God’s Grace Story

David Arms, a well known and respected artist who hails from Nashville, set out to capture the story of Scripture and God’s grace on canvass.  The result which he calls “God’s Story” is a large painting that stretches across the chancel of a large church in Franklin Tennessee. It is a masterful portrayal of God’s redemptive work.  Each panel of the painting powerfully shows us the four connecting parts of God’s gracious plan of redemption for His creation.

In the first panel we see Creation.  Here we have life with clear blue skies, beautiful birds who are no doubt singing, a strong vibrantly alive oak, and a bright red apple representing God’s gracious provision.  The second panel, representing the Fall and sin, stands in stark contrast to the first.  Its somber and dark hues leave no doubt that an unthinkable loss has occurred.  Clouds are in the sky.  Black crows, symbolizing the death that has come, are perched upon a leafless and lifeless tree which sits lower than any of the trees in the other three panels.  In fact, the entire panel seems to sit lower as if the entire frame and what it represents has fallen.

In the third panel Redemption has come.  God has come to make all things new.  Here we see the agent of redemption, Christ, symbolized by a cross which sits in the center of a restored oak tree.  Though the sky is not as clear and blue as in the first frame, it is obviously clearing.  Flying around this “tree of love” are three butterflies who proclaim, through their simple beauty, the new life that has been won through Christ victory over death.  Above the tree is an egg, which might at first seem an odd and out of place symbol; however, the egg perfectly communicates what has occurred here and is still occurring.  The egg tells us that life in Christ is here but that a much greater and fuller life is on the horizon because of Christ sacrifice and victory.

Finally, the forth panel which declares the full arrival of God’s redemption, His renewal, His restoration of all that was before the fall to a greater state than before.  The Consummation of the Kingdom of God has arrived!  Notice that the elements in the frame literally spill over and can not be contained within it.  The skies is clearer and bluer!  The Tree is