Here Comes the Sun
“Here comes the Sun, here comes the sun, and I say ... it’s all right.”
These words, made popular by the Beatles form the basis for this instillation of the Strong and Courageous Christianity blog today. We are talking about the Sun.
This magnificent star is situated just perfectly right and is the size and intensity to fuel all life. Without it… well, you know.
I could go on to recount all of the unique and critical properties of our gas ball that have to be the result of intelligent design rather than unguided principles. However, it would be too long and involved to do adequate justice to the subject at hand.
Rather, I would like to look at some metaphorical examples that relate to the character and nature of God.
Alister McGrath in his book titled: Intellectual’s Don’t need God and Other Modern Myths says this “How can the infinite, reveal himself through nature which is finite? Early Christian writers were fond of comparing our ability to understand God with looking directly into the midday summer sun. The human mind can no more cope with God than the human eye can handle the intense glare and heat of the sun. So how can a finite and weak creature ever comprehend the Creator?”
From this, it appears obvious that humanity cannot find God by our own process of discovery. It is up to God to provide the impetus and clues of his existence. Has he actually done so? The answer is unequivocally yes.
John Calvin’s writings display this as follows: In creating the world, God leaves his trace upon it. Just as an artist might sign a painting to draw attention to the fact that it is his or her creation, so God has left the imprint of his nature upon the created order.
God has left footprints in the sand of creation. He has left fingerprints of discovery that can direct us to a pathway to him. Calvin’s ideas continue: This is no historical accident, it is the self-expression of God in his world. And just as the eye can cope with the brilliance of the sun by looking at it through a piece of dark glass, so God wills to make himself known in a manageable way in his creation.
The scriptures say that we look through a glass dimly, but then later we shall see him face to face. We do not worship creation, rather we worship the maker of it all. The majesty of the sun, points us onward to ponder… who constructed it?
More in Strong and Courageous
June 1, 2022
Doubting your DoubtsMay 26, 2022
Truth ClaimsMay 18, 2022
How Relevant is the Gospel?More by Bob Elliott
June 1, 2022
Doubting your DoubtsMay 26, 2022
Truth ClaimsMay 18, 2022
How Relevant is the Gospel?May 4, 2022
WaterApril 27, 2022
Challenging the Status QuoApril 20, 2022
Can Faith and Reason Live Together?April 13, 2022
Could the Universe Create Itself?March 30, 2022
What about the New Age Movement?March 16, 2022
What if the New Testament was Taken Away from Us?March 9, 2022
Why God Won’t Go AwayFebruary 23, 2022
Flat EarthFebruary 16, 2022
Do You Want to Love God More?February 2, 2022
What is Theology?January 26, 2022
The Tip of the SpearJanuary 19, 2022
Natural and Revelation TheologyJanuary 5, 2022
Here Comes the SunDecember 23, 2021
Micro RNADecember 15, 2021
The Reliability of the Book of ActsDecember 1, 2021
Jesus Foretells Destruction of the TempleNovember 24, 2021
ThankfulNovember 17, 2021
SugarNovember 10, 2021
ArcheologyNovember 3, 2021
What about the Weatherman?October 27, 2021
Is Atheism Dead?October 6, 2021
Meaning?September 29, 2021
E.T.September 15, 2021
Time for RenewalAugust 25, 2021
What is a Quantum Vacuum?August 18, 2021
Emulating DanielAugust 11, 2021
