Letter 181English

Letters From Grandpa #181

Boyce Mouton · 2 pages · 764 words

LETTERS FROM GRANDPA
181

Dearest grandchild,

Today’s letter will deal with a debate that philosophers have had since before the time of Christ. Is matter eternal, or something immaterial? Did matter evolve to produce a mind, or did a mind produce matter? Did the non-living come first and produce life, or did life come first and produce the non-living. Did God create matter or did matter create God?

The Bible, of course. is quite clear. The first words of Scripture are: “In the beginning God . . .” (Gen. 1:1). Those who do not believe in God will want to know - “Where did God come from?” But that question works both ways. If you believe that matter is eternal then you must logically face the same question. Where did matter come from? Obviously something is eternal! Based upon the second law of thermodynamics we are forced to the conclusion that matter is not eternal. Our universe is winding down, wearing out, and burning up. The prediction of science is that when the stars have all burned up the universe will be the same temperature everywhere and the universe as we know it will be dead.

Many years ago Dr. Kent Holvind was debating three college professors at the same time. One of them asked the “Gotcha” question challenging Dr. Holvind to tell everyone where God came from? Here is Dr. Holvind’s answer which he gave without notes:

“The question, ‘where God comes from?’ indicates that you are thinking of the wrong God. The God of the Bible is not affected by time, space, or matter. If He an be affected by time, space, or matter, then He is not God.

Time, space, and matter are what we call a continuum, and all three have to come into existence at the same instant. If there were matter but no space, where would you put it? If there were matter and space but no time, when would you put it? You cannot have time, space, and matter independent of each other. They all have to come into existence at the same time. The Bible answers this in ten words: ‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth’. In the beginning - there is time. God created the heavens - there is space. God created the earth - there is matter. So you have time, space, and matter created which are a trinity of trinities. Time is past, present, and future. Space is length, breadth, and height. Matter is solid, liquid, and gas. So we have a trinity of trinities created instantly.

God, Who created these is outside them. If He is limited by time He is not God. The guy who created this computer is not running around in the computer changing the numbers on the screen. The God Who created this universe is outside of this universe. He is above it, beyond it, outside of it, and unaffected by it.

The concept that a spiritual force cannot have an affect upon something physical is wrong! Consider such emotions as love, hatred, envy, jealousy, and rationality. If your brain is just a random collection of chemicals formed by chance over billions of years, then how on earth can you trust your own reasoning process and the thoughts that you think?

The question of where God comes from assumes a limited God, and that’s your problem. The God that I worship is not limited by time space, or matter. If I could fit our Infinite God inside of

my three pound brain, He would not be worth worshiping, that’s for sure. So that’s the God that I worship.”

The question of which came first, God or matter, is not irrelevant. We are all going to be dead a lot longer than we are going to be alive. Atheist Robert Ingersoll was once asked if he was certain there was no God. “Of course” he replied, “why do you ask?” The answer was “We’re counting on you!”

There was a time when the Pharaoh of Egypt was as arrogant as Robert Ingersoll. There was a time when he was the most powerful man on earth. When Moses told him what God wanted him to do, he sneered:: “Who is the Lord that I should obey him . . .?” Unfortunately, Pharaoh found out the hard way. What about you? Please don’t find out the hard way that God is all powerful and eternal. He not only came “first”, but he is also the “last”. God is forever!

I love you,

Grandpa Boyce