D9 Science and Truth in Nature

1 The Invitation

This discovery journey is an insight on the wonders of nature from scientists that testify to the truth in the word of God. D9 - Discovery of Science and Truth in Nature is an extension from the last trip,  D8 –Discovering Life’s Designer  that put together a living impression of the one true God, the source of our life, s based on the written testimonies of many of God’s servants given in a period of over one thousand five hundred years (spanning from circa 1500 B.C.- A.D. 90) which were compiled  into sixty six books of the Bible. This tour of Nature from the perspective of Scientists is appropriate to resolve for the truth seekers, the contention of atheistic scientists that Intelligent Design does not equate with Creationism whose position is founded on the word of God. 

CONTENTS

1 The Invitation; 1.1 The Contention for Truth; 1.1.1 The Nature of Truth; 1.1.2 Intelligent Design in Nature; 1.1.2.1 Scientist Version of Truth in ID; 1.1.3 Creationism; 1.1.3.1 The Creative Word and Pre-existing Matter; 2 Scientific Evidence in Nature; 2.1 Three Revolutionary Scientific Discoveries; 2.1.1 The Universe Has a Beginning from Nothing; 2.1.2 The Universe is Finely-tuned for Life; 2.1.2.1 The Odds for Life to Exist; 2.1.3 DNA; 2.2 Universe is the Handiwork of God; 2.2.1 What is God Like? 2.2.1.1 God Spoke to Job; 2.2.2 The God-Man, Jesus Christ; 2.2.2.1 Jesus is the Truth; 2.2.2.2 Basic instruction on Knowing Truth; 2.2.2.2.1 ‘Belief’; 2.2.2.2.2 The Biblical Truth About Truth; 3 The Next Discovery Tour  - (13 pages,  posted Dec 20, 2016)

Discovery D9 Overview

1. There is resistance from atheistic scientists in denying Creationism that actually identified the intelligent designer as God. Men of science think that they can comprehend the wisdom of God, that which he has done or can do. Men either deny or ignore his existence, or think to explain everything, even the operation of his Spirit upon the human heart; and they no longer reverence his name, or fear his power. They do not believe in the supernatural, not understanding God's laws, or his infinite power to work his will through them. In  the  area  of  science there    are  some  things  that science, at least as now practiced, teaches that are in blatant contradiction to God’s Word.

2. However at the same time, new and more powerful telescopes have unlocked mysteries about our universe never before revealed, giving us new scientific insight into the origin of life. This is despite the fact that the scientific mind-set hold that we don’t need God to explain the universe.

3. There are three revolutionary discoveries from the fields of astronomy and molecular biology that stands out: 1. The universe had a beginning; 2. The universe is just right for life; 3. DNA coding reveals intelligence.

4. Cosmologists, who specialize in the study of the universe and its origin, soon realized that a chance cosmic explosion could never bring about life any more than a nuclear bomb would- unless it was precisely engineered to do so. And that meant a designer must have planned it. They began using words like a designer must have planned it. They began using words like “Super-intellect,” “Creator,” and “Supreme Being” to describe this designer. Physicists calculated that for life to exist, gravity and the other laws of physics that govern our universe needed to be intricately tuned just right or our universe couldn’t exist. DNA is the tiny molecule in a living cell, called the “brains” behind each cell in our body as well as every other living thing. The coding behind DNA reveals such intelligence that it staggers the imagination. Many scientists believe that the coding within the DNA molecule points to an intelligence far exceeding what could have occurred by natural causes.

5. All this scientific evidence leads us to honestly consider that, life and the universe have the fingerprints of a Creator. Many scientists like Arthur L. Schawlow, Professor of Physics at Stanford University, winner of the Nobel Prize in physics, believe that these new discoveries provide some compelling evidence for a personal God.

6. Long before Jesus came to live and to die for us, Job, who lived some 1700 years before Jesus knew that his Redeemer lived. We are now looking back at the Cross some two thousand years later.  From  this  vantage  point,  we  understand  the  substitutionary  death of our Redeemer, whose suffering encompasses the total sum of all sufferings  and  sorrows  that  this  world’s  generations  have  and  will  ever  live. This saving knowledge leads us, through our sufferings, into the life of the redeemed and to have the hope of the resurrected life at the second coming of Jesus.

