by Bill Walton
This article reprinted by permission
Some people do not believe in God, and Christ, and the Bible because they have not seriously considered the alternatives.
They have considered the evidence. They have heard the arguments. And they are not convinced. It just seems too incredible to believe that there is a Being who is without beginning and without end who has the power to create the universe and the power to create life. They think, “That’s just beyond belief. How could that possibly be?”
Now, with all candor, we must admit that the Biblical explanation for the universe and life in the universe is incredible. It’s incomprehensible. But so is any other explanation!
Consider the alternatives. If God is not the Creator then we must believe the universe (or matter) is eternal, or we must believe that the universe (or matter) materialized out of nothing. And then we must believe that matter sprang to life spontaneously by chance.
If you think it’s hard to prove the existence of God to an atheist, just try to prove either of the two alternatives to anybody! If you have ever felt foolish in trying to defend the truth that the living God is eternal, how do you think you would feel if you tried to defend the idea that lifeless matter is eternal? Or the idea that something can come from nothing?
The idea that the universe (or matter) is eternal is not only incredible and incomprehensible, it’s demonstrably false! For example, if the universe were infinitely old there would be no hydrogen left in the universe, because hydrogen is being steadily converted into helium throughout the universe and this conversion is a one way process; that is, hydrogen cannot be produced in any appreciable quantity through the breakdown of other elements. If matter were infinitely old, the universe could not consist chiefly of hydrogen as it does. It was evidence of this kind that drove Fred Hoyle, the British astronomer and atheist, to believe in “continuous creation” (creation of matter out of nothing).
Hoyle suggests that matter is continuously being created out of nothing in the empty spaces of the universe. And he argues that “continuous creation” must be true because it’s the only alternative to an infinitely old universe. (See Hoyle’s book, The Nature of the Universe, ch. 6). Of course, he refuses to consider God. He cannot believe that everything came from God, but he has no trouble with the idea that it all came from nothing! But the fact that this nonsense is coming from the mouth of a scientist does not make it any less nonsense. The idea that something can come from nothing is not only incredible and incomprehensible, it’s lunacy!
Philosophically, there are three possible explanations for the existence f the universe and life in the universe. But, as a matter of practical reality, there is only one: God.
Is there any evidence at all to suggest that the universe (or matter) is eternal? No. But there is abundant evidence to the contrary.
Is there any evidence at all to suggest that something can come from nothing? No. None at all.
Is there any evidence at all to suggest that lifeless, dead matter has ever spontaneously generated life? No.
But there is compelling evidence that God created the heavens and the earth. And there is compelling evidence that God created all living things and created man in His own image.
Thinking through the “alternatives” ultimately brings any honest person to the realization that there really are no alternatives. There is only God. Anyone who thoughtfully considers the vastness of the universe, the complexity of living things, the orderliness of nature, and the moral sensibility with man must conclude that it couldn’t just happen. The evidence of design all around us, and within us, makes it obvious that there is a Designer.
The creation provides abundant evidence of the Creator, and every honest person intuitively understands that there is a Creator.
Matter is not eternal. And something cannot come from nothing. And we all know it.
(to be continued)
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