The Evidence of Design

There are four basic evidences of God's existence: 1) Creation, 2) Design, 3) Morality and 4) Fine Tuning. In this post we'll look at the evidence of design.

In the same way that every creation reflects a creator, every design reflects a designer. Even if creation was in complete disorder, it would still powerfully point towards a creator. But that’s not the case. Not only has the universe and everything in it been created, it’s clearly been created with design.

Plato decided that it was reasonable to believe in God based on “the order of the motion of the stars...” In other words, he saw that it was designed!

Sir Isaac Newton said, “When I look at the solar system, I see the earth at the right distance from the sun to receive the proper amounts of heat and light. This did not happen by chance.” In other words - it happened by design! And every design reflects a designer! Let me illustrate...

Imagine you walk into my office, see a can of Pepsi sitting on my desk, and ask “How did that get there?” What if I told you: Millennia ago, a huge explosion sent a small meteor spinning through space. As it cooled, a caramel-colored, effervescent liquid formed on its surface. As time passed, aluminum crept out of the water and shaped itself into just these dimensions. Over time, this thing formed itself a one-time retractable lid from which a crease appeared, a bit off-center, and out of it grew a pull-tab. Centuries later, red, white, and blue paint fell from the sky and clung to its exterior, forming the letters P-e-p-s-i on its surface. (Remember now: This Pepsi can fits perfectly in the palm of the normal-sized human hand. Its volume is just about right for satisfying one person’s desire for something sweet and liquid. It has just enough caffeine to pep you up, but not so much that you realize you’re actually in an artificial state of stimulation. Its contents are always the same. Its quality never varies.)

How many scientific explanations about the nature of matter and the origins of the universe would I have to give to convince you that the Pepsi can happened by chance vs by design? What are the odds that something this complex, useful, comfortable and attractive came about as a result of a random collision of molecules? Rational human beings conclude: The can is too carefully designed to have been formed by chance or coincidence! Some very smart people did some careful thinking and planning to create it.

Well, creation, like the can of Pepsi, shows evidence of design. Take for example the banana. The banana fits perfectly in the palm of your hand. In fact, it fits better than the Pepsi can. It’s been thoughtfully made with a non-slip surface. It comes with a time-sensitive indicator on the outside to let you know the condition of the contents before you even open it. Green means “don’t eat me yet”. Yellow means “eat me now” and black means “too late - you should’ve eaten me earlier.” The banana’s top contains a pull-tab for convenient opening. Pull back firmly on the tab, and it peels neatly according to its pre-made perforations. Unlike the Pepsi can, this wrapper is environmentally sensitive, made completely of bio-degradable substances that in time enrich the soil it nestles in. If left uneaten, it has pre-programmed orders to reproduce itself into a whole new fruit-bearing plant, so it is a virtually inexhaustible food-producing source (wouldn’t it be cool if your soda could reproduce all on its on?). The banana is full of bodybuilding calories and is easy for the stomach to digest. And the Maker-of-the-banana has even curved it toward the face to make the whole eating experience easier and more pleasant.

Now like the Pepsi can, it’s very clear the banana was designed - that someone with intelligence put some careful thought and planning into the design of the banana. But let me ask you a question: How is it that some people can look at the design present in a can of Pepsi and conclude “Someone made this!”, yet when they look at creation and see the same design and careful planning, conclude “It happened by chance!”? When someone draws conclusions so inconsistently, to me it reveals their prejudice against God as well as their commitment to any theory (no matter how silly) so long as the theory doesn’t include God.

Things are much easier for the Christian. Not being committed to eliminating God as an option no matter what the evidence shows, the Christian has a simple answer. God not only created the universe, but is also responsible for the design found within that which he created. King David (the guy who killed Goliath with the sling shot) said to God in Psalm 139:14, “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous...” NLT Why did David believe God existed? He saw clearly that he was designed, and as we’ve just learned: every design reflects a designer.