7. Knowledge is properly justified true belief. Knowledge is belief that corresponds to reality in a way that is evidentially sufficient. Truth exists, and truth can be sufficiently known. Unless truth exists and can be known, no statement about truth has any value. The Bible is the only source book on truth.

8. The Truth on the true character of God has been perverted by the lies of Satan, the enemy of God. May this discovery tour be of some use to you in setting your belief right. There are still many people, even  brilliant scientists and leaders, who refuse to let science and progressive knowledge free them from the delusion of Satan and his wicked agents. It is only in a personal knowledge of Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth and the life that will set us free from the lies, delusions and the bondage to sin whose ultimate consequence is eternal death. Please share this article with your loved ones and friends. There is no restriction in making copies of any article on this website.   

Discovery Tour D9: Science and Truth in Nature

1.1 The Contention for Truth

There is resistance from atheistic scientists in denying Creationism that actually identified the intelligent designer as God because it is based on faith in the word of God, which is truth. In order for us to know what is the truth we will have to revisit the meaning of absolute truth covered in D3*. Before embarking on the scientific discovery, we will also review briefly terms and basic concepts in scientific method, intelligent design theory, creationism, and the revelation of God.

1.1.1 The Nature of Truth

(See *D3 Discovering the True Path http://www.discoverylifediy.com/430284794, par 3.2 The Principle of Truth- 3.2.1 Truth Must be Absolute; 3.2.2 Why Truth is Important; 3.2.3 Jesus Christ is the living Truth- 3.2.3.1 The Truth of Jesus Resurrection- 3.2.3.1.1 The Importance of the Resurrection; 3.3 The Bible and Science.)

From a philosophical perspective, there are three simple ways to define truth: 1. Truth is that which corresponds to reality; 2. Truth is that which matches its object; 3. Truth is simply telling it like it is. However, in a postmodern era of relativism it is acceptable today to say, “This is true,” as long as it is not followed by, “and therefore that is false.” This is especially observable in matters of faith and religion where every belief system is supposed to be on equal footing where truth is concerned that  lead people to believe in themselves. 

The world around us is making a couple of claims about the nature of truth: 1) Truth Does Not Exist: First, the world tries to tell us that objective, absolute truth simply does not exist. This is an ‘ontological’ issue. ‘Ontology’ relates to the nature or essence of ‘being’. The claim here is that ALL truth is ‘perspectival’ in nature. In other words, all truth depends on your perspective! What may be true for one person may not be true for another; it really simply depends on your point of view; 2) Truth Cannot Be Known: Secondly, the world around us is also making the claim that even if objective, absolute truth does exist, we could never know with certainty what that truth is. This is an ‘epistemological’ issue. Epistemology relates to the nature of ‘knowing’ or being able to know something. The claim here is that we simply cannot trust our human mental faculties to tell us what we need to know to come to a conclusion about any truth we are examining.

The inspired writing of Sister White says: “In the word of God many queries are raised that the most profound scholars can never answer. Attention is called to these subjects to show us how much there is, even among the common things of every-day life, that finite minds, with all their boasted wisdom, can never fully understand.  {CE 194.1} Yet men of science think that they can comprehend the wisdom of God, that which he has done or can do. The idea largely prevails that he is restricted by his own laws. Men either deny or ignore his existence, or think to explain everything, even the operation of his Spirit upon the human heart; and they no longer reverence his name, or fear his power. They do not believe in the supernatural, not understanding God's laws, or his infinite power to work his will through them. As commonly used, the term "laws of nature" comprises what men have been able to discover with regard to the laws that govern the physical world; but how limited is their knowledge, and how vast the field in which the Creator can work in harmony with his own laws, and yet wholly beyond the comprehension of finite beings!” {Ellen G. White-  CE 194.2}

What  she  warned  about  is  actually  happening,  especially  in  the  area  of  science.  What  are  some  things  that science, at least as now practiced, teaches that are in blatant contradiction to God’s Word?

