God’s Code of Life
There is a world that we cannot see where deep mysteries hide, just waiting to be revealed. This world is like the heavens where the starry bodies give light to display God’s glory. (Psalm 19:1) This amazing, invisible world with biomolecules of living creatures and its own unique complexity has confounded the world for the last century. The field of molecular biology, a fairly new science, has shown evidence of this new microcosmic world with its own mysteries and surprising discoveries. This world reveals many highly complex components that form extraordinarily organized systems that can only give testimony to a divine master craftsman. Just as the visible world gives testimony to the glory of God, so also does the invisible world. He has certainly manifested Himself in the invisible molecular world so that all may see His grandeur.
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse. Romans 1:20
We marvel that as a baby develops in the invisible place of their mother’s womb, we witness such meticulous detail and impressive intricacy on the molecular level that clearly points us to our Creator.
Tiny particles interact together with synchronized motion to accomplish the single purpose of sustaining life. These biomolecules follow predetermined chemical pathways so numerous and sophisticated that we cannot tell how many there are because molecular biologists continue to find new ones. This process far exceeds any human intelligence and creative genius that we have observed in this world. The conclusion is obvious that there is one much greater than you and I who exists outside our realm of earthly existence. God is being manifested in the wonder of creation and declares His magnificent glory through gigantic heavenly bodies in the universe as well as the tiny biomolecules that sustain life.
With the aid of the electron microscope, we began to see a world never seen before. Magnification went up to 2 million times the vision of the human eye compared to a light microscope that has only a magnification of 1000 to 2000. This advance made a huge difference and gave us the power of observation to see a whole new world filled with the smallest bodies at the molecular level. These are not simple molecules, but rather very sophisticated within the three dimensional level, demonstrating complexity in the highest degree.
The electron microscope was invented in the early 1930’s and was developed over time, becoming an important tool in the early 1940’s as molecular biology was being developed. It uses an electron beam which can identify objects in nanometers, (0.000,000.001 of a meter) the size of molecules that make up life. There we see the Creator’s signature in the molecules’ demonstrate order found in numerous processes in all of life, including elephants, humans, amoebas, bacterium, and even viruses.
THE DNA MOLECULAR CODE
It was these invisible components – His biomolecules – that He used to make us who He wanted us to be. We were “skillfully wrought” in active process. We clearly see God’s sovereignty in how the molecules are arranged to follow His basic plan, written before time. As Psalm 139:16 says, God made each of us with all the physical attributes we possess, including the color of our hair, our face, our height, and the list goes on. Our DNA had all the information needed to make up every detail of our being, as well as every living thing that exists on earth. God controls everything, including all life. Today, with the advent of molecular biology, we know that His signature is found in every cell that ever existed in the past, exists today, and will exist in the future. The DNA molecular code is a powerful testimony of how the Creator infuses His divine touch on everything that has life.
There was no mention in God’s Word of luck, statistics, chance, random probability, or any other arbitrary process for our existence or for any other creature that has life. It was a purposeful act by God that we are alive and any other explanation defies God’s infinite, all-perfect nature. We are all part of God’s concept that became reality in our mother’s womb as a result of the execution of a plan written in God’s book of life before time began. The other view point that God was the author of evolution fails here. God’s Word and His workmanship are intentional and always with purpose. Nature is not in God’s vocabulary as He is sovereign and involved in every detail of His Creation. His signature is in the design of every molecule and written in every cell’s DNA.
THE SECULARIZED EXPLANATION
The secularized explanation that is held by evolutionists today uses the anchor of naturalism. Its nature assumes the elevated position of their creator. And that’s what is being taught in every public school and in many of our private institutions.
It begins that the molecules assembled themselves and became more specific over time. By trial and error, they developed an upward movement of chemical pathways to eventually ignite life. There was no outside intelligence involved. There was no information or written plan to follow.
It was the discoveries made in molecular biology which defied molecular evolution. The exquisite design of these complex molecular structures and the way these entities worked together would be enough evidence that would bring the death blow from molecules to evolve into life.
As more research is done on the bimolecular level, evidence is accumulated to bury naturalistic arguments for evolution. With the discovery of DNA molecules, the fact that there is encoded information with written instructions for life in every living thing totally buries any evolution scenario here on earth.
Today, most evolutionists agree that this could not have occurred at all and instead of turning to their Creator, they reach out desperately into space to find the alien who seeded the planet. Their behavior demonstrates the foolishness of a man who follows a path of depravity that will bring destruction and death to them and the world around them. We live in dangerous times, but we know the true light that brings life. (John 1:4) The life we have never dies in Christ who defeated death. We carry Christ’s torch of righteousness that shines the light in the darkness to expose lies and deception. This is our hope.
THE DISCOVERY OF THE SEED OF LIFE
Although DNA was isolated in the 1800’s, it took a century to understand that it was directly related to genetic information. It was in 1953 that James Watson, an American biologist, and Francis Crick, a British physicist, combined their talents and discovered the actual structure of DNA. It was Watson and Crick’s discovery of the structure that answered the pervading question of where genetic information originated. This discovery made an impact that would change the molecular world of biology forever. The idea that molecules of living things carried genetic information was a new awakening in biology and would open up a whole new world of infinite possibilities.
