Day 9 – Creator
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. –the prophet ISAIAH
The Argument from Design (5 Reasons, Days 13-27) asks us to look at the universe and acknowledge that design exists within it. Stars, planets, and moons in the sky; cells, tissues, and organs in the human body; days, nights, and seasons in the course of time—all of these testify to the presence of such design. Scientists, even those who are atheists, would here agree, for science itself is founded upon laws and mathematical formulas that are predictable and orderly.
The argument goes on to assert that this design could not be present unless there was a Designer behind it. In its most classic form, it can be summarized as follows:
Just as the presence of design in a watch demands the existence of a watchmaker, the presence of design in the universe demands the existence of God. Unless the universe is eternal (which, based on recent scientific evidence, is unlikely) or is an illusion (which, based on intuition and common sense, is equally unlikely), it must be the product of a supernatural Creator.
This leads us to the most obvious characteristic of God, the first glimpse into His nature: He is the Creator of the universe, its design’s Designer. Going a bit further, He is the Creator of men and women, organized parts of this same universe. The Argument from Design thus confirms the Bible’s description of the world as God’s “handiwork” and of us as His “workmanship.” All of the design seen under the microscope, through the telescope, or with the unaided eye declares the creative nature of God.
I realize the universe also bears evidence of disorder and disarray. Pain and suffering, evil and violence, hurricane and tornado, pestilence and disease are all too evident. And the very presence of this disorder raises some interesting questions. Who is responsible for it? If God, why did He place it here? If not God, what does the presence of such disorder say about His character? Does He want to eliminate it but cannot, or does He possess the power but lack the concern? The summary question is this: “What kind of God would allow suffering in His universe?” This probing question has plagued man for centuries and persists today in public address, on the printed page, and in the human heart.
I will not in the pages to follow shy away from this question, but I will be the first to admit that my answers will not unclothe all the mysteries of suffering. Greater minds than mine have wrestled with this problem and lost. If they could not solve this theological riddle, then neither will I. All I promise is to look at the reality of suffering as honestly and humbly as I can and relay to you in common language what it says to me about God’s nature.
In the meantime, let me remind you that the problem of suffering, as troubling as it is, does not alter today’s main point one bit. We have declared that God is the Designer behind the universe’s design, the Organizer responsible for its organization. This characteristic of God as Creator still stands even if the design and organization appear to be mixed with evidence of disarray. Remember: even a design-gone-bad remains a design and requires a designer.
In summary, any design in the universe must come from a supernatural Designer, a Creator God. This is as far as we will venture today.
Daily Quotation
Isaiah 40:28 RSV
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