God created all things - the earth and the universe, the environment and man, life and death. This is a statement of faith and not a proven scientific fact. He set the whole in motion in a time-frame and a space-frame according to certain apparently immutable physical laws, many of which have been discovered by man, with the possibility that others have yet to be revealed - even beyond the twentieth century.
Nature, as we know it today, consists of two entities - inanimate nature and animate nature. What the primal creation was no one knows, but it seems credible to postulate that inanimate nature preceded the animate. How primitive or how complex the original inanimate no one knows, but whatever the degree of simplicity or complexity, the primal elements and forces were imbued with a potential for change - the capacity for chemical reaction and physical interaction or movement through space. Inanimate nature therefore may be subject to change or transformation, but it is not subject to development. Animate nature, which is composed of some of the same basic elements as inanimate nature, is, on the other hand, subject to development - growth change in an evolving pattern. It is also capable of reproducing itself. This distinction is called life. It manifests itself in two forms - plant and animal.
It is inconceivable on the basis of present knowledge, and certainly scientifically unproved to-date that animate nature arose spontaneously from inanimate nature, although this postulate is claimed by some to be an explanation of the origin of life. God rules the universe and shows concern for all his creatures. This also is a statement of faith. If the laws of science or nature are immutable, how does Cod intervene in the operation of his universe - albeit to demonstrate his authority and concern when a clash of natural entities occurs with disadvantage to one or another - without invading the integrity of his creation? ".We know of no natural law that mediates life from non-life. This then must be one point where God intervened -
to make life out of non-life. Once created, life developed, reproduced, evolved and reached (we are conceited enough to believe) its ultimate culmination - man, all in accordance with the created immutable laws of nature.
But man is different from all other forms of nature - he has a soul (spirit). Or rather he is a spirit (soul). Since this is not a proven scientific fact, it must also be a statement of faith. At some point, then, in the history of the universe God created man. Since God is a spirit and God created man in his own image, therefore man is a spirit and the man-spirit was united with the body of Homo sapiens or maybe Homo neanderthalensis which had been developing, evolving for aeons of time. This was the creation of man - not man, the body, but man, the spirit, encased in man, the body. The sum total is man, the personality.
As with all animate nature, the body of man develops, grows, ages and dies. But the spirit does not die - another statement of faith. Again, as with all animate nature, the body of man reproduces, which in the higher species occurs through the union of male and female and a
new body results, with half the chromosomes coming from each parent. But man is a spirit. Does the union of male and female produce a new spirit with half a spirit from each parent, or just a new body? Or does God create a new spirit when a new body is formed or is forming? This may be the continuing act of creation and may be the place where God intervenes in the physical world without invading the integrity of his creation. But when does the new spirit begin to inhabit the new body - at conception? - at birth? or sometime else? Inscrutable! Although many in the modern world would dearly love to know the answer in order to solve riddles of ethics, some things are hidden from the mind of man and probably always will be. One must learn to say in many instances "I do not know" because complete knowledge would rut man on an equal plane with God, which is inconceivable. Nevertheless there remains a compelling urge to find intelligent answers that are consistent with known physical facts and with our concept of the nature of God. A convert must not only have the gift of faith but logical conviction as well Knowledge comes to man through different avenues. Knowledge of scientific facts and of all the physical world comes through perception of the senses. This comprises almost the whole of everyday life. On the other hand psychic knowledge arises in a manner which is beyond the realm of sensual perception - or supernatural. For example deeply held true love between a man and a woman is more than the sum total of all the physical manifestations. It has a psychic quality that transcends the limitations of time and space. Many of the abstract characteristics or moral concepts of human life are psychic in nature. It is not possible to describe or measure in physical terms such abstract entities or moral concepts as trust, hope, suspicion, bravery etc. but these are real and vital components of knowledge. And they have a vital impact on physical knowledge. The relationships of these entities of psychic knowledge are known as moral laws, as contrasted with physical laws. Physical laws and moral laws interact. Physical knowledge and psychic knowledge interact. They co-exist in the human person, but not outside the human person. Only physical laws exist outside the human person. If God created all things, he must have created the capability for psychic knowledge.
