Foundations of Faith
CREATION (II)
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). The word “create” in this verse means to form something out of nothing. How does the big bang theory—that a dense ball of matter exploded into the universe—fit in with Gen. 1:1? There is a superficial similarity between the two in that both state that the universe suddenly came into existence. However, the big bang theory says that everything we see in the universe evolved from the initial explosion by chance over a long period of time, whereas Genesis 1 makes it clear that the Creator-God was very actively involved in it all.
Some scientists naively think that with the big bang God is removed from the picture. They must, however, explain how the matter got there in the first place. Some think they can get around this by appealing to Einstein’s equation, E=mc2. This equation states that small amounts of mass (m) can be converted into a tremendous amount of energy (E) (such as in a nuclear explosion) because of the great speed of light (c). Turning the equation around, all that is needed for the big bang to occur is a vast amount of energy. However, the scientists are still in a bind because they cannot explain where all that energy came from. (We can, though, can’t we, by appealing to the omnipotence of God.) Still other scientists claim, with a wave of their hands, that matter and energy are eternal and self-existent, so the necessary ingredients for the big bang have always been around. But they have only replaced the personal Creator-God with an impersonal matter-energy-god. They worship their god as much as we Christians worship our God.
There is another problem with the big bang if God is left out of the equation. Have you ever seen the results of an explosion? What is it like? Do brand new buildings and automobiles and new varieties of trees and animals suddenly appear that were not there before the explosion? No, all you see is ruin, rubble and devastation. So how does the tremendous explosion of the big bang happen to produce such a highly ordered and beautiful universe?
Genesis 1 describes for us what God did on each of six days of creation. He could just as easily have done it all in one day or one split second; perhaps He spread it out to help us meditate with awe and wonder upon the details of what He did. Let us consider some of the highlights of what happened on each of the six days of creation.
The First Day—Light. There was light on the First Day, even though the sun, moon, and stars are not mentioned until the Fourth Day. God is the source of all light—both physical and spiritual. Are you walking in the spiritual light of God’s Word and will for you (1 John 1:7)? Those who love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil (John 3:19) will be rewarded with “outer darkness” (Matt. 8:12; 22:13) for eternity.
The Second Day—Firmament. God inserted an atmosphere of air between water on earth and water in the clouds. Do you remember the composition of air? It is 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen plus a mixture of other gases. This composition is ideal for man; a higher concentration of oxygen would result in many spontaneous explosions, while a smaller concentration would not be enough for people who live in places like Mexico City that are nearly two miles above sea level. What is the nitrogen in the air used for? Interestingly, while the human body has a great need for nitrogen (an important element in protein), our bodies are totally incapable of extracting nitrogen from the air. Rather, we are de-pendent upon tiny “nitrogen-fixing” bacteria that convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia and nitrates that are incorporated into plants. When we eat the plants or eat the animals that have eaten the plants, our bodies get the needed nitrogen to make protein.
We also find on the Second Day the development of a most marvelous water distribution and purification system. Water evaporates from the oceans and is carried in clouds by the wind thousands of miles inland where it falls to the earth as dew and rain. Furthermore, the process of evaporation provides pure water, leaving the salt and pollutants behind in the oceans. It sure beats building long irrigation canals and large desalination (that is, salt-removal) plants, doesn’t it! (See Assignment 11)
Speaking of water, this common substance that we take so much for granted is one of the most wonderful parts of God’s creation. You may be thinking of how much fun it is to go swimming, surfing, or boating in the water, or to watch the sun rise or set over the ocean. Others may think of how refreshing it is to drink an ice-cold glass of water on hot day or a cup of hot tea or coffee on a cold day. Still others may appreciate the cleansing powers of water. But what is particularly wonderful and unique about water is that its solid state-ice-is lighter than its liquid state. What is so special about this? For one thing, there is no other known substance that has this property of being less dense when frozen than when liquid. But of tremendous practical importance, this is why ice forms on the top of lakes and rivers-where the hot sun can melt it in the Spring-rather than at the bottom where the sun would never reach it. If water were like every other liquid, most of the water on earth would be permanently frozen into vast beds of ice at the bottom of the oceans. Did the formation of water “just happen” as a random outcome of the big bang, or does it point to an all-wise Creator-God? (See Assignment 12)
CONGRATULATIONS!
Four of our readers completed all 28 (16 regular plus 12 review) assignments for 2000:Drew Johnson (Pennsylvania), John Hope (Virginia), Lori Spielman (Pennsylvania), and Juliet King (Nigeria). Also, the following (all from Nigeria) completed the assignments for previous years:Gabriel Akagwu (1996), Richard Unutaire (1997), Joseph Amusak (1998), Ojukwu Jonah (1998), and Juliet King (1998, 1999).
Running the Race
Assignment 11: Write out a verse in Ecclesiastes 1 that refers to the water cycle, and a verse in Job 38 that points to God’s role in watering the plants.
Assignment 12: Write out a verse in Job 38 that speaks of ice being lighter than water, and a verse in Psalm 147 about the power of God to melt the ice.