Seeing the unseen ∙

Seeing the unseen ∙

From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth, sky, and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God. – Romans 1:20

Psalms 33:6-9

 6 The LORD merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars in the sky were made.

 7 He assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.

 8 Let the whole world fear the LORD and let everyone stand in awe of him.

 9 For when he spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command.

When we observe all that has come to be in all of its complexity and magnificence, how do we explain it? Is it all the result of simply time plus chance? Modern science refers to this as “the Big Bang” and “natural selection.” Or did everything come into existence due to an intelligent, powerful architect and creator? This is what creation science refers to as “intelligent design.”

“The theory of intelligent design holds that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause” (https://intelligentdesign.org/).

Many things exist on earth that result from chance and natural law. For example, suppose you discovered a piece of driftwood floating in the water near a beach. You would not think anything more about it. But if you found a working smartphone half-buried in the sand at that same beach, that would be entirely different. You would know that somebody designed it. How else could its complexity be explained?

How do we know God exists? The Father has left evidence in the natural world that an intelligent designer was behind it. Random chance plus time can hardly compete with the logic of a brilliant mind as the source of all it is.

Whether we think big and ponder the recent discoveries of the last few decades regarding the universe: galaxies seemingly without end in the extremely distant recesses of space and black holes. Or we think small on the subatomic level of quantum physics; there is abundant evidence of intelligent design everywhere.

In Romans 1:20, Paul explains that the natural world speaks of an intelligent designer. And more, it reveals some of the Father’s invisible qualities and attributes. He is eternal and all-powerful. Any great work of art: painting, sculpture, music, reflects upon the brilliance and creativity of the one who produced it. What is seen requires a fertile mind and unlimited imagination and creativity. How can the irreducible complexity of the natural world just happen by chance? Reflect on this a bit.

“Napoleon, on a warship in the Mediterranean on a star-lit night, passed a group of his officers who were mocking the idea of a God. He stopped, and sweeping his hand toward the stars, said, ‘Gentlemen, you must get rid of those first!’”(William R. Newell, Romans Verse by Verse)

Four objective facts are presented in Romans 1:20. First, anyone can observe the information seen in the natural world. Second, anyone can understand it and draw conclusions. The more we discover and comprehend the complexity, we realize that it is not random but appears intelligently designed. Third, the information provided by the natural world is actually quite limited. It simply indicates that the existence of God is reasonable but does not tell us everything we need to know about Him. And finally, the presence and reality of intelligent design in nature strongly suggest that people are responsible for the observations and decisions they make regarding the Creator of all things.

REFLECT & PRAY

Without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6)

Father I remember when I did not believe in You. I had no faith in my heart because I had never heard the Truth. Faith is the response of the human heart to the Truth. Thank You for the people You brought into my life who shared it with me.

INSIGHT

Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.

What we believe could happen determines what we believe did happen.

In other words, if you do not believe that God exists and works within the time-space continuum, you cannot believe in miracles. Miracles such as the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and the opening of the Red Sea allowed the nation of Israel to cross it on dry ground safely. It could never possibly have happened.

There may have been a time when you did not believe in God. Did you ever ask yourself what it would take for me to believe that God exists?

The only explanation for many of the miracles in the Bible is the existence and work of the Father in time and space. If there was no God, the miracle of the Red Sea told in Exodus would be no more than a myth. But when you believe in God, the miracle of the Red Sea is perfectly reasonable.

If the Father did not work in human history, then the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ could have never happened because that would require supernatural intervention. Without the existence of God, there can be no supernatural intervention. And the resurrection would be no more than another myth.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Psalms 33:6 The LORD merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 8-31-2