MIRACLES: THE MIRACLE OF CREATION
By Greg Russell | Renovate Church—Centennial, CO
Today, we are kicking off a brand-new topical series called Miracles, where we will look closely at several miraculous events recorded throughout Scripture. As always, we rely on the Holy Spirit and hold the Bible as our primary authority. For this series, though, we are also going to look at what has historically been called God’s “book of nature”—the study of which we call science.
There is a widespread misconception that science and faith in God are inherently opposed. That simply is not true. In fact, medieval Christians provided the foundational framework for modern science, viewing its primary purpose as exploring the glory and wonders of God in creation. The Bible itself points us in this direction. As Paul writes in Romans 1:20:
“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”
Science is simply the systematic study of what God made. Today, we begin at the very beginning: The Miracle of Creation.
Three Views on How the Universe Began
Genesis 1:1 makes a bold declaration: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” How you process that statement profoundly impacts your entire worldview. Broadly speaking, there are three primary theories about how the universe came to be:
- The Universe Has Always Existed: Formerly known in science as the “Steady State Theory,” this view has largely been abandoned by modern astrophysics due to overwhelming physical evidence.
- Unaided Natural Phenomena: The view that the universe was a unguided, random, natural accident.
- A Supernatural Causal Agent: The belief that a transcendent force caused the universe to exist.
When evaluating whether the universe arose without supernatural aid, the entire issue hinges on a foundational law of science: the law of causality. Nothing comes from nothing. Science itself relies on causality—whether designing a bridge or formulating a new medicine. If there is a beginning, there must be a cause.
Three Christian Views on the Mechanism of Creation
While all Bible-believing Christians affirm Genesis 1:1, there are three primary frameworks for interpreting how God brought creation into being:
- Theistic Evolution: Views the Genesis account primarily as symbolic or poetic literature, relying entirely on naturalistic evolutionary processes for physical origins.
- Young Earth Creationism: Holds to a literal interpretation of six 24-hour days, placing the age of the earth and universe at under 10,000 years.
- Old Earth Creationism (Day-Age View): Holds that the Genesis account is historical, but notes that the Hebrew word for “day” (yôm) can refer to an extended period or epoch.
It is crucial to recognize that while these interpretations carry different practical implications, this is not a salvation issue. All three views attribute the origin of the universe directly to the miraculous work of God.
The Mathematical Reality of a Miracle
A standard definition of a miracle includes two dimensions: a supernatural intervention beyond natural law, OR an event that is so extraordinarily improbable that it defies natural explanation.
In scientific disciplines, a probability lower than ten to the negative fiftieth power is generally considered the statistical threshold for “impossible.” Yet when we examine the precise conditions required to support life in our universe, the numbers become staggering:
- Astrophysicist Hugh Ross calculated that the combined probability of meeting the one-hundred and twenty-eight essential planetary parameters for life is ten to the negative one-hundred and sixty-sixth power.
- Fine-tuning parameters, such as the ratio of the electromagnetic force constant to the gravitational force constant, must be precise within one part in ten to the fortieth power.
- Even agnostic cosmologist Carl Sagan calculated the probability of life evolving on any single planet as roughly one in ten to the two-millionth power!
By the standard tools of probability used in every scientific field, the existence of our fine-tuned universe fits the definition of a miracle.
The Big Bang and the Cause Beyond Creation
Modern astrophysics overwhelmingly points to a single moment of origin: the Big Bang. The profound theological implication of this model is that time, space, matter, and energy had an absolute beginning.
As late physicist Stephen Hawking noted, the odds against a universe emerging from an event like the Big Bang are “enormous,” adding that there are “clearly religious implications.” He was a pronounced atheist.
Because nothing comes from nothing, a universe that had a beginning requires a Causal Agent outside of itself. The cause must transcend the physical universe—it cannot be composed of the very matter, space, or time it brought into existence.
Genesis 1:1–3 reveals that God created the heavens and the earth, hovering over the unformed waters before speaking light into existence. Scripture leaves open the duration between the initial creation of matter and the formatting of the earth for life, demonstrating complete harmony between the biblical text and the physical evidence of an ancient cosmos.
Why the Miracle of Creation Matters
If the evidence in nature is so clear, why do so many reject the Creator? Romans 1 explains that when people start with the absolute assumption that God cannot exist, they suppress the truth visible in creation.
Believing in the miracle of creation is foundational. It sets the baseline for our understanding of reality, purpose, and every other miracle recorded in Scripture. As we continue through this series, remember that the God who spoke the cosmos into existence is the same God working in your life today.