There is still another avenue through which awareness comes to man - that is revealed knowledge. In the Christian context Jesus revealed the knowledge of the truth and of the nature of God. The physical existence of Jesus as a man is a proven and accepted historical fact. But Jesus was God (is God). This is at once a statement of faith and a revealed truth. Once having accepted and believed this central premise, then all that Jesus taught and related about God becomes revealed knowledge.
The birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus as historically recorded encompass many occurrences which apparently contravene the immutable laws of nature. The virgin birth, the angelic visitations, the acts of healing, restoration of life to the dead, physical transformations, the resurrection, the final appearances are all characterized as miraculous occurrences - they defy the known laws of nature. Beyond the life of Jesus, both before and after him, there are recorded instances of similar occurrences with other men of old, and more rarely with recent-day men and women. .y few of these have been illusions, some have been fraud.
There are several options available for explaining this apparent invasion of the integrity of God's creation :
1. Some, as yet, unknown natural laws were involved which might conceivably provide a perfectly logical explanation.
2. Many if not all, of the occurrences might be explained on the basis of illusion and some of the healing acts might have been psychosomatic, all of which seems out of character with Christianity.
3. Many, if not all, of the occurrences might have a perfectly plausible explanation if more of the facts and conditions of the occurrences were known.
4. God, in Jesus, deliberately set aside or broke apparently immutable natural laws in order to reveal the truth about himself. He said that the raising of Lazarus was brought about in order to strengthen the faith of his disciples. The dilemma here is not that it was impossible for God to do this but how could he do it and still maintain the integrity of his universe, particularly in view of the repudiation by Jesus of such a strategy at the time of the great temptation in the wilderness?
The occurrences can be accepted at face value as literally recorded 5. and the apparent inconsistency ignored with the statement, "I don't know and it's none of my business to know. I have faith and I must believe even that which appears unbelievable".
God rules the universe and shows concern for all his creatures and man. Since man is a spirit and thus unique, and God is a spirit, God communicates with man and man can communicate with God - spirit with spirit. This is called prayer. How does God communicate without violating the integrity of the physical universe? John said, "No man hath seen God at any time". Paul said, "Things beyond our seeing, things beyond our hearing -- God has revealed to us through the Spirit"
Many people, seeking God's will, claim to have received direct finite messages in spoken or understood words in their own personal language St. Paul claimed to have received many such messages. When God spoke to Paul on the Damascus road and said "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" did he speak in Hebrew or in Greek? Paul understood and spoke both. It seems more plausible that Paul felt the presence of the Spirit of God, recognized his own inadequacy and obeyed the leading of the spirit by changing his life. Then he used dramatic language -o describe his experience. But does this explain his blindness and healing?
In support of this concept I can only quote an experience of which I have personal knowledge. At the church where my father, a Baptist clergyman, was the minister a woman who was an active and prominent member and a dear friend was sick unto death, according to her doctors. Much prayer had been offered for her recovery and finally as she sank lower, the family in desperation requested public prayer at the Sunday morning worship service, although this was not common practice at the church. My father concurred and on the Sunday morning prior to the service he was on his knees at the couch in his study at home. As he prayed he slowly became aware of a flooding sense of peace and he told me that he knew positively from that minute that Mrs. 3. would recover. And she did. No words were spoken or heard but the knowledge was real. This is how God communicates, spirit with spirit, if man is receptive. No physical laws are violated.
Since the time of Paul there have been countless claims of faith healing,, continuing right into the present. Mary of these have been quackery, some have been fraud. But there has been a sufficient number of authenticated cases that it becomes impossible to write off the whole as untrue. In some fashion the spirit seems to be able to exercise control over the physical body. The question is - why does faith healing not always occur? Skeptical folk say that more faith is required, which is patently untrue.
It is impossible to be a Christian without accepting the reality of the resurrection of Jesus. And having accepted this, one must give credence to all the other unnatural happenings in his life. It can only be said that God for his own purpose, set aside the physical laws of the universe. Faith takes precedence over reason. Religion takes precedence over science. But the enigma remains - did God invade the integrity of his universe? This is a hard pill for a scientist to swallow. If some day, perchance, you put the kettle on the stove to boil water for tea, is it going to produce ice instead?
