Psalm 14.1
“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”
There are two competing views of life that oppose the biblical view. One is rational materialism, the other is subjective mysticism. Both views are prominent in our time, and each distorts the true design of life in a different way.
Rationalism appeals to the logical mind, but is disconnected from meaning and purpose. It diminishes the spiritual nature of man. Subjectivism, on the other hand, appeals to the spirit, but is disconnected from facts and reason. It diminishes the rational nature of man. The consequence is that both belief systems produce behavior that is destructive for individuals and society.
Let’s consider rational materialism.
Rational materialism is the belief that matter is all that there is. In this worldview, there is no God, no purpose, no meaning. It claims that the universe is only comprised of physical laws and matter/energy. That is all there is. Period.
Based on this assumption, the origin of life is matter + time + chance. There is no design or purpose—life is an accident—and mankind is simply a highly sophisticated biological machine that evolved accidentally over time through purely physical mechanisms. Any notion that people have of purpose or meaning or significance is simply the result of complex biochemical activity in the brain.
In his book Chance and Necessity, Jacques Monod gave a clear and chilling summary of rational materialism: “The universe was not pregnant with life nor the biosphere with man. Our number came up in the Monte Carlo game … man knows at last that he is alone in the universe’s unfeeling immensity, out of which he emerged only by chance. His destiny is nowhere spelled out, nor his duty.”
The biblical worldview agrees with rational materialism that the universe contains matter/energy, and that the universe functions according to the physical laws of cause-and-effect. However, the biblical worldview asserts that the universe is orderly and rational because it’s Designer is orderly and rational. God is the author of the physical universe and its natural laws, and God is the author of life. He created man on purpose.
“Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature … The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” (Genesis 2.7,15)
Because God is infinite and not limited by the physical universe that he created, he has the ability to break into the cause-and-effect world and take action. What people would call a “miracle” is simply the Creator intervening in the midst of the world that he designed.
Here is another way to think about it. Rational materialism claims that cause-and-effect happens in a closed system. The biblical worldview asserts that cause-and-effect happens in an open system; that is, God’s universe is open to his intervention when he sees fit.
To summarize: According to rational materialism, life is a cosmic accident and has no ultimate purpose. According to the biblical worldview, life is designed by God for a purpose.
“In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.” (Ephesians 1.11)
More tomorrow …
