We are naturally attracted to beauty. It has a fascination, and we wish somehow that we could be one with it or enter into it or enjoy it even more. This attraction is a subtle message reminding us of the attraction of God himself, and the satisfaction and joy that we can find only by knowing God and having communion with him.

Why is there beauty in the world? Why is a flower beautiful? Why is a hummingbird beautiful? Why is light beautiful? And what is beauty? People dispute about it. Herman Bavinck associates beauty with “harmony, proportion, unity in diversity, organization, glow, glory, shining, fullness, perfection revealed.”[1] All of them together make something beautiful—strangely attractive and splendid and wonderful.[2]
Is God beautiful? The Bible indicates that beauty traces back to God. God is supremely beautiful. His beauty is reflected in the world he made and sustains. We find that in searching for the source for beauty, we encounter ultimate reality, the reality of God himself.
Some theologians, as far back as Augustine, have said that God is beautiful.[3] Others have cautioned against ascribing beauty to God, wanting to avoid a confusion between God and things in the world that are beautiful. So which is it? God is distinct from every created thing; in addition, God’s character is displayed in the things that he has made (Rom. 1:20). So the short answer is that created things that are beautiful reflect God but are not identical with God. Beauty in created things relates to God by “analogy, not identity.”[4]
Beauty In the Tabernacle and the Priests, Reflecting God
Psalm 27:4 describes God as beautiful:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORDall the days of my life,to gaze upon the beauty of the LORDand to inquire in his temple.
According to this psalm, the beauty of the Lord is displayed in “the house of the LORD,” “his temple.” We know from other parts of the Bible that the temple is a kind of small-scale version of the big dwelling place of God, which is the whole universe (1 Kings 8:27).[5] The whole universe also displays the beauty of its maker (Pss. 19:1; 104:1-2).
In the same verse in Psalm 27, the psalmist says that he seeks the presence of God; it is the “one thing” that he asks for:
One thing have I asked of the LORD,that will I seek after:that I may dwell in the house of the LORDall the days of my life…(verse 4)
In seeking communion with God, the psalmist is also seeking the beauty of God. We naturally seek beauty, as something attractive. So Psalm 84:1-2 says:‍
How lovely is your dwelling place,O LORD of hosts!My soul longs, yes, faintsfor the courts of the LORD.‍
Let us consider the tabernacle of Moses, which was the predecessor for Solomon’s temple. In Exodus 25-27 God instructs Moses about the building of the tabernacle. The tabernacle is supposed to be a tent dwelling with symbolic significance. It symbolizes that God dwells in the midst of his people Israel: “And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst” (Ex. 25:8). The tabernacle displays beauty, because it represents the splendor of God, who is the great king of the universe.
This splendor anticipates and foreshadows the greater splendor that belongs to Christ, as the climactic revelation of God: the Bible speaks of “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6). The preceding context in 2 Corinthians 3 explains the analogy and contrast between the glory of God revealed in Moses’s time and the glory of the new covenant:
For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation [through Moses], the ministry of righteousness [given to Paul in the new covenant] must far exceed it in glory. Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.2 Corinthians 3:9-11
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There is actually a seamless connection between the four major events of Jesus’ life: His birth, death, resurrection, and ascension. All four events stand or fall together. At the same time each event had its own unique role to play. What role, then, does the resurrection of Jesus play in the overall story of redemption?

This article on the resurrection of Jesus appears at the time of year when we are focusing on His birth, not His death and resurrection. To stop and think about the resurrection may seem like an unnecessary aside to the beautiful story of our Savior’s birth.
To think only about the birth of Jesus, however, fails to do justice to the incarnation. It fails to consider the purpose of Jesus’ coming to earth. At the occasion of His birth, the angel said to the shepherds, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). The meaning of Savior is clarified before His birth when the angel instructed Joseph: “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). How will He save His people? Paul answers in 1 Corinthians 15:3: “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures.” And on the eve of His crucifixion Jesus Himself said, “But for this purpose I have come to this hour” (John 12:27). As we celebrate His birth, let us keep in mind that He came to die.
This article, based on the account in Matthew 28:8–15, focuses, not on His birth or death, but on His resurrection. However, there is actually a seamless connection between the four major events of Jesus’ life: His birth, death, resurrection, and ascension. All four events stand or fall together. At the same time each event had its own unique role to play. What role, then, does the resurrection of Jesus play in the overall story of redemption? There are at least four major truths about the resurrection that teach us about its absolute necessity.
First, it proved that Jesus was indeed the divine Son of God. Paul wrote that “[He] was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead” (Rom. 1:4). Actually it was impossible for Jesus’ body to remain in the grave. Just as it was impossible for the divine nature of Jesus to die because God cannot die, so it was impossible for the human nature of Jesus to remain dead because of its union with His divine nature. Peter said on the day of Pentecost: “God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it” (Acts 2:24). So it was not possible for Jesus’ body to remain in the grave. And in raising Him from the grave, God declared beyond all shadow of doubt that this Jesus whom lawless men crucified was indeed the divine Son of God.
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Justice Neil Gorsuch made a strong statement supporting our request. He wrote, “This case may be a small one, and one can hope that the error here is so obvious it is unlikely to be repeated anytime soon. But I would correct it. Bureaucratic efforts to ‘subject’ religious beliefs to “verification” have no place in a free country.” 

