Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.  (Hebrews 11:1-3)

By Faith We Understand

Henry Ward Beecher possessed a beautiful globe depicting the various constellations and stars of the heavens. Robert Ingersoll, visiting Beecher one day, admired the globe and asked who had made it. “Who made it?” said Beecher, seizing the opportunity to attack his guest’s well-known agnosticism. “Why, nobody made it; it just happened.”

The Bible begins by declaring that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. There is no more powerful acclamation and affirmation that man can read than knowing the world in which he abides was not an accident or the result of eons of gradual processes creating intelligent life. The world was created and formed by the greatest intelligent life known to human wisdom. God created the world when He spoke it into existence. The earth was formless and empty. When God created light, He spoke it into existence. Each day of creation came through the power of the word of God.

On the sixth day, the Lord God took the dust of the ground to form man. He was called Adam, meaning “red earth.” God saw it was not good for man to be alone and created a woman from the rib taken from Adam. This divine surgery placed woman at the side of man to be a helper and companion in life. On the seventh day, God rested from all His work. Everything God created was very good. All of creation was in perfect harmony as it continues to this day.

The waters of the earth cover three-fourths of the planet. What God created and formed on the third day remains in form today. The flood in the days of Noah may have altered the land masses, but overall, God’s establishment on the third day remains in place today. On the third day, God created grass and trees to fill the land. That remains to this day. On the fourth day, the Lord placed the heavenly lights on the canvas of space. The sun, moon, and stars reflect the same glory as they did when God created them. When the moon is viewed in the night sky, it is the same moon Adam and Eve gazed upon in wonder.

On the fifth and sixth days, God created all the animals. First, the sea creatures filled the waters, and the birds covered the firmament of the heavens. Today, the waters abound with the creatures created by God, as the heavens are filled with the birds. On the sixth day, the land animals were created. All kinds of cattle, creeping things, and beasts of the earth, each according to its kind, fill the earth. Many animals are extinct, but the earth remains full of land creatures roaming the expanse of the world.

God created everything, including man. He made man an eternal creature that will never cease to exist. God gave man a book to learn about creation and life after death. The world testifies to the greatness of God’s power, and the Bible testifies to God’s grace.