Today’s New Reason To Believe

According to the Bible, the Creator of the universe is an infinite and morally perfect being. However, the same scriptural text states that human beings are (by nature) creatures, which means they are finite and, because of sin, imperfect. Yet, for the creature to encounter the Creator, the creature must first acknowledge his or her limitations, boundaries, and imperfections. Thus, from a biblical perspective, human beings must become acquainted with mystery if they are to come to know the infinite, eternal, and unchanging God. For as evangelical theologian Bruce Milne states in Know The Truth, p. 52:

Mystery inevitably accompanies all God’s dealings with his creatures.

The doctrine of the Trinity, while understandable as a teaching, is shrouded in divine mystery. For the one God subsists eternally and simultaneously as three distinct, but not separate, persons. Some people reject the Trinity doctrine because it doesn’t comport with their experience or because they cannot fully comprehend it. However, the question is whether human beings will accept God as He reveals Himself to be, mystery included, or only settle for a being they think they can fully comprehend.

Of course if the human mind could comprehend God, can he be much of a God? According to historic Christianity, the truths of God may range above reason, but never against it. The Christian faith rejects both pure rationalism (all truths can be discovered through human reason) and irrationalism (truth is unreasonable). Thus, the Trinity is mysterious, but not contradictory.

For more on the historic Christian doctrine of the Trinity, see “How Can God Be Three and One?” in Kenneth Samples’ book Without a Doubt: Answering the 20 Toughest Faith Questions.

The replicating molecules of life (DNA and RNA) are composed of different nucleobase molecules linked together by phosphates and five-carbon sugars. Without the nucleobase molecules the replicating molecules of life are not possible, and without the replicating molecules life is impossible.

For a naturalistic explanation for the origin of life to become a possibility some nonbiological source for the nucleobases must be found. For several decades scientists have scoured both the Earth and the universe in an attempt to find such a natural source of nucleobases. While conditions on Earth are provably impossible for the natural formation of nucleobases, more favorable chemical conditions are found in dense interstellar molecular clouds.

Claims for the detection of the simplest of the nucleobases, namely pyrimidines, in dense interstellar molecular clouds (the richest astrophysical sources of complex carbonaceous molecules), however, have proven false. Likewise, the detection of a nucleobase molecule in the mass spectra of Halley’s comet by the Soviet Vega-1 flyby mission is only tentative. In both cases, if nucleobase molecules are present, they must be at extremely low abundance levels.

Meanwhile, a team of American and British chemists recently performed a set of calculations to investigate the possibility of nucleobase molecular formation under the conditions present in dense interstellar molecular clouds. While the team did find some possible chemical pathways for a low rate of formation of nucleobases, they noted that those same pathways appear to cause a comparable rate of dissociation for the molecules. In other words, it appears that the rate of construction for such molecules is not significantly greater than the rate of destruction. Thus, their calculations confirm why astronomers have yet to positively detect nucleobases in outer space.

Such confirmation provides yet more evidence against a naturalistic explanation for the origin of life. With no natural chemical pathway for making adequate and stable-enough amounts of nucleobases, a supernatural explanation for life’s origin must be considered.

Continuing our discussion from last week, in the next few verses (2:6-8) of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, we find him giving a contrast between God’s wisdom and human wisdom.

⁶Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; ⁷but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; ⁸the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (New American Standard Bible)

Paul points out that he does use wisdom in his teaching and speaking about the things of God, but it is a wisdom that cannot be comprehended by the unregenerate man—the person who has not been enlightened by God’s Spirit. As intelligent as people can be about all kinds of things, when it comes to certain spiritual truths, they can be amazingly obtuse. Paul’s example demonstrates what they did when God, Himself, came down in the flesh. Instead of recognizing Him and receiving His message, they killed him! Absolutely amazing!

It seems that humans can study and make meaningful progress in many areas of knowledge, but when the studies focus on our inner selves, our motives, and our relationships to others and to God, then things begin to fall apart. Kenneth Samples, in discussing this issue in his book, Without a Doubt (page 48), includes the following quote from theologian Millard Erickson:

Sin’s distortion of human understanding of the general revelation is greater the closer one gets to the relationship between God and humans. Thus, sin produces relatively little obscuring effect upon the understanding of matters of physics, but a great deal with respect to matters of psychology and sociology. Yet it is at those places where the potential for distortion is greatest that the most complete understanding is possible.

In other words, we are able to study physics and chemistry and geology with great effect, but we don’t do nearly as well in the study of the workings of the mind or of the interactions between humans. The image of God in us is effaced.

Sin has also taken its toll when it comes to understanding the things of God.

We’ll explore in next week’s post how God reverses that misunderstanding.