Torch, Summer 1979

God has revealed Himself in His creation. This is clearly the teaching of the Bible, where we are told that the "heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth his handywork" (Ps. 19:1). In fact, if we look at the Scriptures carefully, we can find advice based on this principle. Job, speaking before the revelation of the rest of the Old Testament, answers his accusers by saying, But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee. Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee; and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind (Job 12:7-10). Wise Solomon gives similar advice as he tells us in Proverbs 6:6: "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise." For those of us in the biological and physical sciences, as we study the details of creation we can readily see the value of this advice. We are impressed with the beauty and orderliness of creation, with the precision and design that testify of our Creator. Before looking at some examples, a few preliminary remarks are necessary. Some activities of living organisms are explained on the basis of the so-called "passive" or "physical" processes of diffusion and osmosis-that is, the movement of materials from a place where they are quite crowded to a place where they are less crowded. But, over and over again, an examination of the more complex activities of living organisms reveals they are not performing just these "passive" processes. It is to two of these activities not fitting the "natural" pattern which we will now look-conduction of nerve impulses and metabolism. In examining a nerve cell, we discover that sodium takes the opposite path of what might be expected. The sodium is moved from where it is less crowded to where it is more crowded. Why does the nerve cell "pump" the sodium in such an apparently unnatural way? Because the concentration of sodium is necessary in order to maintain the proper electrical balance. This activity is so significant that one evolutionist has been forced to say, "as soon as the cell evolved, it had to evolve a pump." He reasons that since cells exist today and they need a pump to function , they must have been successful in evolving a pump. When time plus chance is the basis for thought, such huge steps of "faith" become necessary to explain reality. When God is set aside, the pronouncements of man take on the bizarre, even the absurd. Perhaps a familiar illustration would be helpful in understanding the significance of this "unnatural" action in the nerve cell. If a skunk sprays some of its "perfume," the natural process of diffusion will soon let people for miles around know what has happened. Skunk "perfume" travels from where it is concentrated (where it was sprayed) to places in all directions. We expect this to happen. This diffusion is a natural process. But wouldn't we be surprised if someday all the molecules of skunk "perfume" which had been sent on paths of diffusion would somehow be drawn back into one place? We all recognize the incongruity of this. It is as ridiculous to us as being chased uphill by a rolling stone! This, however, is what happened in the complex process that concentrated the "perfume" in the skunk before it was sprayed. It required an intricate mechanism which expended energy in a step-by– step fashion, something only accomplished by living cells in a living skunk. The movement of materials which is not "natural" always requires the use of a considerable amount of energy on the part of a living cell. That may not sound like a very profound statement, but it is indeed a monumental one. The change of energy from one form to another (energy transduction) is always complex, involving the use of specialized molecules. This change proceeds in an orderly, assembly line fashion. This is evident in the processes of photosynthesis and metabolism. 7 Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants take the energy of sunlight and convert it into chemical energy. Then animals eat the plants and, through the process of metabolism, convert the chemical energy into heat and movement. These conversions are always complex mechanisms which indicate design and which stagger the mind if we try to ascribe them to chance or to a "trial-and-error" type of development. These activities on the part of individual cells are not "natural." Indeed, they are supernatural in their origin and activity. The so-called "natural" processes can occur in either a non-living or dead entity or cell. A sheet of cellophane is a non-living structure, yet it can be used to fUlfill a "natural" function when used as a dialysis membrane in a kidney machine. The dead cells of a pig bladder can still be used, when specially prepared, as a membrane to separate two solutions. To return to our example of a skunk, even a dead skunk can distribute the chemical which makes up its "perfume." But it takes a living skunk to concentrate the chemical. The supernatural processes can only occur in a living cell with its complex mechanisms that we associate with life itself. From where did that complexity, that life, come? Obviously, from the God of creation! A careful look at the cellular structure and function of a living organism reveals a great deal. In fact, through such an examination we receive glimpses of the beauty, majesty and greatness of our God-and these are only tiny glimpses! It is an overwhelming thought to realize that our body, made up of trillions of cells together working as a unit, is an everyday object lesson for us as we observe its structure and seek to understand its functions. We need to say with the psalmist, "I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made" (Ps. 139:14). Mr. Killian is an Associate Professor of Biological Science at Cedaroille College.