RefutationAugust 4, 2021
The Cumulative EffectJuly 28, 2021
PeaceJuly 21, 2021
Beauty Vs. UtilityJuly 14, 2021
General vs. Special RevelationJuly 7, 2021
What about Morality?June 30, 2021
The Purpose of the CosmosJune 16, 2021
The New Tolerance Part 3June 10, 2021
The New Tolerance Part 2June 10, 2021
The New ToleranceJune 2, 2021
The Simple Single Cell is not Simple at allMay 20, 2021
Who is the Potter? Who is the Clay?May 13, 2021
Amazing Evidence for DesignApril 29, 2021
Built to Last ForeverApril 21, 2021
Grinding Gears?April 15, 2021
By The Numbers Part 2April 9, 2021
By the NumbersApril 1, 2021
Information Enigma: Where does information come from?March 24, 2021
Self Creating Universe?March 18, 2021
1st Steps in ConstructionMarch 4, 2021
The Infinity LoopFebruary 25, 2021
The Eye WitnessesFebruary 18, 2021
C. S. Lewis' Trilemma of ChristFebruary 11, 2021
Intuition of DesignFebruary 4, 2021
The Intolerance of ToleranceJanuary 30, 2021
Sam I amJanuary 22, 2021
Loving God with your MindJanuary 14, 2021
Oil and Water?January 7, 2021
The Secular and The Christian MindDecember 17, 2020
The End of Postmodernism? (Part 2)December 10, 2020
The End of Postmodernism?December 3, 2020
The Gospel in a Pluralist SocietyNovember 19, 2020
The Story of J. Warner WallaceNovember 12, 2020
Lewis and StrobelNovember 5, 2020
Lewis & TolkienOctober 29, 2020
The Story of Alister McGrathOctober 22, 2020
The Story of Antony FlewOctober 15, 2020
Thinking about differing WorldviewsOctober 8, 2020
Making MoleculesOctober 2, 2020
CarbsSeptember 25, 2020
LightningSeptember 18, 2020
TubesSeptember 4, 2020
FrankensteinAugust 28, 2020
Common Design FeaturesAugust 21, 2020
The Moon by DesignAugust 14, 2020
Looking at the night skyAugust 7, 2020
The Testimony of the Eye WitnessesJuly 31, 2020
A Christian WorldviewJuly 24, 2020
Who made God?July 17, 2020
Erosion of TrustJuly 14, 2020
The Gagging of GodJuly 10, 2020
Echoes of DarwinJune 19, 2020
Who made Whom?June 17, 2020
The Great ContrastJune 5, 2020
No Justice, No PeaceMay 22, 2020
What about the Bible-Is it a reliable source?May 15, 2020
Evolution: Fact or Fiction?May 8, 2020
What about Miracles?May 2, 2020
Are Faith and Reason Opposites?May 1, 2020
How can we make sense out of Evil and Suffering?April 17, 2020
Evidence for Resurrection Part 2April 10, 2020
Evidence for the resurrectionApril 3, 2020
Your best life is to Trust GodMarch 27, 2020
Awake to the GospelMarch 20, 2020
CoronaMarch 17, 2020
Competing WorldviewsMarch 1, 2020
Doubting your Doubts Part 2February 21, 2020
Doubting your doubtsFebruary 14, 2020
It’s Not Enough Part 3February 7, 2020
It’s Not Enough Part 2January 31, 2020
It's Not EnoughJanuary 24, 2020
Pre-biotic SoupJanuary 17, 2020
No WayJanuary 10, 2020
Construction SequencingDecember 13, 2019
The Birth of Jesus ChristDecember 6, 2019
Christmas SeasonNovember 27, 2019
Thanksgiving!November 22, 2019
The Folly of IdolatryNovember 15, 2019
What about Creation by chance?November 8, 2019
StainsNovember 1, 2019
I am weak but He is strong.October 25, 2019
Every Heart BeatOctober 18, 2019
God is Good: God is Holy.October 1, 2019
TravelingSeptember 27, 2019
Loving God with your IntellectSeptember 20, 2019
Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg?September 13, 2019
GearsSeptember 6, 2019
Looking at the StarsAugust 30, 2019
Why isn’t there a retraction or recall?August 22, 2019
Exile and Redemption.August 16, 2019
Burden of ProofAugust 9, 2019
Truth SuppressionAugust 2, 2019
Living Systems in RiversJuly 26, 2019
The Great TrilemmaJuly 19, 2019
