The idea of design implies order and logic and nowhere can this be seen more than our tiny little spot in a universe that is so enormous, it is beyond our comprehension. On a smaller scale we do understand where the Earth fits into the solar system. Over the centuries we eventually figured out that our planet, like trillions of others, revolves around a sun. Today we understand that billions of other clusters of planets with their own suns make up our galaxy. And billions of galaxies like ours make up the universe. The distance between galaxies is so vast, our unit of measurement has to be in light years, or the distance light travels in a year. That happens to be 5,878,499,817 miles based upon the speed of light of 186,282 miles per second. The nearest star to earth is a little over 4 light years. The nearest galaxy to our own is 25,000 light years away, or around 147 trillion miles. It’s not likely anyone we know will go there.
Our sun is perfectly located within our galaxy and our planet is perfectly located within our solar system. We know that the earth’s distance from the sun provides the right amount of heat and light to make the planet habitable for life. Without the unique mix of chemical ingredients that makes up living things, and without liquid water on the planet’s surface, life as we know it would not exist. There is also design to the earth itself. If the earth was not tilted on the 23 degree axis, there would either be no change in seasons, or such extreme changes that no plant life could survive. If the earth was closer to the sun, mankind could not survive the temperature and exposure to the sun; if the earth was further away, we would all freeze to death. The earth has a perfect spin, not to fast, and not to slow. It is 100% perfect for life to be sustained on it. Our wonderful world, with the perfect timing of its revolution around the sun, its axis rotation and tilt, the water evaporation and condensation cycle, the movement of the winds from the equator and back, and the ocean currents, runs like one giant piece of clockwork.
Earth is perfectly designed for life and to date we have not discovered life anywhere else in the universe. The fact is, there is no basis to even suggest that non-intelligent or random causes could create the “just-right” conditions for Earth to exist. The only rational explanation for the precise design of Earth, the cosmos as a whole, and life on Earth, is an intelligent, supernatural Creator. There is supernatural design in both animal and plant life. The dependence of the flowers on bees for reproduction and of the bees on flowers for food is one of the most amazing adaptations in nature, and it is difficult to imagine how it could have occurred by mere chance. This of course is only one example and there are millions of others. Scientists estimate our planet is home to 8.7 million species and each species is unique in its individual design to live in its earthly habitat. The features that God programmed into each species enable them to overcome the limitations imposed on them by the very laws of nature that some people believe are responsible for their development. These features are so finely tuned to perform their tasks, that they are increasingly used as models for human inventors to follow. Some examples are:
- Polar bears keep a tight grip on smooth ice using precisely designed footpads. Engineers have copied these exquisite designs to make useful tools including a snow tire.
- Butterfly wings have inspired design for waterproof clothing.
- Bee landing strategy may lead to better aircraft as bees never crash.
- Whales have inspired new turbine design from their fin bumps that reduce drag, increase lift and are more efficient and quieter.
- A real good example is the design in man. The human eye is more complex than the finest telescope or camera available. Man cannot make an optical instrument of any kind that is as efficient as the eye. Man’s brain and its amazing complex functions cannot be duplicated with known technology, but they are trying.
The most important evidence for an intelligent creator is the discovery of DNA. For life to exist, an information system is needed to produce and regulate life functions. This information system must also be able to accurately copy itself for the next generation. DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the information system for life. Information is a product of intelligence, indicating that DNA came from an intelligent source (the Creator). It stands to reason, then, that God the Creator deserves unending credit as the ultimate inventor. Perhaps we should not take lightly what scripture tells us is Isaiah 45:18: For this is what the Lord says – he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited – he says: ‘I am the Lord, and there is no other.
We see order (design) in the natural world; therefore, we know there has to be a supernatural intelligent cause behind it. Man is by far the most intelligent creature on this planet. It is admitted by all that man could not ever create the universe, the earth, or even plants or animals. If man, the smartest being on the planet, could not have created the universe, then that means someone more intelligent than anyone on earth had to have created everything. In our next article we will explore the complex, yet perfect design of man, the human being. Since mankind did not create the universe or the earth with all of its complex varieties of life, designed perfectly for their earthly habitat, it is simply logical and intelligent to express that the only explanation is that there is a Creator God. What is important for us the recovering alcoholic to understand is that He is not only the designer of us, He is also a personal God.
God created an amazing piece of work when he created the human. It is a great design. Our physical body provides a means to relate to and live in our physical environment. It houses the brain, which allows for the functions of our soul. This is where our faculties (the will, the emotions, and everything else that make us human) tie together. (Eternal Sobriety – Chapter Five, Made in His Image.)
Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. (Romans 12:3)