Man the Creator vs. God the Creator

I happened upon an article recently, a sad little piece of scientific amour propre, the thrust of which was that the recent attainments of the scientific realm have drawn shockingly close to legitimately expunging God from our understanding of the universe's origins.  While in the past, says the article, people have made awkward attempts to graft science and creationism together, "a foremost goal of modern physics is to formulate a working theory that describes the entire universe, from subatomic to astronomical scales, within a single framework. Such a theory, called 'quantum gravity,' will necessarily account for what happened at the moment of the Big Bang."

In short, a central effort within the scientific community seeks to explain the universe without a divine Originator.  To this end, the article declares later that "[t]he Big Bang could've occurred as a result of just the laws of physics being there. With the laws of physics, you can get universes."

As believers devoted to the truth of Scripture as fact, not fable or opinion, how do we answer this?  We respond with dismay and sadness, certainly, but there are two responses which are wholly inappropriate. 

1.  Surprise.  We know from Romans 3:11 and others that the world does not seek after God.  This is an ironclad principle; there are no exceptions.  It is only the gracious intervention of the Spirit which turns the eye of contempt into the eye of faith (cf. 1 Cor. 2:10). We do not, then, expect the world to seek the one true God as its Creator and Sustainer.

Nor do we suppose that this modern age represents a fundamental departure for unbelievers from the disbelief of the past.  In other words, this scientific trend does not augment their disbelieving hearts with another layer of armor which must somehow be penetrated.  There have always been unbelievers who do not believe that the earth is the Lord's creation; it matters but little that they are now attaching impressive-sounding names and theories to their suppositions.  Whether unbelievers cloister themselves within this scientific garrison or not, we know that it is only the power of God that can transplant life into their dead, motionless hearts.  The presence of a godless, scientific worldview within such people does not in the slightest tax the reach of God, or the compassion of God, or the wisdom of God.  We know that "He has mercy on whom He desires" (Rom. 9:18b), and God Himself says, "My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure." (Is. 46:10b) His arm of salvation will always move with insuperable purpose and indomitable love.

2.  Doubt.  If we survey the above quote from the article, we note a certain lexical consistency:  these are words of possibility, not of certainty.  Thus we are given "theories" about what "could've" happened, and so forth.  God, when He creates, creates the universe, while man, when he creates, creates theories to dismiss the creative work of God. 

The problem with these theories is that they attempt to explain scientifically that which is entirely unscientific.  It is the proverbial apple next to the orange.  It is like saying you are going to douse your campfire by playing an old 78 of Wagner.  If you scratch your head and re-read that sentence, you have captured the intent.  The idea is ludicrous.  And neither do we explain creation using science.  Consider what science tells us in no terms of uncertainty.  For instance, it declares that matter cannot be created or destroyed.  Much hinges upon this truth, and yet matter must have had its origin at some point and from some cause.  We might also consider the second law of thermodynamics, which says that entropy cannot decrease; that is, that disorder is always increasing (i.e. ice melts in a glass of water).  How then could a "Big Bang" furnish the initial order of the universe?  Can science disclose this without violating its own principles?  Never!

Let us go yet one step further.  If, as scientists posit, the laws of physics in themselves are sufficient to create the universe, do we suppose then that the laws of physics predate space, matter, and time?  Are we to attribute to them the eternal, transcendent, self-existent character which belongs to God?  From what root did these laws spring?  And how could they (or why would they) exist without the matter and the time and the space which, on one hand, regulate them, and, other the hand, are held in their grip, as it were?  The words of Romans 1:25 echo rather ominously through our hearts with these thoughts:  "For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen."

I myself use science daily in my work; as an engineer, I apply it, but I do not investigate it.  As such, my knowledge is admittedly imperfect; howver, it seems clear that, for all the testing and dialog, science continues to fail with regard to the actual creation of all things.  Its theories cannot encompass this question. 

God does not labor under any such struggles.  Man may theorize, but God declares.  His Word begins, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."  There is no ambiguity in this statement as to how the universe came into being.  Genesis 1 carefully records that God created it, and in six days.  Isaiah 44:24-25 records the magnificent and inimitable declaration of our preincarnate Savior:

"Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb,
'I, the Lord, am the maker of all things,
Stretching out the heavens by Myself
And spreading out the earth all alone,
Causing the omens of boasters to fail,
Making fools out of diviners,
Causing wise men to draw back
And turning their knowledge into foolishness…'”

Man's trifling theorizing cannot stand before God's omnipotent pronouncement.  Praise, praise Him!

Posted in: creation, declaration, decree of God, science, sovereignty, theory, unbelievers