How Great is God?
There was a noteworthy debate on February 4th of this year at The Creation Museum in Petersburg, KY, between Bill Nye, a well-known personality and proponent of the theory of evolution, and Ken Ham, a proponent of scientific research in light of the Bible, or “Creation Science.” Both of these men conducted themselves as gentlemen as they promoted and defended their particular beliefs. The debate highlighted the basic differences between the two world views and was certainly thought-provoking.
Did the debate change anyone’s mind on the issues under consideration? The answer ultimately depends on what a person wants to believe, as is true with most debates. In this great discussion, you either want to believe the Bible’s explanation of where we came from, or you will disregard it and pursue the theories of man to find another explanation for the universe.
Bill Nye expressed grave concern more than once, and in his conclusion, for anyone who believes the Bible’s explanation for life, thinking that to do so would limit scientific inquiry. In doing so, he displayed an ignorance of the Scriptures and a lack of appreciation for its eternal value. He tried to cast doubt on the Bible by simply referring to it more than once as an “ancient text that has been translated several times.” He is seemingly unaware that one of the greatest scientists ever was Sir Isaac Newton, whose scientific research was fueled by his faith in God and in the “ancient text,” the Holy Scriptures. In fact, Newton studied the Scriptures even more than science as he attempted to better understand divine revelation. Belief in God and His Word not only did not limit his inquiry into the creation, it led him to find out things previously undiscovered in science. Newton personified better than anyone the joy of “discovery” that Bill Nye alluded to more than once as the reason for his own great interest in science.
“Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear” (Hebrews 11:3). “All things were created by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made” (John 1:3). John described Jesus as the one by whom God created the heavens and the earth. One of the basic reasons for rejecting God’s description of the creation and choosing a dead-end error is explained in Matthew 22:29, where Jesus said, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.’” This divine diagnosis applies to all error, whether it is part of a religion or part of a theory that has become, for many, a religion.
If your God doesn’t exist, and the agnostic Bill Nye says he doesn’t even though if He does, then you will obviously have a problem believing that He could create anything, let alone this universe. It is also no wonder he has no regard for the Bible, since he doesn’t believe in its Author. Is life without God really the road to nowhere that any of us want to travel? If this time on earth is all there is, what is the point, really?
But if your God is omnipotent as the Bible describes Him and as the creation testifies, then the Genesis account is a reasonable and satisfying explanation for our little minds. Would any of us even be able to follow God if He told us all the details of how He created the heavens and the earth?
God’s awesome power may be one subject that would be hard to exaggerate. Yet it is underestimated by so many people that it is no wonder there is so much religious error in the world and that people can drift so far from their Creator. We must consider how great He is in light of the Scriptures, which are His inspired Word.
In the Bible we read that God told His beloved servant, Moses, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live” (Exodus 33:20). Paul blessed the Lord by writing:
“He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen” (I Timothy 6:15,16).
Whoever created the sun of our solar system, along with multitudes of stars throughout the galaxies, would have to be this great, would He not? The evolutionist does not want to go there. Even more mind-boggling is the fact that God knows these spherical masses of plasma and magnetic fields all by name while we struggle to recall the names of the few souls we meet in our short lives here below. “He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite” (Psalms 147:4, 5).
“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, measured heaven with a span and calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, or as His counselor has taught Him? With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him, and taught Him in the path of justice? Who taught Him knowledge, and showed Him the way of understanding? Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket, and are counted as the small dust on the scales; Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing. And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt offering. All nations before Him are as nothing, and they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless. To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to Him?” (Isaiah 40:12-18).
“‘Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?’ says the LORD; ‘Do I not fill heaven and earth?’ says the LORD” (Jeremiah 23:24).
“But to the wicked God says: ‘What right have you to declare My statutes, Or take My covenant in your mouth, seeing you hate instruction and cast My words behind you? When you saw a thief, you consented with him, And have been a partaker with adulterers. You give your mouth to evil, and your tongue frames deceit. You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother’s son. These things you have done, and I kept silent; You thought that I was altogether like you; But I will rebuke you, And set them in order before your eyes” (Psalms 50:16-21).
To underestimate God and His incredible power, as most people sadly do, will lead to all kinds of wrong thinking (Matthew 22:29) and will mean that they don’t really know Him. Only those who know God get to live with Him forever (Matthew 7:21-24).
But if you look at God for who He truly is, He will more than fill your heart and soul and be glorified in your mind. He will be the object of your worship each and every hour. You will have an obedient attitude and a profound respect of His Word. Praising Him will be the logical and natural result of a proper understanding of His great power and divine nature!
As for Bill Nye and what will become of him, we do not need to hold our breath waiting, but neither should we rule out the possibility that he could change. Stranger things have happened. Norma McCorvey, the plaintiff in the 1973 Roe Vs. Wade case legalizing abortion was baptized in 1995, quit her job at an abortion clinic and became a pro-life advocate. William Murray, the son of the late Madalyn Murray O’Hair, professed Christianity in 1980, twenty years after being the student in his mother’s 1960 lawsuit that began the push to take mandatory Bible reading and prayer from public schools. In the first century, the great Pharisee of Pharisees, Saul, went from a persecutor of Jesus to become one of the greatest workers the church has ever seen! The good news of Jesus Christ changes lives, and we must continue to love our enemies and pray for them that they may one day see the light!
What if Bill Nye could employ the same cheerful energy he has been using to promote evolution for the propagation of the gospel? Pray that the eyes of his understanding will be opened to see the almighty power and glory of God being declared around the clock every day in the heavens above! (Psalms 19:1-3).