This is the second of an eight-part series of apologetics called “Foundations of Faith”. The Bible affirms in its very first verse that God is the Creator of the universe — “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis. 1:1) This claim is restated many times throughout Scripture such as in the opening verses of the Gospel of John — “Through him (Christ) all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:3)
But what is the evidence for such an incredible claim?
Intelligent Design in the Heavens
We begin with the telescope and the discoveries of modern science such as astronomy and physics. Here a few examples:
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the earth — rotates 365 times a year which is just right to sustain life. If its rotation was ten times slower, our days and nights would be ten times longer. Days would be too hot, nights too cold and life would cease.
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the earth’s tilt — is 23 degrees. If it was one degree off, everything would be flooded in a polar meltdown. In fact, there are ten factors (eg. gravity, speed of light, nuclear mass, electro-magnetic force) that have to be just right to sustain life (and they are!).
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the atmosphere — is 21% oxygen which is just right. If it were 50%, the next cigarette would ignite everything!
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the sun — is 93 million miles from earth and burns at 12,000 degrees F which is just right. If it was 50 degrees hotter or colder, life on earth would cease. The sun is one of 100 billion celestial bodies in the Milky Way which are all in the right places.
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celestial speeds — the earth rotates at the equator at 1000 miles per hour. The earth orbits the sun at 67,000 miles per hour. The solar system orbits our galaxy at 490,000 miles per hour. And our galaxy moves through space at 1.3 million miles per hour. In spite of these incredible speeds, we don’t even notice it on earth.
The Bible states, “The heavens declare the glory of God...” (Psalm 19:1-6). Modern science provides abundant evidence of intelligent design in the universe pointing to an omnipotent Creator.
Intelligent Design on the Earth
We move on now to the microscope and the discoveries of modern science such as biology and botany. Here are just a few:
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the giraffe’s heart — has special valves so that it doesn’t faint when raising its head after drinking.
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the human body — has a tongue with 400 tiny taste buds, intestines with 20 million “mouths” for digestion, sweat glands (350,000 per square inch) form a “cooling system” and a nervous system with 10 million nerves.
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the single cell — is not a simple blob of protoplasm like originally thought. Electro-magnetic microscopes can now magnify a single cell 50,000 times. They reveal a complicated machine with many different parts working perfectly together.
The psalmist exclaims, “... I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made...” (Psalm 139:13-16). And the apostle Paul affirms that “God’s invisible qualities... have been clearly seen... from what has been made...” (Romans 1:20).
Again, modern science provides ample evidence of intelligent design in all forms of life on earth which point to an all-knowing Creator.
Conclusion
If you found a watch one day on the sidewalk, would you logically conclude that it was made by accident (i.e., random chance by slow evolutionary forces over long periods of time) or rather by intent by someone’s intelligent design? The answer is obvious.
Similarly, all the complex and finely tuned designs on the earth and in the universe point clearly and convincingly to a caring and intelligent Designer whom believers call God.
Rob Weatherby is a retired pastor.
