Question 1

In what ways has nature changed since Creation?

Accepted Answer

Romans 5:12When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.When Adam and Eve disobeyed God in God’s perfect creation in the Garden of Eden, sin entered the world and changed everything.Psalm 51:5I was born a sinner—yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.From the point of the first sin, every person has been born with a sin nature and born into a sinful fallen world.Ephesians 2:3All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.Because of our sinful nature and our sins, we are separated from God and deserving of his punishment.Genesis 3:16-19Then he [God] said to the woman, “I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you.” And to the man he said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.”The immediate effects of Adam and Eve’s sin include pain in childbirth, relational conflict, great difficulty in sustaining life, and physical death. Nature also experienced dramatic changes, including the introduction of “thorns and thistles.”Romans 8:20-22Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.At sin’s entrance (the Fall), “all creation was subjected to God’s curse,” so, in some respects, every aspect of nature is imperfect, with decay and death, not as God had originally created it to be. Other results of the Fall in nature include predatory animals and natural disasters.

Question 2

What does nature reveal about God?

Accepted Answer

We can see God in creation; that is, God’s creation reveals aspects of his nature. This is called “natural,” “general,” or “indirect” revelation. The other form of revelation is “special” or “indirect”—the Bible.Job 40:15-19“Take a look at Behemoth, which I made, just as I made you. It eats grass like an ox. See its powerful loins and the muscles of its belly. Its tail is as strong as a cedar. The sinews of its thighs are knit tightly together. Its bones are tubes of bronze. Its limbs are bars of iron. It is a prime example of God’s handiwork, and only its Creator can threaten it.”Psalm 139:13-14You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.The intricacy of the construction and workings of plants and animals, especially the “wonderfully complex” human body, point to a good, powerful, and creative Creator. All this could not have happened by chance.Psalm 19:1-6The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. God has made a home in the heavens for the sun. It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding. It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race. The sun rises at one end of the heavens and follows its course to the other end. Nothing can hide from its heat.The sun, moon, planets, and stars reveal (“make known”) God’s amazing glory and creativity.Romans 1:18-20God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.Everyone, not just believers, can learn something about God through nature—most importantly, his “eternal power and divine nature.” This knowledge should cause us all to humbly submit to our Creator. No one has any valid excuse “for not knowing God.” Instead of submitting, however, they reject God’s control and create gods that they can control; thus, they are judged (see Romans 1:21–32).

Question 3

How does God relate to nature?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 24:1-2The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. For he laid the earth’s foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depths.This verse is quoted in 1 Corinthians 10:26. Clearly, everything belongs to God, the omnipotent, eternal, Creator and Sustainer.Colossians 1:15-17Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.Not only does God own “the world and all its people,” he also maintains and holds it together.Acts 17:24-28“He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries. . . . For in him we live and move and exist.”God doesn’t need us or the world, but we need him. This passage highlights God’s immanence and transcendence. Immanence means that God is everywhere in his creation and always near to us—he is “with us” (Joshua 1:9; Isaiah 7:14). God’s immanence means that he is present in all of creation. No place exists where he is not present. As David exclaims, “I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me” (Psalm 139:7–12).Isaiah 55:8-9“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”Jeremiah 23:23-24“Am I a God who is only close at hand?” says the Lord. “No, I am far away at the same time. Can anyone hide from me in a secret place? Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth?” says the Lord.God is in creation and “close at hand,” but he is also outside of creation. That is, he is “transcendent.” If we believe that God is transcendent but not immanent, then we see God as powerful but distant. Deists, for example, believe that God created the universe and set into motion but that he is outside creation and unapproachable. If we believe that God is immanent but not transcendent, however, we may think that everything is in some way divine, making God equal with creation and unable to act upon it. That is pantheism. But the Bible clearly teaches that God is “close at hand” and “far away at the same time.” He is different from what he has created and is actively involved in it and holding it together.

Question 4

What are the laws of nature?

Accepted Answer

Jeremiah 33:25This is what the Lord says: “I would no more reject my people than I would change my laws that govern night and day, earth and sky.”God’s creation has purpose and order, governed by his laws.Genesis 1:20-25Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.” So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird—each producing offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the fifth day. Then God said, “Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind—livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals.” And that is what happened. God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to produce offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.Here we see the law of life—all living creatures reproduce “offspring of the same kind.” Without reproduction of the species, life would last just one generation.Psalm 104:10-20You make springs pour water into the ravines, so streams gush down from the mountains. They provide water for all the animals, and the wild donkeys quench their thirst. The birds nest beside the streams and sing among the branches of the trees. You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home, and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor. You cause grass to grow for the livestock and plants for people to use. You allow them to produce food from the earth—wine to make them glad, olive oil to soothe their skin, and bread to give them strength. The trees of the Lord are well cared for—the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. There the birds make their nests, and the storks make their homes in the cypresses. High in the mountains live the wild goats, and the rocks form a refuge for the hyraxes. You made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to set. You send the darkness, and it becomes night, when all the forest animals prowl about.Here the psalm writer praises God for the order in his creation, with everything living and flourishing, governed by the natural laws God has instituted.Genesis 8:22“As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.”Isaiah 55:10-11“The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry.”Amos 5:8It is the Lord who created the stars, the Pleiades and Orion. He turns darkness into morning and day into night. He draws up water from the oceans and pours it down as rain on the land. The Lord is his name!Theologians and scientists have named these categories of the laws of nature, some of which we can see in the passages above: laws of planetary motion, laws of chemistry, laws of physics, laws of mathematics, and laws of logic. Obviously, certain laws of nature depend on others, and ultimately they all depend on God’s will and power. The universe is organized in a logical and orderly fashion because it was created by God.Job 38:25-33“Who created a channel for the torrents of rain? Who laid out the path for the lightning? Who makes the rain fall on barren land, in a desert where no one lives? Who sends rain to satisfy the parched ground and make the tender grass spring up? Does the rain have a father? Who gives birth to the dew? Who is the mother of the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens? For the water turns to ice as hard as rock, and the surface of the water freezes. Can you direct the movement of the stars—binding the cluster of the Pleiades or loosening the cords of Orion? Can you direct the sequence of the seasons or guide the Bear with her cubs across the heavens? Do you know the laws of the universe? Can you use them to regulate the earth?”At the end of the book of Job, we read God’s answer to Job’s questions about his plight (chapters 38–40). God clearly lays out the truth about his power, sovereignty, and creative works—and the laws of nature. We should respond to the reality of natural law by praising God for who he is, what he has created, and his care for all creation, which includes us. We should respond by respecting and caring for creation, knowing that it all belongs to God. We should respect the laws of nature and plan accordingly (for example, we shouldn’t build homes on flood plains, expect to float instead fall when we step off a building, expect good health after we neglect personal hygiene and eat only junk food, expect to harvest beans after planting corn seeds, and so forth).Mark 11:22-24Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.”James 5:13-15Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.Yes, God can and sometimes will suspend natural law a perform a miracle. Our response to this reality is to pray. So we should respond to natural law by praising, planning, and praying.

Question 5

What can we learn from nature?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 147:7-9Sing out your thanks to the Lord; sing praises to our God with a harp. He covers the heavens with clouds, provides rain for the earth, and makes the grass grow in mountain pastures. He gives food to the wild animals and feeds the young ravens when they cry.We can see and know that God is powerful and that he cares for his creation.Proverbs 6:6-8Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter.We can learn the value of hard work and the wisdom of planning for the future.Matthew 10:29-31“What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.”We can overcome our fears, knowing that God cares for us.Luke 12:27-28“Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?”We can trust God for the future, knowing that it is in his hands.