. . . God’s purpose 2
Insights to Life
Everywhere we look, living organisms grow, shift, and reproduce, contributing to the unique beauty of our planet. Currently, humanity possesses an unprecedented understanding of these living entities. So, what can we learn about the origins of life? Reflect on the points below:
The Complexity of Cellular Life
Cells are spoken of as the building blocks of life, like tiny factories, they perform thousands of extremely complex tasks to sustain and reproduce life. Such intricate complexity can be found virtually everywhere.
Consider baker’s yeast, a single-celled organism. Compared to the human cell, the yeast cell may seem simple. Yet, it is incredibly complex. Yeast cells have a well-organised nucleus with DNA. They are equipped with microscopic “machines” that sort, transport, and modify molecules—steps that are vital for these organisms to live. When a yeast cell runs out of food, it launches a sophisticated chemical process that slows down its activity. This allows baker’s yeast to remain dormant, but alive, in a kitchen pantry until it is activated by the baking process.
Scientists have been studying yeast cells for decades to better understand human cells. But they still have a long way to go:
“There are just not enough biologists around to do all the experiments we want to do to understand how even yeast works,”
—Professor Ross King,
laments Ross King, professor of machine intelligence at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden.
What do you think? Does the mind-boggling complexity of the humble yeast cell give evidence of design? Could such design have come about without a designer?
The Mathematics of Life
DNA is made up of molecules called nucleotides. Each human cell has 3.2 billion nucleotides. These compounds are arranged in a precise pattern so that the cell can make enzymes and proteins.
The chance of even the simplest strand of nucleotides spontaneously forming the right pattern has been calculated to be 1 in 10150 (that’s 1 followed by 150 zeros). An event such as this would be a virtual impossibility.
The fact is that no scientific experiments have proved that life can arise spontaneously from nonliving matter.
The Human Experience
As humans, we possess characteristics that enable us to enjoy life to the full— in ways that no other species can. We have advanced creative abilities, social skills, and feelings. We fully appreciate tastes, smells, sounds, colours, and sights. We plan for the future and search for meaning in life.
What do you think? Did those characteristics evolve in us because we needed them to survive and reproduce? Or could they indicate that life is a gift from a loving Creator?