Monday, November 10, 2008

Designed by God

“Creation Day Five” from Emmanuel
And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” And there was evening, and there was morning--the fifth day. (Genesis 1:20-23)


Once again we see that in creating, God progresses in an orderly manner. Now that He had prepared the world for living creatures by creating orderly day and night cycles, and seasonal cycles, and creating plants for creatures to eat, now on Day Five God creates birds and fish.

As God created the living creatures on the earth He also provided for them to reproduce according to their own kind and commanded them to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and the seas. The fact that creatures reproduce according to their kind has been known by all people going back to Adam and Eve (Day Six). The precise physical mechanism that God created to accomplish this was unknown until James Watson and Francis Crick published their paper describing the structure of the DNA molecule in 1953. What they discovered (though they would likely never have put it this way) was that God had ordered and arranged His creation down to the molecular level (at least) so that, barring the odd defect, life would propagate in an orderly fashion according to His plan. Subsequent study into DNA and genetics such as the Human Genome Project found that while the genetic information in DNA is extraordinarily stable, the DNA molecule contains the potential for vast diversity that even now cannot be understood, though macro-evolution is ruled out.

Unfortunately, since the fall of man into sin (Genesis 3) people have been questioning the truth of God’s word, even when they know the truth. Though the structure of DNA is so complex and contains so much information that it cannot have been assembled by accident, evolutionists would have us believe that is exactly what happened despite all evidence to the contrary. The evidence is the same for both sides of the argument, and all who approach with an open mind would have to conclude that, at the very least, the structure of the DNA molecule shows that life came about by design, and not through random accidents and macro-evolution. This is the basis for the study of scientific intelligent design.


From Emmanuel

The study of intelligent design will never directly lead people to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died on the cross to redeem mankind from our sins. Only God’s Word can reveal who God is and what He has done for us. The study of intelligent design can, however, suggest that design by an intelligent God is possible and can certainly allow for a better explanation for the origin of the universe than a godless Darwinistic explanation that must ignore the most basic human and scientific observations.


Christianity isn’t against scientific inquiry and research. In fact, most of the greatest scientific discoveries throughout history have been made by Christians who pursued scientific research to understand the world which God created for us. On the other hand, Darwinism can only flourish through the religious zeal of its adherents. Though the United States Constitution forbids the establishment of religion, Darwinism is – in practice – the functionally established religion in state schools. Though Darwinism is portrayed as “science,” any scientist who dares to investigate its claims scientifically is summarily dismissed as anti-intellectual, backward, and (ironically) a religious zealot. If nothing else this proves that sin is real and has continuing tragic consequences for mankind.

Fortunately for us, God is still in control of His creation despite the fact that it seems like He is losing. God has provided a solution to our sin and the obstinate ignorance which results from our sinfulness. Holy Scripture tells us that the same God who created this amazing world for us, and provides all things for our benefit and the sustenance of our lives (even when we deny Him), also sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem us from our sin and bring us to live in His heavenly paradise forever.



The Seven Days of Creation

In the Beginning
The Orderly Creation
Distinctions in Creation
The Center of the Universe
Designed by God
The Crown of God’s Creation
A Sabbath Day Rest

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