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Fading Flower in a Golden Cup (Photo by Susanne Schuberth)

Fading Flower in a Golden Cup (Photo by Susanne Schuberth)

I want to be emphatic about the fact that there is a big difference between being inspired by writings or songs from others, so that some pictures or words unfold a certain abstract influence on our own works. That is normal and nothing which should be mentioned at all. We all get usually some inspiration from one another (unless we have been directly inspired by God), don’t we? Actually, we are no lonely clouds in the sky…

Yet it is not safe to copy in extract, whether unaltered or modified – even small pieces of others’, let’s say writings here, by working them up with one’s own works without revealing the source from which they were taken. To give it a name: that is plagiarism!

If every artist (composer, writer, painter, photographer etc.) would clearly see that it is always God who works through them – particularly in those pieces of art that are (more or less) perfect – they would never claim that their works were their own.

Nonetheless, we live in a fallen creation where sin abounds, even in Christian circles, and we know that God gave us the Law (both biblical and state law) in order to punish sin. These laws are not for those who are already in Christ and therefore are no longer under the law (Rom 6:14-15) since they have His Law written on their heart, and due to God’s spiritual power, they obey him as to any law except for those which contradict Christ’s spiritual Law.

We know that God’s Law is LOVE.

And if we do love one another, so why should we steal from others something that already belongs to us when we are ONE in Christ? Why not rather be glad about what God has given to others, and pointing our readers to their writings instead of pretending that we did it on our own?

Indeed, to put it frankly, sometimes it’s only second best to work alone. As for me, I do love working together with my brothers and sisters, observing these wonderful, individual gifts that God has given to each one of us, unfolding their beauty which reflects our inexpressibly beautiful Creator behind all of our inspired doing and writing for Him.

Amen.

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