THE WORK OF A SUPERIOR INTELLIGENCE
Romans 1:20
"For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:"
If we discovered the work of an intelligence so superior to our own that we could not understand it, would we even recognize it for what it was?
If we were faced with the work of such an intelligence, what would we think of it? Consider an African bushman examining a simple calculator. All he would see was a flat box that had no apparent purpose. If he opened it up, all he would find would be a seemingly purposeless jumble of wires. He might even decide that the object was something natural - perhaps something that grew on a tree - rather than the careful design and work of another human.
When we are faced with the intelligence of God in the creation, it is often easy for us, like the bushman, to see things we cannot understand as just happening. This is really what the origins debate is all about. But nothing just happens. While the leg of an ant appears to be a simple affair - quite natural to us - the Soviets learned differently. Their lunar vehicle, the Lunakod, was designed to walk on the moon with articulated legs designed after the ant. Designing the vehicle inspired a new respect among Soviet scientists for the leg of the lowly ant - for it was difficult to design and took many years to produce.
In Romans 1 God says that His power and majesty are evident from what He has made in the creation. We are learning that nothing just happens; even the simplest things require great work and effort to design and build.
Lord, truly those who have decided that the beautiful creation in which we live could have been made by nothing have fallen under a delusion. But I know that this delusion of sin is one which none of us is immune to, which is why I and all men must depend completely on the forgiveness of sins You won for us on the cross. Amen.
Photo: Lunakod 2 landing bus. Courtesy of NASA.
Romans 1:20
"For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:"
If we discovered the work of an intelligence so superior to our own that we could not understand it, would we even recognize it for what it was?
If we were faced with the work of such an intelligence, what would we think of it? Consider an African bushman examining a simple calculator. All he would see was a flat box that had no apparent purpose. If he opened it up, all he would find would be a seemingly purposeless jumble of wires. He might even decide that the object was something natural - perhaps something that grew on a tree - rather than the careful design and work of another human.
When we are faced with the intelligence of God in the creation, it is often easy for us, like the bushman, to see things we cannot understand as just happening. This is really what the origins debate is all about. But nothing just happens. While the leg of an ant appears to be a simple affair - quite natural to us - the Soviets learned differently. Their lunar vehicle, the Lunakod, was designed to walk on the moon with articulated legs designed after the ant. Designing the vehicle inspired a new respect among Soviet scientists for the leg of the lowly ant - for it was difficult to design and took many years to produce.
In Romans 1 God says that His power and majesty are evident from what He has made in the creation. We are learning that nothing just happens; even the simplest things require great work and effort to design and build.
Lord, truly those who have decided that the beautiful creation in which we live could have been made by nothing have fallen under a delusion. But I know that this delusion of sin is one which none of us is immune to, which is why I and all men must depend completely on the forgiveness of sins You won for us on the cross. Amen.
Photo: Lunakod 2 landing bus. Courtesy of NASA.
ARE DINOSAURS A GIANT MYSTERY?
Genesis 6:20
"Of fowls after their kind, of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive."
Can you picture Noah trying to get some of those giant dinosaurs on the ark to save them from the Flood? There's no denying that dinosaurs really lived. The land dinosaurs were likely created on the sixth day with the other great land creatures, while the marine dinosaurs were created on the fifth day with the other denizens of the deep. So what happened to them? Today there seem to be more theories about why dinosaurs disappeared than there were dinosaurs to disappear.
One of the most popular theories is that a huge rock from space, perhaps miles across, struck the Earth. The fires, earthquakes and storms that followed so polluted the atmosphere that plants and then dinosaurs died. Evidence for this theory is lacking; every dinosaur bone found today is in rock that bears evidence of having been buried rapidly by a great amount of water. That sounds like a Flood to creation scientists.
The dinosaurs are acknowledged to be a type of reptile and are known to have laid eggs. Many hundreds of fossilized dinosaur eggs have been found. All this means that even the largest of the dinosaurs began life as little fellows. Noah would have had no problem looking after them on the ark - they were likely no larger than the family dog. And how did the dinosaurs become extinct? Probably the same way the Dodo and the carrier pigeon became extinct - at the hand of humans.
Because the world's climate after the Flood was cooler and wetter, dinosaurs who survived the Flood did not prosper, and most - if not all - of them have become extinct. Dinosaurs are yet another witness to the incredible wisdom, power and diversity of God's wonderful creativity.
Dear Heavenly Father, not only is Your power shown in the great dinosaurs You created, but in the Flood as a judgment on man's sin. Do not abandon this age of Your people to their sin; rather, use those who are called by Christ's Name to hold Him up as the Savior of the world. Amen.
Illustration: Many dinosaurs - such as the Eoraptor - were no larger than a dog. Courtesy of Dropzink. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license.
Genesis 6:20
"Of fowls after their kind, of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive."
