Time & Chance – Part 5
November 17, 2008
Dear Friends,
We are fond of quoting Jesus when he said "With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible." (Matt. 19:26) We have to be very careful whenever we start a sentence with "God can't." At the same time, most of realize that God's very nature precludes some things. For example, God can't sin. Also, God can't die. His nature doesn't allow for imperfection. So even though it is true "with God all things are possible", we understand that there is an ellipsis that it means "with God all things (in keeping with his nature and character) are possible."
Most of us believe God to be omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent. In layman's terms, this means God has all the power, all the knowledge and is everywhere at all times. As we consider this debate about "time and chance", at some point we have to come back to this fundamental question: Is it possible for God not to be involved with everything in light of His nature?
It seems to me that one of the main reasons that we take a Clockmaker view of creation is that we impute to God limitations in these areas. Our culture has become obsessed with multitasking (i.e. doing more than one at a time). A sad, but classic modern day multitasking example is someone driving down the road, talking on a cell phone and eating a sandwich. We know that we can only do so much. We might be able to juggle a couple of things at once, but we quickly have our limitations of what we can do at one time. I think we think God is the same way to a certain extent. Sure, He can take care of the really big things like the political doings in Washington, Jerusalem, London and Tehran, but He can't really also be involved in the details of my "insignificant" life. But the testimony of the Testimony is that He can, in fact, be everywhere at once and have all power.
Look at what we are told in Ps. 139:1-10 (NIV) as one example of God's presence and power. Look at how clearly He is all-knowing, all-powerful and ever- present even in the details.
O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. You hem me in-behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
If God truly is all powerful and present in all places at once, doesn't it stand to reason that by His very nature He cannot be "hands off' in His direction of things? Doesn't that mean that even down to the atomic level, God has to be present and active? If God has all power and is present, does it not defy logic for Him to be "hands off?" How can that be? Far from needing to set up a system so He can focus on important things, He must be present and active as a function of who He is. Therefore, being present and active in all things precludes the notion of "time and chance" in the random or hand's off sense that it has often been interpreted.
'Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?' declares the LORD. 'Do not I fill heaven and earth?' declares the LORD. (Jer. 23:24)
Have a great week,
