Which is more far-fetched: that my coffee mug came into existence by itself…or that you did?
I have often wondered what I might say if and when someone asked me, “How can you be sure that God is real?”
I know that God is real. I know that I know that I know. But what do you say to those who don’t believe?
I belong to a Christian roundtable group called Truth@Work. At one of our monthly meetings, as we were discussing this topic, I imagined the following conversation…
SKEPTIC: How can you know that the Bible is true? How can you believe that there is a God who created people, who supernaturally created man and then woman? That’s just too far-fetched to believe.
BELIEVER: May I answer your question with a story?
This is my travel coffee mug. I’m quite fond of it.
What would you say if I told you that this mug wasn’t intentionally created? What would you say if I told you that the three materials in this mug—it’s made of stainless steel, plastic and rubber—all came together by chance, in a cylindrical shape no less? Not only did they come together by chance, but the plastic lid somehow developed threads that perfectly match the stainless steel body, and together they form a water-tight seal. The rubber grip in the middle, on its own, developed ridges so that the mug wouldn’t slip out of my hand.
Not only was the mug not intentionally designed, it had no purpose when it came into being. I found it and just happened to notice that it was perfect for holding my coffee and keeping it hot. Certainly, elements that come together by chance couldn’t have an innate purpose, could they?
So, that’s how my coffee mug came to be.
SKEPTIC: That’s ridiculous. Anyone can see that your mug was made on purpose, for a purpose.
BELIEVER: Okay. Now, let me tell you a story about your body.
In the womb, before your eyes were fully formed, a single band of skin covered them. Once your eyes were fully developed, that covering of skin was slit perfectly from one side to the other to form your eye lids.
In the womb, your lungs were filled with liquid. But at the precise time of your birth, your lungs became filled with oxygen and began to function.
In your ear are small chambers filled with liquid. This gives you balance, the ability to stand and to walk without falling.
When you have a cut on your arm, the body scrambles into action, producing new cells to cover and protect the wound and new cells to replace the damaged skin.
You have an elaborate immune system that hunts down and fights viruses that can make you sick.
Here’s the curious part: Science can demonstrate the minute workings of every complex feature of your body, but science cannot explain why they happen and HOW THEY CAME TO BE. In fact, you might say that the inability of science to explain the origin of the human body confirms that its existence is indeed miraculous.
So, which is more far-fetched: that my coffee mug came into existence by itself…or that you did?
How could something so inexplicable as human life NOT have been created by a supreme being? If you believe that you are here by chance, doesn’t it follow that you must also believe that my mug is here by chance?
SKEPTIC: Okay, you have my attention. Where can I learn more about this?
BELIEVER: Go find out what God has to say. You might start by reading Psalm 139:13-18.
And, by the way, just as my mug was created for a purpose, so were you. You have a purpose that is God-given. God created you for a reason—like you said, “on purpose, for a purpose.”
That purpose is for you to discover.
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake, I am still with you.
Psalm 139:13-18 (NIV)
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