Can you picture Noah trying to get some of those giant dinosaurs on the ark to save them from the Flood? There's no denying that dinosaurs really lived. The land dinosaurs were likely created on the sixth day with the other great land creatures, while the marine dinosaurs were created on the fifth day with the other denizens of the deep. So what happened to them? Today there seem to be more theories about why dinosaurs disappeared than there were dinosaurs to disappear.
One of the most popular theories is that a huge rock from space, perhaps miles across, struck the Earth. The fires, earthquakes and storms that followed so polluted the atmosphere that plants and then dinosaurs died. Evidence for this theory is lacking; every dinosaur bone found today is in rock that bears evidence of having been buried rapidly by a great amount of water. That sounds like a Flood to creation scientists.
The dinosaurs are acknowledged to be a type of reptile and are known to have laid eggs. Many hundreds of fossilized dinosaur eggs have been found. All this means that even the largest of the dinosaurs began life as little fellows. Noah would have had no problem looking after them on the ark - they were likely no larger than the family dog. And how did the dinosaurs become extinct? Probably the same way the Dodo and the carrier pigeon became extinct - at the hand of humans.
Because the world's climate after the Flood was cooler and wetter, dinosaurs who survived the Flood did not prosper, and most - if not all - of them have become extinct. Dinosaurs are yet another witness to the incredible wisdom, power and diversity of God's wonderful creativity.
Dear Heavenly Father, not only is Your power shown in the great dinosaurs You created, but in the Flood as a judgment on man's sin. Do not abandon this age of Your people to their sin; rather, use those who are called by Christ's Name to hold Him up as the Savior of the world. Amen.
Illustration: Many dinosaurs - such as the Eoraptor - were no larger than a dog. Courtesy of Dropzink. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license.
DOES GENESIS 2 CONTRADICT GENESIS 1?
John 10:35b
".and the scripture cannot be broken;"
As we read Genesis 2, we might get the idea that humans were created before the animals and even before plants. Since this would seem to be a clear contradiction of Genesis chapter 1, some have said that the creation account does not intend to offer literal history. Is this really the case?
The reason for these apparent differences becomes a little more clear to us when we realize that in some languages there is no apparent contradiction. That tells us that the reason for these apparent contradictions has something to do with how English works, not with what the original says.
That is indeed the case. Our English language has time built into our verbs. Past, present and future - we all learned these in school. But Hebrew verbs - the language in which these verses were originally written - do not have time built into them. So this problem always shows up when we try to express these thoughts in a language that has time in its verbs. Genesis 1 is very careful to express time relationships; each day is numbered. Genesis 2 is interested only in focusing on the details of the human story. The other details, covered in sequence in Genesis 1, are mentioned only as they serve to add to the story of humanity.
So there is no contradiction between Genesis 1 and Genesis 2. It only appears so in English because we have no such thing as a verb that does not express time. God's Word stands as completely trustworthy!
Lord, I marvel and give thanks to You for the careful accuracy of Your Word. Help me to apply myself to a more complete study of Your Word and grant me Your Holy Spirit so that I may understand and believe what I learn. Amen.
Niessen, R., B. Northrup, and D. Watson. 1988. Genesis Stands. Minneapolis, MN: Bible Science Association, Inc.
John 10:35b
".and the scripture cannot be broken;"
As we read Genesis 2, we might get the idea that humans were created before the animals and even before plants. Since this would seem to be a clear contradiction of Genesis chapter 1, some have said that the creation account does not intend to offer literal history. Is this really the case?
The reason for these apparent differences becomes a little more clear to us when we realize that in some languages there is no apparent contradiction. That tells us that the reason for these apparent contradictions has something to do with how English works, not with what the original says.
That is indeed the case. Our English language has time built into our verbs. Past, present and future - we all learned these in school. But Hebrew verbs - the language in which these verses were originally written - do not have time built into them. So this problem always shows up when we try to express these thoughts in a language that has time in its verbs. Genesis 1 is very careful to express time relationships; each day is numbered. Genesis 2 is interested only in focusing on the details of the human story. The other details, covered in sequence in Genesis 1, are mentioned only as they serve to add to the story of humanity.
So there is no contradiction between Genesis 1 and Genesis 2. It only appears so in English because we have no such thing as a verb that does not express time. God's Word stands as completely trustworthy!
Lord, I marvel and give thanks to You for the careful accuracy of Your Word. Help me to apply myself to a more complete study of Your Word and grant me Your Holy Spirit so that I may understand and believe what I learn. Amen.
Niessen, R., B. Northrup, and D. Watson. 1988. Genesis Stands. Minneapolis, MN: Bible Science Association, Inc.
HUMANITY - PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
Genesis 1:26
"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."
A straightforward reading of Genesis offers a very different story of humanity than does modern evolutionary science. Does the rest of the Bible contradict evolution too? Can Genesis and evolution be harmonized?
According to evolution, humans are the result of millions of years of life, struggle and death. Today, we are little more than a subchapter in that long story of endless struggle and death. Can this be reconciled with the Bible? Not if we let the Bible interpret itself. First, the Bible allows for only one day of history for animals before humans appeared on the scene. Second, humans were created not from some other creature but were handmade by God, in His image.