1.1.2 Intelligent Design in Nature- http://www.intelligentdesign.org/whatisid.php

Intelligent design (ID) refers to a scientific research program as well as a community of scientists, philosophers and other scholars who seek evidence of design in nature. The theory of intelligent design holds that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection. Through the study and analysis of a system's components, a design theorist is able to determine whether various natural structures are the product of chance, natural law, intelligent design, or some combination thereof. Such research is conducted by observing the types of information produced when intelligent agents act. Scientists then seek to find objects which have those same types of informational properties which we commonly know come from intelligence. Intelligent design has applied these scientific methods to detect design in irreducibly complex biological structures, the complex and specified information content in DNA, the life-sustaining physical architecture of the universe, and the geologically rapid origin of biological diversity in the fossil record during the Cambrian explosion approximately 530 million years ago (a speculation based on assumption – which will be discussed in later discoveries)

1.1.2.1 Scientist Version of Truth in ID

The scientific method is commonly described as a four-step process involving observations, hypothesis, experiments, and conclusion. Intelligent design begins with the observation that intelligent agents produce complex and specified information (CSI). When ID researchers find irreducible complexity in biology, they conclude that such structures were designed.

Unlike creationism, the scientific theory of intelligent design does not claim that modern biology can identify whether the intelligent cause detected through science is supernatural.

1.1.3 Creationism

Creationism* typically starts with a religious text and tries to see how the findings of science can be reconciled to it. Intelligent design starts with the empirical evidence of nature and seeks to ascertain what inferences can be drawn from that evidence.

(*Creationism is the position that God created the universe. There are two views within Creationism, the divide is based upon the time period that the earth was created. Young earth creationists generally believe that God created the universe, the earth, and living things on the earth and that the Old Testament literally describes six, 24 hour periods. Therefore, they maintain that the universe is, more or less, around 6,000 years old. (Archbishop James Ussher (1581-1656) in his research on biblical history working back to the birth of Christ found His birth occurred in AM 4000, equivalent, he believed, to 4 BCE, and thus arrived at 4004 BCE as the date of Creation.) They further maintain that speciation occurred during this time as a result of the extant genetic information and environmental pressures. Old earth creationists still maintain that the universe, the earth, and all living things were created by God, but that the Universe is very old (This view we will see  in later articles is not biblical and without evidence. It is in a sense Theistic Evolution which is the view of the Pope of Rome)… Creationism is also the position held by some regarding the generation of the human soul.  Where traducianism says the soul is generated along with the body at procreation, creationism would teach that God creates the soul in the person at conception.- https://carm.org/dictionary-creationism)

1.1.3.1 The Creative Word and Pre-existing Matter

The words of Genesis, "God said," introduce the dynamic divine command responsible for the majestic events of the six days of Creation (Gen. 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24). Each command came charged with a creative energy that transformed a planet "without form, and void" into a paradise. "He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast" (Ps. 33:9). Truly, "the worlds were framed by the word of God" (Heb. 11:3). This creative word was not dependent upon pre-existing matter (ex nihilo): "By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible" (Heb. 11:3, NIV). Though at times God did use pre-existing matter—Adam and the beasts were formed of the earth, and Eve was made from Adam's rib (Gen. 2:7, 19, 22)—ultimately, God created all matter. (Astrophysicists and cosmologists have now acknowledged that the universe is formed from nothing – see par 2.1.1 )

2 Scientific Evidence in Nature

We have discussed in D3 that we are at the cross road of faith in our discovery journey having learnt that what we know and believe in the origin of life is based purely on faith. Believing in this truth and have faith and trust in God  will decide out destiny. It is believe in the divine revelation of God to mankind who are created in His image. While throughout history some have questioned God's existence, many have confidently testified that He exists and that He has disclosed Himself in divine revelation written in the Bible. The insight into God's character that history, human behavior, conscience, and nature provide is frequently called "general revelation" because it is available to all and appeals to reason.  Another part of this general revelation is in nature.  For millions, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork" (Ps. 19:1). The sunshine, rain, hills, and streams, all testify of a loving Creator. "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, so that they are without excuse" (Rom. 1:20). The atheistic scientist refused to acknowledge that God could be the most likely intelligent designer, the super-being that modern day scientist from various studies have pointed to scientific evidence of creation at work in nature. (see Rom 1:20-25, 2The 2:11)

2.1 Three Revolutionary Scientific Discoveries

(Watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn8TGtBrGb8 (25:19) Science has found Evidence of God!? Published on Aug 17, 2016- Read the transcript below as you watch the video. The transcript (with added commentaries and clarification in parenthesis) provides a ready recourse  when we need it to remind us.)

