If you are a regular reader, you know that I am fascinated
by many things, but few interest me more than the intersection of science and
faith. I am not one who sees contradictions or disagreements between what God’s
Word says and what science asserts. I firmly believe that where such differences
appear to exist, the problem is either in our interpretation of the biblical text
or in our understanding of the science. The problem is never in the biblical record
itself.
Some of the most heated debates concerning science and the
Bible center on the first few paragraphs of Scripture. Naturally, many
unbelievers argue that the concept of an omnipotent deity creating the material
universe is a pre-scientific myth. The best approach to that position is to
pray that the Spirit who gives faith to the fallen would open their hearts (and
then their minds) to the truth.
There are other issues that even believers struggle with. Did
God create all things ex nihilo (out
of nothing), or did He begin with a pre-existing something, perhaps an earlier
creation of His? Does the Bible in fact claim that God completed His creative
work in six twenty-four-hour periods? Did all the creatures survive on a vegetable
diet as originally created? How could
God create light (Day One) before light-makers (Day Four)?
I would like to suggest a possible answer to the last
question. Know that the theory I propose stems from a deep reverence for the
biblical text and a desire to treat it as literally as the context will allow. In
that framework, I suggest that when God spoke light into existence, His
creative act included more than just the visible spectrum of electro-magnetic
(EM) energy which we call “light.” Light is the only part of the spectrum that
would be sensible to the first readers of the text, so the idea would be coherent
to them. Science has since discovered that visible light is a miniscule part of
the full EM spectrum (on a linear scale it is 0.0035%).
We have also learned that much of what was thought to be “matter”
is really not matter but energy. As science has bored deeper into the nature of
all material things, it has become clear that what we call matter is in fact
organized energy. I mean that the building blocks of “matter,” such things as
protons, neutrons, electrons, etc., may actually be packets of energy. The
science beneath this assertion is still in its infancy. Einstein began the
discussion of whether light is a particle stream or an energy wave. Strangely, scientists
have discovered that light behaves as a stream of particles when studied as
particles, and it behaves as a wave when studied as a wave. As far as I know,
there is still no clear explanation for this phenomenon.
Elementary logic insists that if A and B are different, A cannot
be B and B cannot be A. Therefore, light cannot be both a material particle and
an energy wave. If I set that dilemma aside for the moment, I can still see how
God could have brought energy into existence initially and then organized it
into the forms we know as matter. The text of Genesis lends itself to that idea.
According to the Faithlife Study Bible, “The Hebrew
word for “create” (bara or בָּרָא)….
conveys the idea of ordering or determining function, suggesting God’s creative
activity consists of bringing proper order and function to the cosmos.” In
other words, God spoke the building blocks of the material universe into
existence and then organized them into the organic and inorganic things we
perceive as matter and energy. Chaos first; then order.
Curiously, the Hebrew words for evening and morning to
delineate the days of creation also lean toward the idea of organizing. For
reasons of His own, God chose to begin His day with “evening” and end it with “morning.”
We know the Jews have historically followed this order; they begin the day with
sunset. When you consider that according to Genesis 1:2, God started creating when
“darkness was over the face of the deep,” it makes sense that evening would be
the beginning of the creative day
The New Testament continues support for this concept. The
Greek word for the material universe is “cosmos” and has a basic meaning of “order.”
The opposite of order is chaos. Sin, by the way, is stepping out of order into
chaos. “Walk in the light,” John says, “and we have fellowship….and the blood
of [Christ] cleanses us from all sin.” Interesting. God started it all in
darkness; then turned on the light. Chaos first; then order.
There are additional New Testament passages that lend support
to this theory. In Colossians 1:17, Paul asserts that Christ “holds all things
together.” Years ago, when scientists discovered that the nucleus of an atom
has an unknown force holding it together, they dubbed it the Colossian
Principle. I suspect it was tongue-in-cheek for the secular mind, but I find it
quite descriptive. Christ, by the Word of his power (Hebrews 1:3), does indeed
hold the material universe together.
For an explanation of what will happen if He ever releases
His hold, read 2 Peter 3:12, “and the elements shall melt with fervent heat.”
(KJV) Splitting the atom has uncovered an energy source like no other. We refer
to “nuclear power” and “nuclear bombs” to explain the awesome power that
results from releasing the force that holds the nucleus together. Imagine the
energy that will be generated when Christ calls an end to this material
universe in preparation for the New Heavens and New Earth. Imagine the energy
(heat) that will be generated when every atom in the universe expends is
nuclear energy. Fervent heat indeed!
According to the Faithlife Study Bible, “God calls
His handiwork good seven times in [Genesis 1]. The Hebrew word used here [for “good”]…
generally describes what is desirable, beautiful, or right. In essence, God
affirms creation as right and in right relationship with Him.” I picture God
sitting back on the seventh day and saying, “All right!” Sadly, things went all
wrong shortly thereafter, but God promised to bring things back to “right” when
He sent the Word (His organizing principle) to be the Light of humanity (John1:4 LEB) One of the many things Jesus called his followers was “the light of
the world.” The church, as Christ’s body, is the light shining in the darkness
as many Old Testament prophecies proclaimed.
As believers, we are rescued from the power of darkness and
relocated in the kingdom of [God’s] beloved Son, who is the Light. (Colossians1:13) In response, we let our light shine like stars in the universe so that
our fellowman may see God’s goodness (order/righteousness) and turn from their darkness (chaos/sin) to
the Light of the World. It all began when God said, “Light! Be!” And it was
good!
