbols mean (thus, of course, cutting the God they don’t wish to be accountable to out of the loop).  This inevitably leads to spiritual schizophrenia (and, consequently, other types of schizophrenia as well).

The most important consequence of the modern approach to symbols, though, is that it ultimately leads to the denial of any meaning for Reality.  If there is nothing to give ultimate meaning to things, then that is exactly what they mean—nothing.  If Reality (including mankind) is not the result of the purposeful action of a Personal Creator-God, if it is rather the result of only time plus chance plus energy alone, then ultimate meaning is absent—we are a cosmic accident.

This is why it is so important for Christians to demonstrate first that there is ultimate meaning behind all of Creation (made easier by the fact that God has inscribed this Truth on the knowledge of all men—Romans 1:18), and secondly, that all of the various meanings of things interlock not only with themselves, but also with the primary meaning of God’s Existence as well.  The demonstration of this is a powerful argument for Scripture’s Truth, and Christian artists, since they regularly work with symbols in varying degrees, are in a terrific position to make just this demonstration.

With this realization of the multiplicity of meanings inherent in symbols arises a question:  How explicit must my art be to accomplish this goal?  A good question, and one that, Christ willing, we will examine next week.

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