The earth has no vocal cords but it speaks none-the-less. It has no personality but with a powerful voice it offers a beautifully clear testimony. The earth presents an honest and accurate witness of what has happened since the beginning when God "created the heavens and the earth." In vividly descriptive terminology its rocks, valleys, mountains, and oceans; what is in them, under them, and above them in the heavens accurately reveal a record of events. It is not written in words or phrases but in the verifiable languages of geology, paleontology, and astronomy. The message contains no deception or misdirection but simply "is what it is" and can say no more or less than what it declares! Like any CD on which we might record data, the only message that can be retrieved from the earth, is what has been recorded in the evidence it retains. And the record button has been in the on position for over four billion years. Either the unique testimony of the earth is true or God has filled the heavens and the earth with deception. The Bible tells us that God does not deceive us in any way. Titus 1:2 says: "[God] does not lie." Hebrews 6:18 adds: "It is impossible for God to lie."

Christians must be careful not to interpret the Bible in such a way that it disagrees with the physical testimony of the world which the apostle Paul in the letter to the Romans calls one of God's greatest witnesses of reality. Some Christians balk at the concept that God took so long a time to prepare the earth for man but look closely at Romans 1:20 "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--His eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." What is there in nature that communicates the "eternal" attribute of God? I would offer that; He took over four billion years to prepare the earth for the arrival of humanity. No, not eternal; but God seems to say through the earth: "You should get the general idea!"

We sacrifice none of God's omnipotence to say that the earth is as ancient as its testimony indicates. If anything, we magnify God. It magnifies His power and authority to understand that He is so timeless, patient, and inexhaustibly imaginative in His creation. It should magnify our awe factor to understand the investment He has made in the smallest details of creation; from the complex order of millions of molecules within a single strand of DNA to the way the earth's core produces a magnetic field that is calibrated in just the right way to protect all forms of life by deflecting the precise amount of solar radiation.

We have every reason to believe that, rather than merely offering a creative nod in our direction of the cosmos, every genus of every species was given the same creative physical investment that man received. The difference in humanity is not the physical but that we are made in the spiritual image of God. All the rest of creation was made before us and for us. The whole point of Genesis 1 as Moses records it is not about the creation of the earth or how long it took. The point is US! This planet, in fact, the entire universe was created as a habitat for us. It was designed to sustain us and even aesthetically to entertain us. This is the only real point of Genesis 1. However, the added witness of creation says: God took a long and careful time to prepare this habitat for man.

Some might be quick to brush aside or avoid this topic by expressing that it is not a salvation issue. While this is true in the direct sense, if left unanswered, the unnecessary dichotomy and unresolved questions in the hearts of unbelievers and even in the spirits of our own youth as they encounter these topics make it at the very least an indirect salvation issue as it can prevent and/or destroy faith.

Scientists and religious people may disagree but the Bible and science never disagree for God is the author of both. Let us be true to the Bible and accept the evidence the earth offers and find the obvious harmony that exists between them.

Back to Contents Does God Exist?, MarApr08.