One of the nice things about using the WordPress platform for this website is the statistics I am provided about the most searched for and read articles. Far and away the most popular article on www.effectivebiblestudy.org so far is “Free Bible Images from www.freebibleimages.org.” I know it is because many ministers, teachers and ministries are seeking great artwork for slide presentations and teaching illustrations.

Today we will look at another source for some good photos, illustrations, and paintings. We are referring to Pixabay.com. This is a commercial website connected with Shutterstock, one of the largest commercial online providers of images for sale. However, Pixabay provides images for free, while running commercial advertising as the means to pay their bills and overhead.

Now, there is a major difference in the images on these two sites. “FreeBibleImages” consists mostly of either still photos drawn from a series of movies on the Gospels, and illustrations from children’s story books and Bibles. Pixabay has none of that; its photos and illustrations are more of the usual fare of photos and artwork showing crosses, Bibles, religious activities, etc. Each website has its own great value in providing photos and illustrations… just not the same ones!

When looking at images on Pixabay, you can search by topic (Bible, Jesus, cross, etc.) and by type (photos, illustrations, videos, music, etc.). Their front page claims over 1,700,000 free files. It is recommended that you create a free login account to make it easier to download the free files you want to use. And as a matter of common courtesy and giving honor, to give some credit (or even a donation) to the photographer, artist, or creative who freely donated their work for your use.

Take a look at some of the images available by clicking on the links in the list below:

This is a treasure-trove of free art. But one thing you will notice is that many images not directly connected to your searched keyword also appear. And, of course, I am not responsible if (rarely) some image in poor taste makes its way into the list as well.

Our artwork is one of several paintings on Pixabay by Raheel Shakeel of Karachi, Pakistan. A small “coffee” donation was made to him through Pixabay.