3 Sciences: Hands On, Minds On, Hearts On

                            The Attributes of God and the Spiral Filaree Seed

"To be so occupied in the investigation of the secrets of nature, as never to turn the eyes to its Author, is a most perverted study; and to enjoy everything in nature without acknowledging the Author of the benefit, is the basest ingratitude."[1]

              Turning your eyes to the Author through His Filaree seed

"To create the filaree plant and its unique seeds in the beginning by words alone took tremendous power (omnipotence), for to make something from nothing is the greatest power anyone could have.  In creating this particular seed we behold God’s sovereignty for He chose to make it as it is, on the third day of creation. The information (omniscience) and wise use of knowledge (wisdom) that was needed to create it is beyond our comprehension, showing that God is incomprehensible. God’s immutability and faithfulness are seen in that all of the processes and laws decreed at the beginning still operate today and will continue tomorrow so that this seed will retain its “kindness.” God is everywhere throughout His creation (omnipresent), always observing it so that this seed will maintain its form and the purpose for which He designed it. We are conscious of His goodness and love in that He provided this seed as food for birds and to give to us joy when we consider the beauty of its flowers, spiral shape of the seed, and the unique ways in how it functions. Everything He does is right, showing His righteousness, for we cannot think of how He might have made the seed better. If He could have made the seed better it would show that He is neither omniscient nor good. It would have also been necessary for Him to make all of nature adjust to allow for such an improvement. His justice is understood through judgment in that the filaree plant and its seeds eventually die, proof that He cursed the earth because of sin. As the uncreated Creator, God is eternal, is self-existent, not part of the universe, and is not dependent upon anything outside of Himself; the seed however is not, for it is dependent upon its environment to germinate, grow, mature, and reproduce itself. By its existence it proves it had a beginning (law of cause and effect). It first began as a thought in God’s mind, existing before creation. To summarize, God having once created the filaree plant by His Word (Psalm 33:6, 9) and now preserving it by the same Word (II Peter 3:7; Nehemiah 9:6), He shows His eternality, sovereignty, goodness, immutability, wisdom, omnipresence, love, etc."

A partial list of God’s attributes: 

                                                                                                                                                                                  Holy                        set apart;            purity of moral character;  the standard of morality                                                       Sovereign            controls everything             Just                         impartial; fair

Omniscient           all knowing                      Wrathful                       hates sin

Omnipotent                 all powerful                   Faithful       keeps promises

Omnipresent                 is everywhere                Self-existent     exists independently

Immutable                     cannot change                          and is outside of the universe

Eternal                          always existed              Incomprehensible    beyond                                                                                                  understanding

Love                             desires highest good     Goodness  benevolent 

Righteous                     right motives always      Wisdom     good choices and                                                                                   judgments; prudent actions

Father               `           exercises perfect paternal care over His subjects

The attributes in bold print are the easiest ones to start using in order to begin learning and teaching about Gods attributes through "the things that are made" (Romans 1:20) for yourself, your children, and others. As each one becomes familiar with these beginning terms, then add other attributes, for these reveal God’s character in nature (see bottom paragraph on back of this page for other examples from nature). Thinking in terms of God's attributes will require some concentration. They can also be prayed back to God as worship. Try it. It will change you.                                                      

"Though God shows Himself to us in every creature, in the meanest weed as well as in the highest heavens,    and is more apparent in them to our reasons than themselves can be to our sense; yet though we see them, we will not behold God in them: we will view them to please our sense, to improve our reason in their natural perfection's; but pass by the consideration of God's perfection's so visibly beaming from them. Thus we play the beasts and atheists in the very exercise of reason, and neglect our Creator to gratify our sense, as though the pleasure of that were more desirable than the knowledge of God."[2]  (Pray Ephesians 1:17)

II.                                 Reasons Why You Should Ask ‘Why’

               The purpose is to understand the ‘meaning’ of what God has created, for

              “through the things that are made we understand His invisible attributes,

                                    eternal power, and divine nature.” Romans 1:20

"The greatest philosophers have been those...that held that a simple truth well ascertained, is greater than the grandest theory founded upon questionable premises.  Newton made more scientific revelations to mankind than any other philosopher; and his discoveries have borne the searching test of time, because he snatched at nothing, leaped over no chasm to establish a favorite dogma; but, by the slowest steps, and by regarding the merest trifles, as well as the highest phenomena, he learned to read nature correctly.  He discovered that her atoms were letters, her blades of grass were words, her phenomena were sentences, and her complete volume a grand poem, teaching on every page the wisdom and power of an Almighty Creator.

When he observed an apple fall to the ground, he asked the "Reason Why;" and in answer to the inquiry, there came one of the grandest discoveries that have ever been recorded upon the book of science.  With that discovery a flood of light burst upon the human mind, illustrating in a far higher degree than had ever previously been conceived, the vastness of Almighty Power.

Why should not each of us inquire the "Reason Why" regarding everything we observe?  Why should we mentally grope about, when we may see our way?  When addressed in a foreign tongue, we hear a number of articulated sounds to which we can attach no meaning; they convey nothing to the mind, make no impression upon the indwelling soul.  When those sounds are interpreted to us, in a language that we can understand, they impart impressions of joy, hope, surprise, sorrow, because the words convey to us a meaning.  In like manner, if we fail to understand nature, its beauties, its teachings are lost.  Everything speaks to us, but we do not understand the voices.  They come murmuring from the brook, trilling from the bird, or pealing from the thunder; but though they reach the ear of the body, they do not impress the listening spirit.

Make it your constant care to read the Book of Nature, and add...whatever interpretations the progress of inquiry and discovery may demand and supply. (Editorial comment: This is a good statement accept for this factor: evolutionists would add ‘whatever’ their interpretations mean according to their worldview; Christians must “demand and supply” a Christian world-viewpoint interpretation. In studying nature we discover God’s thoughts ‘after Him’ and are therefore to think in terms of them and not just according to our limited understanding or to that of the evolutionary world view but according to the Word of God (Job 12:7-10; Psalm 33:6,9; Genesis 1:11-12; 20-27).

Nature is a great teacher.  What a lesson may be gathered from the germination of a seed; how uniformly the germs obey their destiny.  However carelessly a seed may be set in the ground, the germ which forms the root, and that which is the architect of the stem, will seek their way - the one to light, the other to darkness - to fulfill their duty.  The obstruction of granite rocks cannot force the rootlet upward, nor drive the leaflet down.  They may kill the germs by exhausting their vital powers in an endeavor to find the proper elements; but no obstruction can make a single blade of grass do ought but strive to fulfill the end for which it was created. Would that man was equally true to the purpose of his existence, and suffered neither the rocks of selfishness, nor the false light of temptation, to force or allure him from duty to his God.

Every flower, every ray of light, every drop of dew, each flake of snow, the curling smoke, the lowering cloud, the bright sun, the pale moon, the twinkling stars, speak to us in eloquent language of the great Hand that made them.  But millions lose the grand lesson which nature teaches, because they can attach no meaning (my emphasis) to what they see or hear.”

(Robert Kemp Philp, The Reason Why, Dick & Fitzgerald, New York, 1870+ -, p. iv, v: 346)

“To discover one more fact in nature is truly a Christian act.”   Dr. Francis Schaeffer

“Darwin had taken the message out of life and its design.”   Biblical creation scientist, Dr. A. E. Wilder-Smith.