Recently I picked up what I took to be a local paper in a Coles Supermarket in Ballarat. It turned out to be a publication produced by a Christian Creationist group featuring the story of an engineer who, during his university days, was challenged to think about the implications of the second law of thermodynamics and the origins of the universe. This lead to his conversion and belief in the Biblical account of Creation in six literal days.
The second law of thermodynamics, also known as the law of decay, are accepted by many in the Christian community as evidence for the existence of God and His role as creator. Simple observation tells us things decay or breakdown. Science predicts that over time the Universe will expend its finite amount of potential energy. Long before this happens life as we know it will cease to exist. A brief explanation of the concept is presented in the attached link.
While I find the argument compelling it also raises questions about my understanding of God. At the end of sixth day of Creation week it is said that ‘... God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!’ (Gen. 1:31). It did not however remain that way for long, for we read in Chapter 3 how Adam and Eve disobeyed God and as a result were denied access to the Tree of Life. Consequently they would return to the dust from which they were formed.
On this basis some argue that death, and therefore decay, entered the Creation. Commenting on Genesis 3 Paul says in Romans 5:12 ‘Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned’. Paul is cleary dealing with the lot of humanity. Does it therefore follow that all other living organisms at this point in time also began to decay? I wonder.
As we observe the world around us we see that decay is essential to life. When living things die they start to decay, helped by insects, worms and other things that break them down, releasing nutrients back into the environment to support the continuation of life. Some birds, for example, require trees of a certain age so they can nest in hollows provided by the tree.
It has been observed that life as we know it requires a set of conditions to exist. One of these is the age of the Universe, our Galaxy and our place in it. Too young or too old we could not exist. That age is measured by decay. This being so, how old is the Universe? Is it a recent creation with all the appearance of the necessary age to allow our existence, or was life created on this planet after the Universe had sufficiently matured?
What of the decay inherent in our planet? Was it there from the beginning? Did God create trees of the right age to allow birds to be ‘fruitful and multiply’ and so fulfill the Divine command? (Gen.1:22) According the Genesis 3 the ground was cursed because of human disobedience to God. Consequently it would produce thorns and thistles, and humanity would die (v.17-19). Do we assume a fundamental change occurred in the natural world at this time, including the universe as a whole? Remember, if Adam and Eve had remained faithful they would have lived forever which means our decaying universe would have had to sustain them forever.
We should also remember the Bible talks of the Heavenly Hosts the number of which is too vast to count. We are not told a great deal about them other that they are there and appear before God’s throne. God, we believe, transcends time and space, but what of these created beings? Either we assume God created the Universe just for humanity, or we allow that He created it for all His created beings. Possibly they live in other galaxies, other solar systems, and God meets with them as He met with Adam and Eve in the beginning. If so, do they also see the laws of thermodynamics in action, the Universe in a state of decay? How could it be any different if they inhabit our Universe and our understanding of this law is correct?
Scripture looks forward to the time when all things will be made new (Rev. 21:5). How do we understand this? Earth, our home, is clearly in need of restoration. But if the damage done by sin is contained to our part of the Universe why the necessity of recreating everything? While He could, I don’t see God putting on a grand display of His creative power just to impress the Heavenly Hosts, having to evacuate them to a safe place outside the Universe while He does so. If He alone dwells outside time and space this universe is as much their home as ours and they have done nothing to deserve having their home destroyed and replaced.
There is another possibility. The universe as we see it remains as God intended it to be, and it will maintain that appearance throughout eternity. Remember, the Second Law of Thermodynamics applies to a closed system. We see it at work in our mobile devices. When disconnected from the power point their electrical system is a closed one with a limited life. When we plug them into the recharger they become part of the greater energy system and draw energy from that.
The first law of thermodynamics says that energy in a closed system remains constant, it can never be increased or decreased. God, as we understand Him, is outside time and space. It is from Him that the energy present in the Universe comes. So if the Eternal God does exist there is no reason why He cannot ‘plug into’ our closed system to resupply energy so as to sustain it forever.
Which raises the question: If decay is part of the original design of the universe and it is to remain part of its makeup forever, why did God make it such?
Paul affirms in 1 Timothy 6:16 that God ‘alone can never die’. Only God, by nature, is immortal. Everything else, including angels, the heavenly hosts - if they be different to angels, and humanity is mortal. Our continued existence is wholly dependent on Him.
Could there be a better way to demonstrate this to intelligent created beings throughout eternity that the universe in which they live should have ceased to exist eons ago?
Quotes from the New Living Translation.
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