Verse of the Day Devotion: Hebrews 11:3
“By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.” – Hebrews 11:3
In this world there are two different views of the universe. One is that the universe has been here forever with no beginning, and the other is that the universe has a beginning. Logically, both of these statements cannot be true. And as we look at the reality of existence, we will see that what the Bible states is far more plausible than what man has come up with.
Stephen Hawking, the most famous theoretical physicist in the world, said the following regarding the universe. “So long as the universe had a beginning, we could suppose it had a creator. But if the universe is really completely self-contained, having no boundary or edge, it would have neither beginning nor end it would simply be. What place, then, for a creator?” From here, we can see he believed that because the universe was eternal, both past and future, and that the universe has no boundaries, hence filling infinite space, there is no need for a God. In his words, what place is there for a creator?
Today, science puts forth the idea that there is no need for a creator because modern science can explain everything. Again, Stephen Hawking put it this way. “Before we understand science, it is natural to believe that God created the universe. But now science offers a more convincing explanation. What I meant by ‘we would know the mind of God’ is, we would know everything that God would know, if there were a God, which there is not. I’m an atheist.” This is a prevailing view of modern man, that God does not exist, and they strive to find evidence to prove this point. However, there are several truths that show this view is improbable.
First, The universe is running down, and something that is running down must have started at some point. For is the universe is eternal, it would have already lost all energy. The second law of thermodynamics states that the universe is running out of usable energy. No matter how long it would take, a fixed amount of energy that is being depleted would eventually use up all energy, with the result being a dead universe. And the universe is expanding. How can something continually expand without at some point having a beginning from which to expand fron?
However, the Bible makes it clear that the universe is not eternal, that it does have a beginning. In fact, the very first verse in the scriptures bring out. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1. And as you read through chapter one of Genesis, we see that He also created everything in this universe. Paul wrote to the Church of Colossae the following. “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.” Colossians 1:16. And John said in Revelation, “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” Revelation 4:11.
So, looking at the above, it actually makes complete sense that the universe had a beginning. This then brings up the question, how did it come into existence. Again, we have two choices. The first is that it just came into existence, out of nothing, without the action of anyone or anything. Or secondly, a supreme and eternal being brought it into existence. And by faith, understanding that what exists could not have come into existence but for an eternal and intelligent being, God created everything just as stated in His word. And it must be truth, for God spoke to John which he wrote in his gospel; “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” John 17:17. If anything came into existence, it had to be by an eternal being with infinite power to do anything He pleases. And I can see no other way for what is to exist.
William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.