The Whirlpool galaxy. NGC 5194. 37 million light years away The Whirlpool galaxy. NGC 5194. 37 million light years away. (A light year is about 6 trillion miles.) Credit to N. Scoville, T. Rector, the Hubble Heritage Team, NASA. Found at <http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010410.html>.

Nasa photograph, #AS17-148-22727, public domain.

From NASA, #AS16-113-18339, public domain.

Vern S. Poythress, Ph.D., Th.D. Westminster Theological Seminary 2 Christ in Science Vern S. Poythress, Ph.D., Th.D. Westminster Theological Seminary

2 I. Scientific Law

God’s Rule (seasons) God's promise to Noah: While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease. --Genesis 8:22

God’s Rule (weather) He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs; who can stand before his cold? He sends out his words, and melts them; he makes his wind blow and the waters flow. --Psalm 147:17-18

God’s Rule (darkness; grass) You make darkness, and it is night, when all the beasts of the forest creep about. --Psalm 104:20 1 You cause grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, ... --Psalm 104:14

(Webster’s Dictionary) Regularity 1 regula (Latin) = rule regular 2 “ordered according to some established rule, law, principle, or type” (Webster’s Dictionary)

Scientific Laws * Newton's laws Dalton's law Kirchhoff's laws

Sameness of Law 3 1 all places omnipresent 4 5 2 all times eternal immutable not changing

Attributes * Immaterial Invisible Omnipotent Truthful Transcendent Immanent

Problems with Miracle? Miracles 1 3 attested in 2 the Bible impossible? 4 5 6 awkward breaking law? God’s word not broken God’s rule is comprehensive outside law?

Miracle in a Biblical Framework surprising us 1 3 contradicting our guess about law 2 harmony with Biblical teaching conforming to God’s plan

Is the Law Personal? 1 2 3 law law-giver 4 5 only persons can reason rational only persons use language language-like

Further Attributes * Good Beautiful Righteous

The Father and the Son Language involves: speaker word breath 1 2 Language involves: speaker word breath power to send out and effect 3 4 Father Word

The Son as the Word In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:1-3)

The Son as Creator For us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. (1 Cor. 8:6)

The Role of the Word And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. (Gen. 1:3) 1 2 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. (Gen. 1:5) And God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, ..." (Gen. 1:11)

The Role of the Word, the Son And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. (Gen. 1:3) 1 In the beginning was the Word, ... (John 1:1)

Trinitarian Creation God the Father The Word image "Let there be ..." 2 God the Father The Word 1 image God "Let there be ..."

Trinitarian Language involves: speaker word breath power to send out and effect 1 Father Word Spirit

Spirit and Breath By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. (Ps. 33:6) Hebrew: ruach 1 2 also, Spirit

God Showing Himself Romans 1:19-20 Psalm 19:1-2 Romans 1:21-23

Romans 1:19-20 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.

Psalm 19:1-2 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.

Romans 1:21-23 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

Spirograph nebula. An exploded star. IC 418. It is about 2000 light years from the earth, in the constellation Lepus (The Hare). It is the ejecta from a red giant that has shed its outer layers. Picture from <http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/newsdesk/archive/releases/2000/28/>.