To begin with, let us be reminded that Alfred  North  Whitehead, OM FRS (15 February 1861 – 30 December 1947)  an  influential  mathematician  and  author  who  lived  in  the  previous  century,  said  the  following:  “Fifty-seven  years  ago  it  was  when  I  was  a  young  man  in  the  University  of  Cambridge.  I  was  taught  science  and  mathematics  by brilliant men and I did well in them; since the turn of the century I have lived to see every one of the basic assumptions of both set  aside.  .  .  .  And  yet,  in  the  face  of  that,  the  discoverers  of  the  new hypotheses in science are declaring, ‘Now at last, we have certitude.’  ”—A.  N.  Whitehead, Dialogues of Alfred North Whitehead.

It wasn’t until the A.D.1500s, for instance, that humans (at least some of them) finally understood that  the  motion  of  the  sun  in  the  sky  was  the  result  of  the  rotation  of  the  earth on its axis, and the reverse of the commonly held belief that the sun orbits around the earth—a truth that most of us take for granted now.  Thanks mostly to modern science, we live today with knowledge of the natural world that people in Bible times couldn’t begin to comprehend. And yet, even with all this acquired knowledge, we humans are still limited in our understanding of the natural world and its origins.

In our present time, new and more powerful telescopes have unlocked mysteries about our universe never before revealed, giving us new scientific insight into the origin of life. Hubble and other powerful telescopes reveal there are a billion trillion stars clustered in over 100 billion galaxies.  This is despite the fact that the scientific mind-set hold that we don’t need God to explain the universe.

There are three revolutionary discoveries from the fields of astronomy and molecular biology that stands out: 1. The universe had a beginning; 2. The universe is just right for life; 3. DNA coding reveals intelligence. (covered in D1)

2.1.1 The Universe Has a Beginning from Nothing

Most scientist in the past believed that our universe never had a beginning. They believed that mass, space and energy that compose our universe had always existed. But in the early 20th century, astronomer Edwin Hubble discovered that the universe is expanding and mathematically calculated that everything in the universe, including matter, energy, space and even time itself, actually had a beginning.  Scientists including Einstein reacted negatively in what Einstein later called “the biggest blunder of my life,” he fudged the equation to avoid the implication that the universe had a beginning. British astronomer, Sir Frederick Hoyle, sarcastically nicknamed the creation event a “big bang.” He, Einstein and other scientists stubbornly held on the view that the universe always existed until the evidence for a beginning became overwhelming. There must therefore be someone that is beyond scientific investigation who has started it all. Then finally, in 1992, the COBE satellite experiments proved that the universe really did have a one-time beginning in an incredible flash of light and energy, referred to as “the big bang.”  Astronomer Robert Jastrow gives this picture of the explosion of a cosmic hydrogen bomb. The instant in which the cosmic bomb exploded marked the  birth of the universe. The conclusion is everything in the universe came from nothing. Science is unable to tell us what or who caused the universe to begin. But some believe it clearly points to a creator. British theorist, Edward Milne, wrote a mathematical tretise on relativity which concluded by saying “As to the first cause of the universe, in the context of expansion, that is left for the reader to insert but our picture is incomplete without Him.” Another British scientist, Edmund Whittaker attributed the beginning of our universe to “Divine will constituting “Nature from nothingness.” Many scientists were struck by the parallel of a one-time creation event from nothingness with the biblical creation account in Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” “Now we see how the astronomical evidence lead to a biblical view of the origin of the world.”- Robert Jastrow. Agnostic George Smoot, the Nobel Prize winning scientist in charge of the COBE experiment  said, “There is no doubt that a parallel exists between the big bang as an event and the Christian notion of creation from nothing.” Scientists are now admitting that the biblical concept of creation from nothing has been right all along.

Cosmologists, who specialize in the study of the universe and its origin, soon realized that a chance cosmic explosion could never bring about life any more than a nuclear bomb would- unless it was precisely engineered to do so. And that meant a designer must have planned it. They began using words like a designer must have planned it. They began using words like “Super-intellect,” “Creator,” and “Supreme Being” to describe this designer.

2.1.2 The Universe is Finely-tuned for Life

Physicists calculated that for life to exist, gravity and the other laws of physics that govern our universe needed to be intricately tuned just right or our universe couldn’t exist. Stephen Hawkins (diehard atheist) writes: “If the rate of expansion one second after the big bang had been smaller by even one part in a hundred thousand-million-million the universe would have re-collapsed before it ever reached its present size.” On the other hand if the expansion rate had been a mere fraction greater than it was all galaxies, stars and planets could never have formed and we wouldn’t be here. For life to exist, the conditions in our solar system and our own plant also need to be just right. For example, without oxygen, none of us would be able to breathe, water could not exist, no rainfall for our crops. Other elements such as hydrogen, nitrogen, sodium, carbo, calcium, and phosphorus are also essential for life. In addition, the size, temperature, relative proximity, and chemical makeup of our planet, sun, and moon also need to be just right.  There are dozens of other conditions.

