Science Behind Things

Science of Physics

July 10, 2007 on 9:39 pm | In Creation Science | 1 Comment

How does Physics look when examined in light of Scripture? Here’s my analysis. Physics is defined as follows:

“…the branch of science concerned with the discovery and characterization of universal laws which govern matter, energy, space, and time. The role of physics, then, is to provide a logically ordered picture of nature in agreement with experience”.[1]

Space, time and energy, all parts of the science of Physics, must all exist in God’s universe in order for stars, planets and people to exist. Therefore, God must have brought all three into existence at the same time. This is indeed seen in the opening passage of His Word, Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”.

Two absolutely fundamental laws of physics are the first and second laws of thermodynamics, accepted by all scientists, atheists and Christians, without which the universe would have no order or ability for us to understand it.

A. The First Law of Thermodynamics (i.e. Conservation of mass and energy) – Quantity of energy

The first law of thermodynamics accurately stated by the word of God. It is defined as:

“Energy cannot be created or destroyed; rather, the amount of energy lost in a steady state process cannot be greater than the amount of energy gained.”[2]

When God finished His work after six days of creating, “God ended His work which He had made” (Genesis 2:2). No more energy came into, (or went out of), His universe after that point.

This universally accepted law is seen in several other Biblical passages as well:

“Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power; not one is missing.” (Isaiah 40:26)

“You alone are the LORD; You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and everything on it, the seas and all that is in them, and You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You.” (Nehemiah 9:6)

“I know that whatever God does, it shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before Him. That which is has already been, and what is to be has already been; and God requires an account of what is past.” (Ecclesiastes 3:14-15)

B. The Second Law of Thermodynamics (Law of Entropy) – Quality of energy

This law is defined as follows:

The second law is a straightforward law of physics with the consequence that, in a closed system, you can’t finish any real physical process with as much useful energy as you had to start with — some is always wasted. This means that a perpetual motion machine is impossible.

Think about that. If the universe is constantly losing usable energy, it can’t possibly be infinitely old. There must have been a point in the past when entropy was zero (Genesis 1:1), when the universe was in its most ordered possible state, and ever since then it has been winding down like a clock.

We see evidence of this second law every day. Things break down, rust and wear out. Systems tend to degenerate from a state of order to a state of chaos. And people don’t evolve; they stay pretty much the same except for the “minor inconvenience” of death.

The Bible again tells us of this law, in Romans 8:20-22:

“For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.” (Romans 8:20-22)

The rusting, corroding universe “where moth and rust destroy” (Matthew 6:19-20) will one day be restored to a “new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13). There will be no more curse, death, decay, tears or sin.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physics

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_thermodynamics