The most common-sense approach to the world around us is to think matter exists and the experiences I have result from sense data from the world around me – it is not just a product of my mind. There are various world views which regard the physical world as unreal and even illusory. This is very heady stuff, but why should I think that matter exists, and why should that be of any real concern? The answer to these questions is important because it informs us about how we relate to the world around us, the nature of God, how God relates to his creation, and what the next life will be like. Within the Christian world view, these matters about matter are addressed in Scripture, so let’s take a look!
That matter exists in a theory-independent external world is not demonstrable by the scientific method. Scientists must presume this to make any meaningful progress. It would seem a waste of time to figure out how atoms, molecules and cells work if they do not exist. Our confidence in this view can only come from a perspective outside of our own. It is one of the key premises in the biblical narrative established in the first chapter of Genesis. We are informed that God made the world which consists of heavenly objects, air, water and land which were filled with all manner of plants and animals. Mankind was made from the same stuff of earth, and we have been placed into that same world. Material objects precede us.
In our current understanding of matter, we recognize there are natural forces which hold things together. The strong nuclear force holds together quarks, and in turn hold together the protons and neutrons at the center of every atom. Electromagnetic forces work to hold atoms together and subsequently form molecules. What is the origin of these forces and the laws which govern them? Scripture indicates that God has not distanced himself from the matter he created but is holding everything together – if he were to pull back from his creation, it would all disappear[1]. This does not necessarily imply complete control over the activity of molecules which would result in a completely deterministic universe – it just makes the constitution of matter possible. Matter is dependent on something immaterial.
As God placed man into creation, it was slated for mankind to “have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth”[2]. Not only were we given physical bodies, but we were also given agency – mind over matter. Matter can be influenced by something immaterial. While I can use my mind and body to make changes in the world to suit my purposes, it would be foolish for me to think I can control the natural world. Rather than being commanders of creation, we are caretakers – we have been ordained in the office of steward. Adam and Eve were put into the garden “to work it and keep it.”[3] Though we have agency, the biblical authors were never confused about who is in charge[4].
It did not require the work of scientists for mankind to recognize a key attribute of matter is that it is subject to decay. The psalmist wrote, “Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish…they will all wear out like a garment.”[5] This idea is echoed by both the prophet Isaiah and the writer of the book of Hebrews.[6] Jesus urged his followers to not put their trust in the things of this world where “moth and rust destroy”[7].
Where the work of scientists has been helpful is in realizing that, at least in this world, decay is necessary for life to exist. Decay processes are involved in recycling of nutrients in ecosystems. Decay processes are also involved inside the earth to help build continents, regulate gases in the atmosphere, and protect the earth from the deadly effects of solar wind. This need for decay within the earth system makes me question the presumption that decay entered this world because of the sin of man. Sin certainly magnifies the effects. The sanctions against humanity after the fall were about increases in the pain and suffering mankind was already experiencing[8]. Paul indicates the true cause of decay in the world when he wrote, “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption.” [9] God did it.
As we observe the troubling aspects of our world, we wonder how anyone would call these things “good”. When God declared that his work in creation was good/perfect, that was based on his purposes, not our comfort or convenience. God in his infinite wisdom could see how a material world such as this, decay and all, would serve to accomplish his plans. It is not necessary for me to understand all that. My job is to seek and follow the God who is there, not a god who meets my fancies (that is idolatry). Our perennial question is, are we willing to meet God “face to face”.
Living in a world of matter which is subject to decay helps me understand a few things about the nature of God – at least to some degree. God sets himself in contrast to the material world which he created. Several passages in Scripture state that he is unchanging.[10] Change is fundamental to matter. All of matter is subject to both physical and chemical changes. Unlike matter which decays, God does not – he is immaterial. “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”[11]
Because he is unchanging, he cannot change his location – he is everywhere all at once – he is omnipresent. That omnipresence must be true not just geographically, but in time as well. Time is fundamental to change, so he also exists at every point in time. His presence must be both inside and outside of the universe because the universe has not always existed. He is spaceless and timeless. “Behold, God is great, and we know him not; the number of his years is unsearchable”.[12]
Because he is unchanging, he cannot learn anything. He is aware of everything throughout all space and time. “You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.”[13] He is omniscient.
His plans and intentions also cannot be changed. Nothing can stop God from carrying out his plans. “I know that [God] can do all things, and that no purpose of [his] can be thwarted.”[14] He is omnipotent.
Nothing needs to be added to God – there is no way to change him, add to him, take away from him. He is free to extend love, mercy, forgiveness, grace, and compassion toward his creation. “[God is not] served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.”[15] He is omni-sufficient.
What is impossible for our finite minds to comprehend is that God who is immaterial, spaceless and timeless can create, enter and interact with matter inside a space-time continuum – even take matter upon himself to become flesh and dwell among us. It is also befuddling that an all-knowing God would create a troubling world like this. How is it possible for God to make humans with agency who are unable to mess up his plans? Some might say that our inability to conceive of such things means God does not exist, but I would argue just the opposite. If God could be fully comprehended by my mind, he is probably a product of my mind and therefore, no God at all. Although God is not fully comprehensible, that does not mean he is unintelligible. I will happily confess my limitations and defer to the One who is beyond comprehension, but who has made himself known. “’For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways’, declares the Lord.”[16]
Another aspect that resides beyond my comprehension is God’s future intentions. While we live in a material world subject to decay, God has informed us that this is not a permanent condition. Our own earthly bodies will be traded in for something better. The apostle Paul explains, “the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.”[17] In another letter he wrote that, “[Christ] will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”[18] We will continue to have material bodies, but something different, something better.
It is not just human bodies which will be transformed, but all of creation (matter) will be redeemed. Paul wrote, “that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”[19] The apostle John ends the book of Revelation with the exciting prospect of a new heaven and new earth: “the first heaven and the first earth had passed away…Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man…He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”[20] Despite what some people think, heaven will not be an escape from earth, but rather a renewal and transformation of the earth where we are already living.
Matter matters because it is what God is using to teach us. While matter has its own characteristics, it seems best understood as existing as part of a counterpoint with the immaterial[21]. We learn about the supernatural and transcendent because we know some things about things that are natural and immanent. We can capture a sense of the spectacular because we live in the mundane. Our time in this decaying world is preparing us for one which is incorruptible. Again, Paul wrote, “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.”[22]
[1] Job 34:14-15, Colossians 1:16-17
[2] Genesis 1:28
[3] Genesis 2:15
[4] See Exodus 9:29, Job 41:11, Psalm 24:1, 50:10-11, 104:24
[5] Psalm 102:25-26
[6] See Isaiah 51:6 and Hebrews 1:10-12
[7] Matthew 6:19-20, Luke 12:33
[8] Genesis 3:16-19
[9] Romans 8:20-21
[10] Numbers 23:19, 1 Samuel 15:29, Psalm 102:25-27, Hebrews 1:12, 13:8, James 1:17
[11] John 4:24
[12] Job 36:26
[13] Psalm 139:3-4, see also Psalm 147:5, Matthew 10:29-30 and Hebrews 4:12-13
[14] Job 42:2, see also Isaiah 46:10, Jeremiah 32:17 and Matthew 19:26
[15] Acts 17:25, see also Psalm 50:9-12 and Isaiah 42:5-9
[16] Isaiah 55:8
[17] 1 Corinthians 15:51-52
[18] Philippians 3:20-21
[19] Romans 8:20-22
[20] Revelation 21:1-4, see also Isaiah 25:7-9
[21] In music, a counterpoint is a composition in which each voice has its own distinct rhythm and/or melody, but they create a harmony when played together.
[22] 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