Scientists who believe in God may have expected such fine tuning but atheists and agnostics were unable to explain the remarkable “coincidences.” “The remarkable fact is that the values of these numbers seem to have been very finely adjusted to make possible the development of life,” writes agnostic theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking.

2.1.2.1 The Odds for Life to Exist

The next issue to consider is the odds or chance for human life to be possible from a big bang. This odd defied the laws of probability. One astronomer calculates the odds at less than one chance in a trillion- trillion- trillion- trillion- trillion- trillion- trillion- trillion- trillion- trillion- trillion- trillion. So the conclusion of many scientists are- Someone behind the scenes designed and created the universe. This new understanding of how miraculous human life is in our universe led the agnostic astronomer, George Greenstein, to ask: “Is it possible we have stumbled upon the scientific proof of the existence of a Supreme Being?” However, he maintains his faith in science rather than the creator to ultimately explain our origin. Robert Jastrow explains why some scientists are reluctant to accept a transcendent Creator. He says, “There is a kind of religion in science. It is the religion of a person who believes there is order and harmony in the universe. This religious faith of the scientistis violated by the discovery that the world had a beginning under conditions in which the known laws of physics are not valid, and as a product of forces or circumstances we cannot discover. When that happens, the scientist has lost control. If he really examined the implications, he would be traumatized.” It is understandable why Greenstein and Hawking seek other explanations. Hawking speculates that other unseen and unprovable universes may exist increasing the odds that one of them, like ours, is perfectly fine-tuned for life. Since his proposal is speculative and outside of verification, it can hardly be called “scientific.” Such a belief (speculative idea) must rest on faith rather than observation” says agnostic astrophysicist Paul Davies.

Although Einstein was not religious, and didn’t believe in a personal God, he called the genius behind the universe “an intelligence of such superiority that, compared with it, all the systematic thinking and acting of human beings is an utterly insignificant reflection.”

Atheist Christopher Hitchens, who spent much of his life writing and debating against the existence of God, was most perplexed by the fact that life couldn’t exist if things were different by just “one degree o one hair.”  But Paul Davies acknowledges, “There is for me powerful evidence that there is something going on behind it all. It seems as though somebody has fine-tuned nature’s numbers to make the universe… the impression of design is overwhelming.”

2.1.3 DNA

Astronomy is not the only area where science has seen evidence for design. There is another discovery, DNA, the language of Life.  As recent as 1953, Molecular biologists discovered intricately complex design in the microscopic world of DNA. This tiny molecule has been called the “brains” behind each cell in our body as well as every other living thing. (This was discussed earlier, in D1 and D4.) Scientists who believe the material world is all that exists, like Richard Dawkins, argue that DNA evolved by natural selection without a Creator. Yet the most ardent of evolutionists admit that the origin of DNA’s intricate complexity is unexplainable. DNA’s intricate complexity caused its co-discoverer, Francis Crick, to believe that it could never have originated on earth naturally. Crick, an evolutionist believed life is too complex to have originated on earth, and must have come from outer space. He wrote, “An honest man, armed  with all the knowledge available to us now could state that in some sense, the origin of life appears at the moment to almost be a miracle, so many are the conditions which would have had to have been satisfied to get it going.” The coding behind DNA reveals such intelligence that it staggers the imagination. A mere pinhead volume of DNA contains information equivalent to a stack of paperback books that would encircle the earth 5000 times. It operates like a language with its own complex software code (far, far, more complex that we have developed- Bill Gates)

Many evolutionary biologists believe that all this complexity originated through natural selection . Yet as Crick, a Nobel Prize winner, remarked, “natural selection would never have produced the first molecule.” Many scientists believe that the coding within the DNA molecule points to an intelligence far exceeding what could have occurred by natural causes.

2.2 Universe is the Handiwork of God

All this scientific evidence leads us to honestly consider that, life and the universe have the fingerprints of a Creator.