The most important difference between evolution's story and the Bible's story of humanity is the role death plays. According to evolution, death was already part of nature long before humans ever showed up. According to the Bible - for example, in I Corinthians 15:21 - death came upon creation because of the first man, Adam's, sin. This is why it was necessary for another man, Jesus Christ, to do away with death.
For the Christian, the most objectionable part of evolution is that it separates sin and death from each other. This makes Christ's death and resurrection for us completely redundant, since death has nothing to do with sin! There can be no harmony between this and the Gospel!
Dear Father, You specially created human beings because You desired to have a personal relationship with each one of us. As I consider my spiritual relationship with You, help me to remember that Your Son, Jesus Christ, died so that I might, through Him, have the forgiveness of sins. In His Name. Amen.
Painting: God Judging Adam by William Blake (1757-1827).
Genesis 1:26
"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."
A straightforward reading of Genesis offers a very different story of humanity than does modern evolutionary science. Does the rest of the Bible contradict evolution too? Can Genesis and evolution be harmonized?
According to evolution, humans are the result of millions of years of life, struggle and death. Today, we are little more than a subchapter in that long story of endless struggle and death. Can this be reconciled with the Bible? Not if we let the Bible interpret itself. First, the Bible allows for only one day of history for animals before humans appeared on the scene. Second, humans were created not from some other creature but were handmade by God, in His image.
The most important difference between evolution's story and the Bible's story of humanity is the role death plays. According to evolution, death was already part of nature long before humans ever showed up. According to the Bible - for example, in I Corinthians 15:21 - death came upon creation because of the first man, Adam's, sin. This is why it was necessary for another man, Jesus Christ, to do away with death.
For the Christian, the most objectionable part of evolution is that it separates sin and death from each other. This makes Christ's death and resurrection for us completely redundant, since death has nothing to do with sin! There can be no harmony between this and the Gospel!
Dear Father, You specially created human beings because You desired to have a personal relationship with each one of us. As I consider my spiritual relationship with You, help me to remember that Your Son, Jesus Christ, died so that I might, through Him, have the forgiveness of sins. In His Name. Amen.
Painting: God Judging Adam by William Blake (1757-1827).
THE WORLD'S SMALLEST COMPUTER
Exodus 15:11
"Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?"
The cells of all living things are filled with highly detailed information. The incredible system that is used for storing this information makes our best computer information systems look like a child's simple slate board!
Believe it or not, it takes more information to make a complete human being than can be stored in the average city library. And all of this information is stored in less than a few thousand millionths of a gram of material within each of our cells. You have literally billions of copies of it! Our most sophisticated computer system cannot even come close to being able to store information like that.
It is estimated that one billion species of plants and animals have existed since creation. The information storage system within the cell is so compact that all of the information to make every one of those one billion species could be held in a teaspoon - with room left over to hold all the books ever written if they, too, were stored with the same efficient system. Even more amazing is that this information storage system is not only able to store information like a computer but, unlike a computer, it can also copy itself and correct errors if any creep into the information!
How could anyone believe that this brilliant information storage, copying and correction system could have come about by chance? To believe that this could be created by no one is certainly an act of faith. But it is clearly the wrong faith! And that highlights what the origins debate is really all about.
Father, I believe in Your forgiving grace to me in Jesus Christ. For this reason, help me to abandon all trust in myself. For Jesus' sake. Amen.
Photo: Co-discoverers of the double-helix DNA molecule, Francis Crick (left) and James Watson, shake hands. Photo published in a Public Library of Science (PLOS) journal. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
Exodus 15:11
"Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?"
The cells of all living things are filled with highly detailed information. The incredible system that is used for storing this information makes our best computer information systems look like a child's simple slate board!
Believe it or not, it takes more information to make a complete human being than can be stored in the average city library. And all of this information is stored in less than a few thousand millionths of a gram of material within each of our cells. You have literally billions of copies of it! Our most sophisticated computer system cannot even come close to being able to store information like that.
It is estimated that one billion species of plants and animals have existed since creation. The information storage system within the cell is so compact that all of the information to make every one of those one billion species could be held in a teaspoon - with room left over to hold all the books ever written if they, too, were stored with the same efficient system. Even more amazing is that this information storage system is not only able to store information like a computer but, unlike a computer, it can also copy itself and correct errors if any creep into the information!
How could anyone believe that this brilliant information storage, copying and correction system could have come about by chance? To believe that this could be created by no one is certainly an act of faith. But it is clearly the wrong faith! And that highlights what the origins debate is really all about.
Father, I believe in Your forgiving grace to me in Jesus Christ. For this reason, help me to abandon all trust in myself. For Jesus' sake. Amen.
Photo: Co-discoverers of the double-helix DNA molecule, Francis Crick (left) and James Watson, shake hands. Photo published in a Public Library of Science (PLOS) journal. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
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