Creativity forms the core of Berdyaev's anthropodicy, which posits Man as a free, creative being, one capable of becoming an active co-creator with God. According to Berdyaev, Christianity has all but ignored or forgotten this truth.
For Berdyaev, the self-revelation of Man's latent divine creativity will occur primarily via the consciousness, which will grant Man a better and deeper understanding of his divine or real self. This final shift of consciousness will mark the final stage of Berdyaev's three epoch framework.
The first epoch represents the consciousness of sin; the second, the consciousness of redemption and salvation. The third epoch will be the consciousness of spiritual creativity. Unlike the first two epochs, the third will not be revealed from God above, but must be revealed by Man from within.
Berdyaev's emphasis on creativity does not de-emphasize redemption. On the contrary, the emphasis on creativity deepens and expands the meaning of redemption. Without creativity, the redemption Christ offers remains a freedom from; with creativity, Christ's gift of redemption inspires man to apply freedom from to manifest freedom for.
Man's consciousness of himself as a creative being is a divine calling that has yet to to be fully answered. Man has not yet answered this call because he lacks the confidence and courage to acknowledge the active and creative role he must play in the further development of Christian consciousness - in the enlargement and fulfillment of Christian Truth.
God awaits from us a creative act, but the true nature of creativeness is currently unknowable - it is something that must be lived. Redemption opens the possibility for creative freedom, but it provides no blueprint for creative freedom.
The anthropological revelation God awaits inspires fear and trembling in us. Those who question why a loving God would burden Man with such overwhelming freedom and responsibility rarely pause to consider what this burden of freedom and responsibility reveals about God's faith in Man.
Creativity goes beyond living up to our trust and faith in God; it inspires us to live up to the trust and faith God has in us.