Are scientists now convinced that a Creator has left his fingerprints on the universe? Although many scientists are still bent on squeezing God out of the universe, most recognize the religious implication of these new discoveries. In his book, The Grand Design, Stephen Hawking, who doesn’t believe in a personal God, attempts to explain why the universe doesn’t need God.  Yet Hawking admitted “There must be religious overtone. But I think most scientists prefer to shy away from the religious side of it.”  As an agnostic, world renowned astronomer Robert Jastrow had no Christian agenda behind his conclusions. He freely acknowledges the compelling case for a Creator.  He writes of the shock and despair experienced by scientists who thought they had squeezed God out of their world. “For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountain of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians for centuries, who have been sitting there."  

2.2.1 What is God Like?

If there is a super-intelligent Creator, the question arises, what is he like? Is He just some “Cosmic Force” like Star Wars, or is He a personal Being like us? Since we are personal and relational beings, wouldn’t the one who created us also be personal and relational?

Many scientists like Arthur L. Schawlow, Professor of Physics at Stanford University, winner of the Nobel Prize in physics, believe that these new discoveries provide some compelling evidence for a personal God. He writes, “It seems to me that when confronted with the marvels of life and the universe, one must ask why and not just how. The only possible answers are religious… I find a need for God in the universe and in my own life.”  If God is personal and since He has given us the ability to communicate, wouldn’t we expect him to communicate with us and let us know why we are here?

2.2.1.1 God Spoke to Job

It is exciting to note that the Bible in the Book of Job, the first book written in the Old Testament by Moses who then was inspired to write Genesis and then the four other books that God answered Job when he demanded God to judge him in his calamitous suffering. Job lived about 1700 years before Christ, the God- man. Job is a type of Christ, an image that points to the true prototype, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, our Creator, Saviour and Redeemer. God’s answers in a series of rhetorical questions were sufficient to convince Job he is so insignificant, and knows only so little and be glad for God’s watch care and guiding hand in our lives. No creature can comprehend more than what He has permitted to be revealed to us at His appointed time.

(God’s questions in Job chapters 38 and 39 provide a breath-taking glimpse of the created cosmos. (God questioned further on in Job chapters 40 and 41 whether he is able to judge God, to activate and control the things in nature like thunder and lightning, the Behemoth, a big land creature that eats grass (now extinct) and the Leviathan,  huge, ferocious sea creature with armoured scaly body and breathes out fire – symbolic of the serpent, the dragon , and Satan).   While  they  were  not  intended  to  be  a  proof  for  divine  Creation  (nobody needed proof in Job’s times), they nevertheless point to the presence of Intelligent Design (ID) in the universe.  ID refers to the argument that features of the universe are best explained by an intelligent cause rather than by the Darwinian model of natural selection. As a matter of fact, Darwin himself stated that “if it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed, which could not possibly have been formed by  numerous  successive,  slight  modifications,  my  theory  would  absolutely  break down” (Darwin quoted by Jim Gibson, “Is There Design in Nature?”—accessed online: https://grisda.wordpress.com/2013/03/04/is-there-design-in-nature/.  (Note: verses from the Book of Job are mentioned in D10. For a more detailed  discussion on the importance of the Book of Job at www.wakeupow.com/159912045 -WP4.6 Preparation for Time of Trouble, par 4.6.3.4 The Book of Job, posted 1st January 2017)

While  ID  has  been  called  pseudoscientific,  a  growing  number  of  scientists are engaging the topic. They also are referring to it as the argument of perfection or irreducible complexity, which states: “Living organisms exhibit features  that  have  such  complex  interdependency  of  parts  that  an  open-minded observer will recognize them as the product of an intelligent creator” (compare Gibson’s article above).

However,  not  all  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  intelligent  designer  is  the God of the Bible but, rather, search for a naturalistic cause of design or, of  course,  for  another  philosophical  avenue  of  explanation,  such  as  pantheism, theosophy, New Age, and so on( by the prompting and schemes of Satan).  Nevertheless, the recognition of design provides an important impetus for the search for the designer. God’s speech in the book of Job reminds us of the complex beauty of the divinely created order.  Though, as Romans  1  and  2  demonstrate,  natural  revelation  certainly  points to the Creator-God, it does not provide a full picture of the Saviour-God, which is necessary for our redemption.-  excerpts  from- https://absg.adventist.org/assets/public/files/lessons/2016/4Q/TE/PDFs/ETQ416_11.pdf )

There is no question that science has revealed to us facets of reality that were previously hidden. However, so much still remains for us to learn.  In  many  ways,  far  from  removing  the  majesty  and  the  mystery  of God’s creation, science has made it even more fascinating, revealing a depth and complexity of the natural world that previous generations knew nothing about. “  ‘The  secret  things  belong  unto  the  Lord  our  God:  but  those  things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever.’ Deuteronomy 29:29. Just how God accomplished the work of creation He  has  never  revealed  to  men;  human  science  cannot  search  out  the  secrets  of  the  Most  High.  His creative power  is  as  incomprehensible  as His existence.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 113.