“For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever. He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD. His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.” (Psalm 112:6–8, ESV)
As you may remember, New Life in Christ Church (PCA) requested the Supreme Court to hear our appeal to overturn a ruling from the City of Fredericksburg. The lawsuit is related to a house we use as the home of our college ministry directors, near to the campus of the University of Mary Washington. First, the city denied our requests for property tax exemption, and we subsequently lost a lawsuit at the city level before the state Supreme Court denied our state-level appeal. The First Liberty Institute reached out to us and took our case, putting together a magnificent appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, assembling a large set of amicus briefs (letters written as friends to the court on our behalf), and putting together a top-notch legal team. We have been waiting for an answer since September. You can see the case here. You can also look back at the NLIC weekend email newsletter on 8/6/21 and 9/17/21 for our early communication.
We received the Court’s response on Tuesday [01/18/22], and we are disappointed to share that the Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal. The decision of the Fredericksburg Court remains and we will continue to pay property taxes on the house.
In the end, this is not simply about money. The property taxes will not sink the ministry. Yes, we would rather use that tax money for other missions-oriented reasons, but it is a bigger matter than just money. It’s part of a larger religious liberty issue. It is said that “the power to tax is the power to destroy.” If the state has the power to tax a church, as it is acting as a church, it has the power to destroy it. Our Constitution was written so that we could have true freedom of religion and be free to live our conscience before the Lord.
The root issue in our case was whether the government has the right to determine who is or is not a minister. We believe that is the function of the church. In the end, the City of Fredericksburg took that right, and set themselves up to decide who is properly described as a “minister.” We believe they don’t have that right. Can you imagine governments around the nation broadly applying the same reasoning to all the functions of the church? Can you imagine the state deciding who measures up to the qualifications of a minister or not? If that happens, churches are no longer free of the state, but subject to it. Our nation was established to guarantee the free expression of religious belief, and it has been established again and again through court precedent.
But not this time, and the Supreme Court, in refusing to hear our appeal, let the City’s decision stand.
We’ve heard that a very likely reason our request was refused was that the case was too small, too remote, and too unique of a situation for the Court to want to intervene with. Maybe that is so. We would like to think that small cases matter. Our small case mattered to us, right?
There was a bit of interest in granting our appeal though, and that is significant by itself. In order for an appeal to be heard, 4 of the 9 justices need to agree that it should be heard. I’ve heard only 1% of requests are granted and most requests are rejected without any support. In our case, Justice Neil Gorsuch made a strong statement supporting our request. He wrote, “This case may be a small one, and one can hope that the error here is so obvious it is unlikely to be repeated anytime soon. But I would correct it. Bureaucratic efforts to ‘subject’ religious beliefs to “verification” have no place in a free country.” (Source) We agree with Gorsuch. The error is obvious. This has no place in a free country. We believe this matters. Gorsuch’s dissent remains in the record and we hope it can be of some help to others in the future.
The Court, in dismissing our case, also dismissed the requests of numerous organizations by amicus briefs, including: the Attorneys General of 15 States; the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI); the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) of the Southern Baptist Convention; the ECFA; The Family Foundation and a number of other churches and non-profit groups. We had a great law firm represent us (First Liberty) and had top-tier national lawyers making our case. We appreciate their support.
We ultimately believe the government does not have the right to make that decision. It is the right of the church. It is a basic right in a free country. In God’s providence, we have been denied our right and the government has taken this right for themselves. I pray that Gorsuch is right that this will not be repeated soon (or ever). I wish that our case could have further solidified this freedom for other churches in the future. Until then, we must rest ourselves, our churches, and the freedoms of our nation into the hand of our good and Almighty God. Sure, we would rather have won the case, but it doesn’t change our call and mission.
It is disappointing but doesn’t destroy us. It reminds us of the need to give thanks for the freedoms we have and realize how quickly, and thoughtlessly, they can be taken away. Please keep praying for the church, for our college ministry, and for our nation.
Faithfully Yours,Pastor Sean
If you are interested, here are a number of articles about the case:

Sean Whitenack is a Minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and is Pastor of New Life in Christ PCA in Fredericksburg, VA. This article is used with permission.