We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them, who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways. Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. (Acts 14:15–17)
The evidence of God’s creative work is literally all around us, but we could all benefit from a stronger confidence. To that end, here are some points for you to consider today.
The Complexity of Life
The average human body contains about 100 trillion (100,000,000,000,000) cells, each of which contains necessary information on communication, nutrition, repair, maintenance, waste disposal, and reproduction. Inside the nucleus of every cell is the DNA, a molecule which contains all of our genetic information in a complex code. It has been discovered that, if a single DNA molecule were unwound, it would stretch to six feet in length. If all of the DNA from a single human were placed end-to-end, it would stretch 600 trillion miles (about 100 light years) and would reach to the sun and back more than 3,000,000 times!
Each cell contains enough information to fill 600,000 pages (about one terabyte). The cell’s means of storing information is so efficient that all of the genetic information on the entire human race (6.8 billion people) could be stored in a space measuring only ⅛ of a square inch! The cell is the smallest unit of life. These cells work together to form tissues and organs that are necessary for organisms to live and reproduce. Is it conceivable to think that such complexity could have arisen from lifeless matter?
The World Clock
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the current world population is roughly 7.4 billion (7,407,450,955). The current average annual population growth is about 1.1%, meaning that the world’s population is growing (on average) at a rate of 11 per 1000. If a city with a population of 100,000 grows at this rate, it would add 1100 residents this year, making next year’s population 101,100. It is impossible to say what the average growth rate has been since the beginning of humanity, considering that (1) families used to be much larger, (2) the infant mortality rate used to be much higher, (3) plagues, wars, and disasters (like the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004) have had dramatic effects on the world population. It seems reasonable, however, to expect the overall average to compare well with the current rate. Let’s consider the two models for population growth proposed by evolution and creation.
According to evolution, the first hominids (human-like creatures) appeared on the scene roughly 2 million years ago. These gave rise to modern man (Homo sapiens) about 500,000 years ago. If we begin with two human beings 500,000 years ago, the average population growth since then would have to be about 0.01%. This is less than 1% of the current growth rate. This model doesn’t seem to fit our empirical data very well. In fact, if this is the correct model, and if the overall growth rate were only 0.1% (less than one-tenth the current rate), today’s population would be more than 7×1090, or, 7,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. This is more than the current world population raised to the power of 9!
According to the Biblical model, the entire population of the world was destroyed with the exception of eight people around 4,350 years ago. This model requires an average population growth of 0.47%, a little less than half of the current growth rate. This is a much better fit for the data we are seeing today.
Hopefully this information will help you as you endeavor to seek and share the truth about our Creator. God has not left Himself without witness. His handiwork is all around us, and the evidence of His existence and His love are everywhere!