Even  with  all  the  knowledge  humans  have  accumulated  in  the  past few hundred years, the Creation remains full of wonders and mysteries  that  we  can  barely  fathom (1 Cor. 1:18–27).  The  more  we  learn  about  the  created  world,  the  more  amazing  and  mysterious  it  appears  to  us.  In  what  ways  does  the  created  world  cause  you  to  marvel  before the power of our God?

Based on what we have seen, science is unable to answer questions about God and the purpose for life. However since the Bible was right about creation from nothing, might it also be trustworthy regarding God , life and purpose?

2.2.2 The God-Man, Jesus Christ

Two thousand years ago a man set foot on our planet who claimed to have the answer to life. Although his time on earth was brief, his impact changed the world, and is still felt today. His name is Jesus Christ. The eye witnesses to Jesus Christ tell us that he continually demonstrated creative power over nature’s laws. They tell us he was wise, humble and compassionate. He healed the lame, deaf and blind. He stopped raging storms instantly, created food for the hungry on the spot, turned water into wine at a wedding, and even raised the dead. They claimed after his brutal execution, he himself rose from the dead. They also tell us that Jesus Christ is the One who flung the stars into space, fine-tuned our universe and created DNA. Could he be the one of whom Einstein unknowingly referred to as the “super-intelligence” behind the universe? Could Jesus Christ be the One of whom Hoyle unknowingly referred to as having “monkeyed with physics, chemistry and biology?” Has the mystery of who is responsible for creating our universe and the intelligence behind DNA been revealed in the following account from the New Testament (given in three versions for comparison)?

1) “Now Christ is the visible expression of the invisible God. ‘He existed before creation began, ‘for it was through him that everything was made, whether spiritual of material, seen or unseen. Through him, and for him, also, were created power and dominion, ownership and authority. In fact, every single thing was created through, and for him.. ‘Life from nothing began through him, ‘and life from the dead began through him, ‘and he is, therefore, justly called the Lord of all.” (Transcripted version)

2) “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him. “And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. “For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;” Col 1:15-19. (KJV)- King James Version

3) 15-Jesus is the physical manifestation of the invisible God–the first being to leave infinity and manifest in physical form, and the conduit from which all creation flowed.16- For he created everything: the entire universe, the heavens and all galaxies, angels and all intelligent life, things visible and invisible. All authority and power stem from him, and everything that exists was created by him.17- He existed before anything, and it is he who holds all things together.18- And among the body of believers—the church—Christ is supreme: He is the model of true perfection, the only rightful leader who by love, voluntarily sacrificed himself, destroying selfishness and death in his body on the cross, and thus is the very source of life—God’s rightful heir arisen from the dead—so that he is supreme in all things.19- For it was God's pleasure to have his entire identity, character–the fullness of his essence–live in Christ 20- and through Jesus Christ to destroy the infection of selfishness in his body, to obliterate the lies of Satan, to close the breach of distrust, and to reconcile the entire universe back into unity with God by revealing God's true character and the nature of sin through Christ's voluntary self-sacrifice on the cross. (The Remedy- Thisis an expanded Bible paraphrase in which interpretation is filtered through the lens of God's design law of love, the template on which life is built. This paraphrase is intentional in its focus to reorient the Christian mind to God's character of love and His mission to heal and restore humankind, as taught by the early church.)

Jesus spoke with authority about God’s love for us and the reason he created us. He said he has a plan for our lives, and that plan centres on a relationship with him. But for that relationship to be possible, Jesus had to die on the cross for our sins. It was necessary for him to rise from the dead so that we too could have life after death. As the Creator, Jesus certainly would have power over life and death. Those closest to him claim they saw him alive after he died and was buried for three days. If they were wrong, then Christianity has been founded upon a lie. But if they were right, such a miracle would substantiate all Jesus said about God, himself, and us. But must we take the resurrection of Jesus Christ by faith alone, or is there solid historical evidence?

