The Creation story reminds us that God made the world with purpose and that He brings light, order, and life where there was once darkness. This guide walks through moments from Genesis, Moses, and Abraham, pairing them with artful depictions of each step of the Creation story.
The story of Creation in the scriptures is one many of us are familiar with. It depicts God’s care, intention, goodness, and His ability to bring light where there was once darkness. There are so many elements connected to the Creation, including the council in Heaven before where God shared the Plan of Happiness, and Adam and Eve’s sojourn from the Garden to Earth after.
Even when we know the story well, it can take on new meaning each time we return to it. Seeing paintings of the Creation helps us visualize the great plan we are a part of. They also invite quiet reflection that stays with you after you close the scriptures.
The sections below pair moments from scripture with beautiful Bible story paintings that uniquely capture the artist’s depiction of the beginning.
Before the story ever reaches Eden, it starts with the council in Heaven.
Table of contents
Adam and Eve: choice and courage
Find paintings of the Creation at Altus Fine Art
Premortal life
The Grand Council by Robert T. Barrett
Before we reach the Garden of Eden or even the seven days of creation, scripture points us to something even earlier: the council in Heaven during our premortal life.
“Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;
23 And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.”
Abraham describes “the intelligences” and speaks of God’s work beginning before the formation of the world. Throughout Abraham chapter 3, he depicts God’s plan for creation and the Plan of Happiness. This is the start of the continual message we receive throughout the scriptures: God knows us, His children, and has prepared a way for us from the beginning.
Christ as Creator
In the Beginning Was the Word by Eva Koleva Timothy
From the original council in the premortal life, the Savior’s role was defined as our elder brother. Moses records the Lord saying, “By mine Only Begotten I created these things” (Moses 2). John teaches the same truth in a different way: “All things were made by him” (John 1:3). The One who redeems us is deeply connected to the beginning.
Christ wove His love for us into the foundation of the world.
Christ The Creator by Robert T. Barrett
The Savior’s power goes beyond the miracles He performed during His mortal ministry. He worked under the Father’s will to prepare a place for us to come and learn. Abraham 3:24 teaches that God made the world from materials that already existed. Everything has always been a part of the divine plan.
The Creation by Annie Henrie Nader
Christian artists’ depictions of the Savior’s role in the Creation help make the doctrine feel more personal. They give shape to something we don’t fully comprehend. The one thing we know for certain is the same Savior who created the world is also the Savior who continues to guide us.
Let there be light
“Let there be light: and there was light”
This is one of the most familiar lines in scripture. It describes one of the first acts of the Creation. God speaks, brings forth light, separates it from darkness, and begins the rhythm of day and night.
Dividing Darkness by Kelsy and Jesse Lightweave
Dividing Darkness is one of the Bible story paintings that depicts what it could have been like to see our Father and Christ at work while separating darkness from light.
Most of us have experienced seasons of darkness, where life feels confusing, heavy, and discouraging. God’s work brings us light when it’s needed most, as He did in the beginning, separating light from darkness.
The seven days
The world was formed step by step, with each part put in place before the next.
Light first.
Then the heavens.
Then land and seas.
Then plants.
Then the lights in the sky to mark the days and seasons.
Then living creatures.
And finally, mankind.
God creates spaces and then fills them. He separates light from darkness, waters from sky, land from sea, and then He populates what He prepared. He works with intention, establishing structure before adding fullness and life.
“And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.”
— Genesis 1:31
God prepared this world for us with care and intention. There is nothing in it that wasn’t placed with purpose. He made this space for life to flourish. The Creation reminds us that God is in every detail of our lives.
The Garden of Eden
The Lord planted a garden in Eden and placed our first parents, Adam and Eve, giving us one of the first glimpses of a world prepared for us. Eden is a place of beauty and provision.
“And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.”
The Garden of Eden is where the story centers on relationships. It’s where Adam and Eve begin their life together in the presence of God. An Adam and Eve painting reflects their life together in and out of the garden. They are reminders that God’s plan includes companionship, purpose, and family.
Eden is peaceful, but it also sets the stage for the choices, growth, and forward movement that come next.
Adam and Eve: choice and courage
Leaving Eden by Annie Henrie Nader
The story of Adam and Eve teaches us about the impacts of our choices. When a decision is made, it is always followed by consequences. Their decision in the Garden sometimes gets reduced to a story of failure, but scripture helps us see something deeper. In 2 Nephi, Lehi teaches, “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 2:25).
Rather than being the beginning of a mistake, this moment becomes the start of mortal life and personal growth. Eve’s choice made progression possible. Because of it, God’s children could move forward, come to earth, learn, and become.
Eve was stepping into a future in which God’s plan could unfold. Adam and Eve would leave the Garden, but they would also move into a life of learning, family, work, and faith. Partaking of the fruit wasn’t a tragic ending, but a sacred transition into the next part of the story.
Becoming a family
Better Than Paradise by Kendal Ray
One of the most important parts of the Creation story is what happens after the fall of Adam and Eve. The narrative beyond the garden shows Adam and Eve learning, growing, and moving forward. Together, they learned about agency, consequence, humility, and hope.
Life continues.
Family life begins.
Work, worship, and learning all unfold.
Moses 5 describes Adam and Eve building life and turning their hearts toward God, even outside the garden.
First Parents by Jay Bryant Ward
Jay Bryant Ward’s Adam and Eve painting beautifully captures what comes next.
Once Adam and Eve left the garden, God’s plan became all of our daily lives. We each learn to work, worship, and rely on God one step at a time as we create our own families. As President Russell M. Nelson said in his talk about The Creation, “Earth was created that families might be.”
It’s a reminder that leaving the garden wasn’t the end of God’s care, but the beginning of the plan He intended for His children.
Find paintings of the Creation at Altus Fine Art
The story of Creation reminds us that God works with care and purpose, and that light follows darkness. It’s where God and our Savior outline the plan for us to return to Them.
Altus Fine Art offers paintings of the Creation and other Bible story paintings that bring scriptural moments to life. Whether you’re looking for an image of Christ as Creator, scenes from Eden, or an Adam and Eve painting that invites reflection, these pieces are beautiful reflections of the Creation story. Find art that resonates with you at Altus Fine Art today.