Our Perfect World

I’m sure all of you have heard of the Big Bang theory (the theory of how the universe came into being, not the TV show). There are scientists who’ve worked out the mathematics to try and calculate the odds of a perfectly balanced universe emerging from an explosion as immense as the one believed (by them) to have created the known universe. Their conclusion? The odds are incalculable. What does it mean though, to say that the universe was perfectly balanced when it was created? It means that as all matter was being created in the moments after this big bang, this explosion, the mass of all the matter that was created in that instant had to be absolutely perfect. If the weight of all the matter in the universe had been off by as much as just a few grains of sand, the universe would not exist. Just two or three grains of sand too many and the universe would have simply kept expanding and blown itself apart in the same instant. Just a few grains of sand too few, the universe would have expanded and then it would have instantly imploded right back into oblivion. If the scientists are even close to being correct, it just confirms for me that there had to be absolute perfection during the whole process of creation, a perfection that could only have been achieved by the hand of an almighty God.

Here’s something else to think about.  What if the earth was too close to or too far from the sun? It would either be too hot or too cold to support life. The earth’s distance from the sun is precise. Not only that, but the revolution of the earth around sun and the tilt of the earth’s axis are exactly as they need to be in order for there to be different seasons of the year. While some of us would like for it to be fall or spring year round, the changing of the seasons is vital to our survival. Weather patterns are affected by the changing of the seasons and I don’t have to tell anyone who grew up a farm how that impacts crop production all over the the world. The seasons change at just the right time so that crops can be planted and harvested at the right times.

The rotation of the earth on its axis is also exactly as it needs to be. If the earth rotated just a little slower, we would freeze to death at nighttime and burn to a crisp during the day. And some scientists say that if the earth spun a little faster, the planet would be in danger of spinning itself apart from centrifugal force.

The placement of the moon in relation to the earth is perfect. Think about the impact it would have on the world’s oceans if the moon wasn’t perched exactly where it is. If the moon was too far out, there would be no tides at all. On the other hand, if the moon was too close, the gravitational forces would be so severe that the changes in the ocean tides would be drastic and unpredictable. The tides would rise so high and then retreat so far that it would eventually eat away all the land masses of the world. That’s not to mention the effect that would have on aquatic life. The waves on the surfaces of the world’s oceans would be so violent, any ship that tried to put out to sea would be swamped. There could be no commerce between the continents. No ships means no commerce and no ships means no way to harvest fish from the ocean in large enough numbers to help support the world’s food supply.

But because the earth and the heavens are all God’s creation, there is a balance that’s so perfect it actually takes more faith to believe that all of this is some sort of incredible cosmic accident than to believe in God the creator.

In the book of Colossians, chapter 1 verse 17, the Bible clearly tells us it is God who maintains this balance:

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in Heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

Psalm 75 verse 3 tells us more or less the exact same thing:

When the earth and all its people quake,

it is I who hold its pillars firm.

That’s a very profound truth. The Lord holds all things together, right down to the individual molecule. So when the creator of the universe stood up in a boat and told the wind and sea to be still, that was mere child’s play for Him. When Satan pressed upon Jesus to throw Himself off the top of the Temple to prove that He was truly the Son of God, Jesus refused to humor him in the least. Yet Jesus showed his authority over the gravitational forces He created by walking on water. Jesus showed that he had complete command over all created things when He looked at a fig tree and told it to dry up and never produce fruit again, and it withered instantly. He who holds it all together in perfect balance has complete command and authority over it.

The Bible says in the first chapter of Genesis that God spoke all of creation into existence. He made something out of nothing. I don’t know if that means everything just suddenly appeared. Jesus made bread and fish appear out of thin air. He Himself vanished and reappeared several times after the resurrection. So, I don’t know if everything just appeared in an instant, or if there was some enormous explosion that brought the universe into existence in an instant as many in the scientific community theorize. Typically whenever there’s an explosion of any kind, it usually means something’s being destroyed, not created. But God could have used an explosion of that magnitude to create the universe. It’s well within His abilities.

I’m not trying to spark a debate about the validity of the Big Bang theory. In fact, it’s a sad irony that some of the scientific minds that acknowledge the perfect order of creation….do not believe in the one who created it. But if there was a big bang, I’m simply saying God has the power to make something like that happen if He so chooses. Remember, nothing is impossible for God. The universe was created with everything exactly as it needed to be. That’s no accident. That was the work of a perfect God. But while the work of creation was perfect, we all know His creation was stained by sin. Fortunately for us, God had a perfect plan for our salvation. The One who holds all things together…holds us…in His hands!