Several skeptics began investigations into the historical record to prove the resurrection account false. The discussion on this investigation is discussed in D3. 

2.2.2.1 Jesus is the Truth

Over the course of human history, people have developed many interconnected and validated ideas about the physical, biological, psychological, and social worlds. Those ideas have enabled successive generations to achieve an increasingly comprehensive and reliable understanding of the human species and its environment. The means used to develop these ideas are particular ways of observing, thinking, experimenting, and validating. These ways represent a fundamental aspect of the nature of science and reflect how science tends to differ from other modes of knowing.

The concept of truth has clearly fallen on hard times, and the consequences of rejecting it are ravaging human society. So let’s go back to the starting point and answer the question: What is truth?

One of the most profound and eternally significant questions in the Bible was posed by an unbeliever. Pilate—the man who handed Jesus over to be crucified—turned to Jesus in His final hour, and asked, “What is truth?” It was a rhetorical question, a cynical response to what Jesus had just revealed: “I have come into the world, to testify to the truth.”

Two thousand years later, the whole world breathes Pilate’s cynicism. Some say truth is a power play, a metanarrative constructed by the elite for the purpose of controlling the ignorant masses. To some, truth is subjective, the individual world of preference and opinion. Others believe truth is a collective judgment, the product of cultural consensus, and still others flatly deny the concept of truth altogether.  For more read http://www.gty.org/resources/articles/A379/what-is-truth

2.2.2.2 Basic instruction on Knowing Truth

Another article worth read regarding How Do We Know If Something Is True, linking it to beliefs and then Biblical truth is https://www.str.org/articles/is-there-an-absolute-truth#.WFTxmlwpopc  by  J. Warner Wallace, published Mon, 01/07/2013. I just cannot help to include the following passages:

How can we, as individuals, trust that the knowledge we hold is actually true? What is ‘knowledge’ in the first place and how is ‘knowledge’ related to ‘belief’? Well, philosophers have been thinking about this for some time and the traditional analysis of knowledge is usually described in the following way:....

Knowledge = Properly Justified True Belief

2.2.2.2.1 ‘Belief’

Let’s face it; you can’t ‘know’ something unless you ‘believe’ it. I can’t ‘know’ that there is a God unless I believe that God exists. But my belief is simply not enough; it is insufficient. You and I can both believe things that are simply untrue. It is possible for us to have false beliefs. And people who believe something that is false often think that they KNOW it. But there is a difference between ‘believing’ and ‘knowing’ in this context. You may ‘believe’ something that is false, but you can’t genuinely ‘know’ something that is false.

Just as belief alone is insufficient in determining if what I believe is true. Belief and truth are insufficient in determining whether or not I truly ‘know’ something. In other words, I can believe something and my belief can be true, but I may still not actually ‘know’ the thing believed.

I have no EVIDENCE that my belief is true. I have no confirmation of my belief either physically or even psychically, for that matter!

Only accept a new belief if the evidence to support its truth far outweighs the evidence that exists to support the prior belief.

Sufficiency of evidence doesn’t really have much to do with the QUANTITY of the evidence offered, but instead is more concerned with the QUALITY of the evidence.

Sometimes one piece of direct physical evidence is enough (like my eyewitness observation) and sometimes a cumulative circumstantial case is required.

Knowledge is properly justified true belief. In other words, knowledge is belief that corresponds to reality in a way that is evidentially sufficient. Based on our discussion so far, it should be clear that (1) truth exists, and (2) truth can be sufficiently known.

2.2.2.2.2 The Biblical Truth About Truth

Remember that unless truth exists and can be known, no statement about truth has any value. We’ve made a good philosophical case for truth, and it just so happens that Jesus himself affirmed that truth exists and that truth could be found. Please refer to Wallace article to  study  the  few examples from the Scripture: John 17:15-19; 2 Timothy 4:2-5; 3 John 1-4.

Other sections are: How Do We Face A World That Denies Truth? The Importance of Asking the Right Questions;  Could There Really Be Only One TRUE Way? And finally, Living Above the Lies.

- End of D9, 13 pages, dated Dec 20, 2016

3. The Next Discovery Tour

The next discovery journey and subsequent ones will be part of this series on the general revelation of God on the story of nature as a witness to us about the wonders of God.  

Go to D10 Nature’s Majesty.

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