God’s Grand Design…Love, Mercy, And Grace

“THE PEACE THAT PASSES UNDERSTANDING”

by Col. Robert L. Pappas, USMC (Ret.), blogging at Gulf1

(Aug. 19, 2012) — To the eye, Stephen Hawking is a truly pathetic figure but despite his physical issues is a notable theoretical physicist of long standing with accolades enough to paper a room. He is brilliant in the fields of astronomy, physics, and mathematics and has written numerous articles and a number of books on those subjects. He is the recipient of important awards including in 2009, the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom. In short he is an intellectual heavy weight, one of those “smartest person in the room” people.

Hawking was born in 1942. His parents moved from London to avoid wartime danger and later he was educated in Great Britain’s best schools. Hawking has had the opportunity to observe much during his lifetime and has great influence in a circles where some members are and others fancy themselves to be intellectual giants.

In his book, “The Grand Design,” Mr. Hawking stretched credulity beyond his intellect’s vaunted reach. Unlike Einstein and other brilliant physicists who have consistently recognized and acknowledged God or other “superior intelligence” as responsible for creation of the universe, Hawking and co-author Leonard Mlodinow argue in favor of a spontaneous event as the source of creation that was guided by the laws of physics. If there is a God Hawking claims, “it is the laws of science.”

In an interview with British television Hawking stated:

“The question is: is the way the universe began chosen by God for reasons we can’t understand, or was it determined by a law of science? I believe the second. If you like, you can call the laws of science ‘God’, but it wouldn’t be a personal God that you could meet, and ask questions.”

If all physical matter can be explained by physics or mathematics it inevitably leads to such questions such as: Did Einstein invent E=MC² or did that theorem always exist in infinity with God, and Einstein shed finite light on it? Assuming that the universe began with a ‘big bang’ what specific laws of physics made it happen and will it happen again, if so when? How did those laws come to be? Who devised them or how were they devised? Incidentally, one may agree with the “big bang” without contradicting the Biblical account.

Hawking and other scientists theorize at length about the cosmic genesis; and, despite his lifelong work on it Einstein failed to formulate his long sought after “theory of everything;” and, some atheists rail against God; yet to their dismay, God’s handiwork stretches unflinching in every direction and across the universe.

Most scientists describe the universe as finite, elliptical, rapidly expanding and some 15 billion light years across. Expanding into what? How big is the space into which the universe is expanding? For scientists like Hawking the concept of infinite overwhelms their ability to quantify it but are compelled to acknowledge that it must exist. Imagine standing at the edge of the known universe with all of it behind and peering out into the darkness. Would there be an outer limit or wall somewhere in the darkness? If there is a limit what would it be? And if one could see the outer limit, what would be beyond that? While standing on the edge of the universe suppose one sees a speck of light, would that be another universe, a floating galaxy or single star? Suppose for a moment that there are infinite specks of light, each one representing a universe similar to our own. Then what? Would the same laws apply? Would God be God of all universes or only of ours? Would that limit God? Even if the latter were so which is not suggested here, God’s “finiteness” would nonetheless confound the most brilliant minds. They cannot explain it nor can anyone, and I have faith that God did it all, so attempts to marginalize God by even the most “brilliant” minds does nothing to dissuade me from my understanding of the God of the Holy Bible.

Hawking’s God is mathematics and physics, but how did those come to be? One thing is certain, it wasn’t the Babylonians, Egyptians, Greeks, Newton, Einstein or Hawking who invented them. Physics, mathematics and science preexisted their discovery and refinement by brilliant men and women. From whence did those people acquire their brilliant minds?

In Hawking’s world everything “just happened,” incident to the laws of physics, math, and biology to name a few, but Hawking’s assertion is just another theory given that he has no more proof than do other theories. So, set Hawking’s vision of science as God aside for the moment and replace it with the written “theory,” the Holy Bible for which there is mounting scientific “proof.” Let’s replace Hawking’s with a “theory” that asserts there is an infinite God who knows every flower in the field, and every humming bird, eagle or sparrow; He knows each and every insect and animal, in fact God accounts for every atom, proton, electron, neutron, quark, and every other sub-atomic particle in existence, even the “God Particle.”

That same God, the God of the Bible is a living, personal God who loves his physical and human creation enough that He gave His only begotten Son to show us how to live, to die as a sacrifice for all of humanity, and to defeat death and Satan that humanity might live eternally with Him. The God whom I have come to know, knows each person who has ever lived in minute detail even before they were conceived; and YAHWEH, “I Am” is His name.

Anyone with normal powers of observation is able to observe both the finite and the infinite, but one should humble oneself enough to acknowledge that mankind can only discover and put to use the knowledge gained from observation. Succinctly put, humankind does not make natural law and can only discover it. I am persuaded that all natural law is God’s law; and, that same God is infinite in every conceivable and inconceivable way. Just suppose that there are dimensions and/or concepts that are both inconceivable and indescribable that exist and are right in front of us, but we cannot see, sense, measure or even be aware of them.

Hawking’s definitive statement: “it wouldn’t be a personal God that you could meet, and ask questions” assumes that God is not personal. What Hawking and likeminded mortals evidently do not understand or appreciate is that meeting God will indeed happen, and as much as one wants, tries or believes that one is in control, that meeting will not be on one’s own terms, rather, the meeting will be on God’s terms.  Here’s hoping that before that meeting they will come to know the God who created them, loves them enough to send His Son for them and has a place prepared for them.

We’ll see how it unfolds as we pass through life, which incidentally is at its longest but a speck on the continuum of eternity. “Choose you this day whom your shall serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” “Choose wisely!”

Semper Fidelis

Note: We recently initiated the “Real Peace” project. It is founded on the premise that only through Jesus Christ can one find genuine and lasting peace. Please visit the website at Jesusrealpeace.com and join the movement to spread the peace that passes understanding.

Copyright © September 18th, 2010, revised August 19th, 2012 by Robert L. Pappas. With proper attribution, this essay may be quoted and redistributed, except it may not be used in conjunction with any advertisement without the author’s expressed written permission.