“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world” (Psalm 19:1-4).
“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead…” (Romans 1:20).
These two passages, and others like them reveal that the physical universe testifies of both the existence of God, and of certain attributes He possesses. Consider the truths we can discern from them.
First, the creation, in its form and grandeur, testify to God’s existence. We exist in a cosmos (the universe seen as a well ordered whole). With order comes the acknowledgement of design. Arguments for order by chance are counterintuitive. They simply go against what mankind knows to be true. Naturalists try to refute the watchmaker argument (where a watch exists, a maker is required). The passages above affirm the argument is demonstrably true.
Second, there are certain attributes that become evident as we accept the truth of a Creator. The glory of that Creator. His eternal power. His Deity. No explanation can account for our ordered universe, and the existence of life, except for a self-existent Being who is both glorious and unlimited in power. From a neutrino (smallest thing by mass) to the Hercules Corona-Borealis Great Wall (the largest known object in the universe), the physical creation attests to the unique nature of its Maker.
However, there are limitations to what nature can teach us. While it can attest to the existence of a Divine and powerful Being, it can’t reveal to us the personality, and relative benevolence or lack thereof that such a Being might possess. It can’t ascertain whether such a God left the universe to itself, or whether He is an ever present agent in the affairs of men.
This is why God has determined to reveal Himself to man by His written will. From His word we can know not only of His glory and power, but of His righteousness, love, mercy and grace. We can know what He expects of us, and both the rewards of meeting those expectations, and the consequences of failing Him. We can learn how He brought the universe into being, and how long He will allow it to continue. We can know whether some things exist outside of the physical universe, and whether we (as a consciousness) will continue to exist after our time in that cosmos is finished.
In short, though God made the physical universe, He is not bound by it. Science is limited in scope in that it observes the natural, and attempts to make sense of everything by that observation. This limited scope does not account for the supernatural. If the supernatural actually exists, the explanations of science are lacking in their accuracy and completeness.
Therefore, it is a mistake (commonly made), to try to interpret God’s revelation in light of scientific discovery. God’s word takes into account the natural universe, and that which resides outside it’s boundaries. It is the more complete explanation of who we are, where we come from, and the responsibilities of our existence.
If you want the complete answers to the questions of life, they are not found in nature. They are found in God’s word!
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