The Glory of Mutation?July 12, 2019
Illusion of Design?July 5, 2019
Why the Design of the Universe MattersJune 21, 2019
Discouragement and DepressionJune 14, 2019
The Gospel Changes EverythingJune 7, 2019
How can we have Faith?May 31, 2019
It’s Redacted Part 2May 24, 2019
The First OrderMay 10, 2019
It’s RedactedMay 3, 2019
What about Morality?April 26, 2019
Spoken by the SonApril 19, 2019
The Power of the ResurrectionApril 12, 2019
Redefining ToleranceApril 5, 2019
Public SquareMarch 29, 2019
Horizontal RelationshipsMarch 15, 2019
The Big Picture Part 2March 8, 2019
The Big PictureMarch 1, 2019
Wisdom MetaphorsFebruary 22, 2019
Peter is in a PickleFebruary 15, 2019
Wisdom Part 2February 8, 2019
Discipleship Part 3- WisdomFebruary 1, 2019
5 Fold Church- Discipleship Part 2January 25, 2019
5-Fold Church- DiscipleshipJanuary 18, 2019
5 Fold Church- PreachingJanuary 17, 2019
5 Fold Church-WorshipJanuary 4, 2019
5 Fold ChurchDecember 21, 2018
The True Meaning of ChristmasDecember 14, 2018
Loving God with your MindDecember 7, 2018
God’s Divine NatureNovember 16, 2018
Our InheritanceNovember 9, 2018
Gospel RenewalNovember 2, 2018
You are Loved!October 19, 2018
Theological Vision Part 2October 12, 2018
Theological VisionOctober 5, 2018
The Gospel Changes EverythingSeptember 28, 2018
DeconstructionSeptember 21, 2018
Brighter than the SunSeptember 14, 2018
Futility ThinkingSeptember 7, 2018
Fishers of Men Part 4August 31, 2018
Fishers of Men Part 3August 24, 2018
Follow Me, and I will Make You Fishers of Men. Part 2August 17, 2018
Follow Me, and I will Make You Fishers of Men.August 10, 2018
Growing in God’s GraceAugust 3, 2018
How Could the Universe Possibly Create Itself?July 27, 2018
What about Peace?July 20, 2018
Challenge of the Kingdom Part 2July 13, 2018
The Challenge of the Kingdom.July 6, 2018
Molecular Engineering at its FinestJune 29, 2018
Covenant TheologyJune 22, 2018
Freedom!June 15, 2018
An Attitude of GratitudeJune 8, 2018
What is the Standard of Proof?June 1, 2018
Ambidextrous FaithMay 25, 2018
What about Church Membership Part 3May 18, 2018
What about Church Membership? Part 2May 8, 2018
What about Eternal Life?May 8, 2018
What about Church Membership?April 20, 2018
What about the Parable of the Prodigal Son?April 13, 2018
If Evil and Suffering Exist, How Could God Exist?April 6, 2018
Could Jesus Rise From the Dead?March 27, 2018
Can you Find True Meaning in Life?March 23, 2018
RetractionMarch 16, 2018
Is there any such thing as a simple cell?March 9, 2018
How Good is Good Enough?March 2, 2018
By Design or Chance?February 27, 2018
It's Not Nice to Fool Mother NatureFebruary 27, 2018
MockersFebruary 23, 2018
House on FireFebruary 16, 2018
Predestination Vs. Free WillFebruary 9, 2018
True for You, But Not for Me. Part 2February 6, 2018
True for You, But Not for MeJanuary 12, 2018
It's Not Nice to Fool Mother Nature Part 2December 22, 2017
Doctor LukeDecember 15, 2017
O Come O Come EmmanuelDecember 8, 2017
MiraclesDecember 1, 2017
Secrets of the UniverseNovember 21, 2017
GravityNovember 17, 2017
T.O.E (The Theory of Everything)November 10, 2017
MagnetsOctober 27, 2017
What Darwin didn't KnowOctober 20, 2017
Parable of the SowerOctober 13, 2017
Does Belief in God Sabotage Science?October 6, 2017
Earth Wind & FireSeptember 26, 2017
Learning to Discover Design Part 3September 22, 2017
Learning to Discover Design Part 2September 19, 2017
Learning how to Discover DesignSeptember 8, 2017
Holy SmokeSeptember 1, 2017
"Goo" ManSeptember 1, 2017
Our Faith is Not BlindAugust 22, 2017
God in the GapsAugust 3, 2017
Strong and Courageous