By Faith...

"By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible." --- Heb. 11:3

The debate over the origin of the world is one that every individual at some point must come to a conclusion about. How did we get here? This question must be answered because it is crucial to how one will choose to live their life. When you get down to the bottom line, there are essentially 1 of 2 possible positions one can take. Either there was a creator or there was not. It's the ole debate of "Creation vs. Evolution." If there is no creator, if we are all here by coincidence, then there are no eternal consequences for the decisions we make while living our 70 or so years of life. However, if there is a creator, then every minute of our life has eternal consequences.

There are essentially 3 methods humans use to conclude something is true.

1. Empiricism - That which one can see, smell, taste, etc. For example, I know to be true that there is a Mountain Dew sitting on my desk b/c I went to the refrigerator and brought it back in the room and put it on the desktop, and I see it right now.

2. Rationalism - That which one believes to be true because he can logically reason it to be true.

3. Faith - That which one believes to be true based on the validity of something or someone else.

Because no human was present at the beginning of the universe, empiricism is automatically ruled out. Rationalism is also not applicable because it is confined to the limits of human understanding. Therefore, whichever position one decides to take, it must be taken by faith. This is exactly what Heb. 11:3, today's subject verse, is telling us. There is evidence that can be examined, but because the beginning was not witnessed firsthand by any human, it's origin ultimately has to be accepted by faith. Technically the debate is not "Creation vs. Evolution," rather it is "The Word of God vs. The Theories of Man."

If you look at the history of philosophy you will not find many Jewish philosophers. The reason is because they had the answer to the question all philosophy attempts to answer, "What is the meaning of this whole thing?" The Word of God is full of scripture proclaiming that life was a result of God's creation. It is such an important subject that the very first verse in the Bible proclaims God to be the Creator. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." I believe this to be true, and more than likely because you are taking a few minutes out of your day to read this, then you also believe it.

I truly believe that if the evidence is objectively examined, it takes more faith to believe in evolution than it does creation. For example, how can the concept of right and wrong be explained without a creator? If there is no creator then there is no standard of right and wrong, but clearly this standard exists. That's just one example off the top of my head, there are countless others. The most convincing evidence of a creator is the creation itself. "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse." --- Rom. 1:20.

So why is this debate so important? The point of this devotion is not to try to prove creation or disprove evolution. In fact, odds are I am not telling you anything that you do not already believe to be true. My real reason for this devotion is to give you something to ponder and issue a challenge. If you truly believe that God is your Creator, then it is your responsibility to seek out and fulfill the purpose for your creation. Nothing is created without a purpose, but there is nothing more tragic than a creation that does not fulfill the intended purpose of its creator. An obvious example of this is Satan.

The reason people try to stamp out God through theories like evolution is because they do not want to be held accountable for their lives. If there is no God, there are no consequences. But if there is a God, then there will be consequences, and He has a purpose for your life. Are you living your life to fulfill your purpose? You were created to bring God glory in the Angelic Conflict on a moment by moment basis by being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ in His humanity. As always, the choice is completely yours.


"The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands." --- Ps. 19:1

Someone emailed this to me a while back, I thought it was pretty awesome.

http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/java/scienceopticsu/powersof10/index.html