As humans, we have 3.2 billion base pairs in our genome, making an astoundingly massive information storage bank.
The concept that DNA is a transporter of intelligent information embedded in its structure was hidden inside its double helix. It simply looked like a spiral staircase turning in space where the stairs represent genetic information. Each stair is composed of adjoining base pairs which carry the genetic code. There are only four kinds of bases simplified as A, T, C and G. Each stair is composed of a pair that pairs in a set way, A combined with T and C with G. Every time there is a T, it will connect with an A and vice versa. The same occurs with C and G pairing. The chemical structures were designed this way and it is inconceivable to think that this kind of pairing came from some natural chance circumstance. It’s instead a wonderful testimony of the detailed work of a master craftsman.
As geneticists began to research the function of the DNA code in the early 2000’s they soon realized that only about 2% make proteins, the building blocks of life. Amazingly, they had no idea what the function of the other 98% did. Evolutionists called it “Junk DNA”’ in which it was theorized as remnants of our evolutionary ancestors. As time went on research revealed that much of this supposedly “Junk DNA” had a purpose for the continuation of life. It acts as a control that switches a gene on or off and turns it up or down. It was far more complicated than geneticists expected since its discovery and there will be more exciting breakthroughs revealed in this God driven code.
Strands of DNA reaching the moonDNA’s unique structure is an example of the most magnificent design as it has the capacity to contain so much information that it goes beyond the imagination of any molecular biologist or design engineer. Presently, in the digital age of information, there is no notable cloud or computer hard drive that even comes close to the capacity of information stored in the DNA. Victor Zhirnov, chief scientist of the Semiconductor Research Corporation states, “DNA has an information-storage density several orders of magnitude higher than any other known storage technology.”
It is difficult to imagine the amount of information stored in the DNA design, but the following comparisons might help in looking at the information stored in such a tiny space:
The amount of DNA information stored in a pin head would be equal to the amount of information stored in 160 pages of a pocket paperback book, making a pile that would extend from the earth to the moon. That would result with the world’s population at this time at 7.7 billion having 2,100 apiece.
The weight of 1/15 of a postage stamp contains all the DNA needed to make all 5 billion people alive today. Our human genome is composed of 3.2 billion base pairs which is about equal to one base pair per letter. If these letters were typed in a single line, they would extend to the North Pole from the equator.
It should be noted that DNA’s capacity to store information is astounding because its microscopically thin filament structure measures only 0.000000002 m thick (in diameter). One cell contains about six feet of DNA strung out. The entire human body is composed of 25 billion kilometers of DNA. (This number is equivalent to the distance of 168 trips to the sun or going around the earth 625 times.) Another example of this fine-tuned design is the fact that a DNA’s length reaching the sun from the earth would weigh only half a gram.
DNA BATTLES
On the front page of Time magazine dated October 9, 2006, one of the most controversial evolutionary statements appeared on the front page. Next to a picture of an infant and baby chimp side by side was a title boldly stating, “How we became human; Chimps and humans share almost 99% of their DNA.” I remember seeing multiple copies of the front page of this magazine pasted from top to bottom all over the window at a book store in the Chicago Airport. It appeared that evolution had their moment of victory, proudly proclaiming that men and chimps were finally connected in their genetic origins.
There were many critics like myself who questioned this over-encompassing claim, especially when there was a big gap of ignorance as to how evolution actually works. As I read the article that followed in Time magazine’s celebratory edition of evolution, there were many unanswered questions. How did this unbelievable similarity occur, differences only ranging between 1 and 2%? What is the explanation for this phenomenon being so genetically similar and yet appearing so differently as easily seen in the picture of the young chimp and baby? Why don’t we see more chimp-men walking around with us as our friends, relatives, or even as our brothers or sisters?
There were no answers to these questions above. The article speculated that this junction of man and chimp came as a result of randomness and haphazard processes as it stated,
“As Scientists keep reminding us, evolution is a random process in which haphazard genetic changes interact with random environmental conditions and produce an organism somehow fitter than its fellows.”
The conclusion for similarity between human and chimp is based on scientists’ own subjectivity that cannot be measured or observed. Such a conclusion is centered on a naturalistic belief system far short of objective science. It certainly appears that there is inherent bias that favors naturalism over God. Better stated, they are blinded by their own pride and choose not to acknowledge God and become fools as the Scripture states,
“The fool has said in his heart, there is no God.” (Psalm 14:1)
To decode genetic data is not a simple task and to compare it to other organisms is still in process. The human genome alone is composed of 3.2 billion bases and has taken years to decode. All mammals’ DNA code number about 3 billion bases in their genomes, including the small mouse.
The original research methods for collecting this data (stating in 2006 that humans are 99 or 98% similar to chimps) is in question. Genomics is a new science for genetic mapping that has been developing over the last 30 years with great improvement in decoding and establishing DNA database libraries for all living creatures and plants. The science has developed reliable methods to sequence genes and make comparisons, but warning – it’s still in process.
Jeremy Tomkins, a geneticist from the Institute of Creation Research understands this well as he has researched human genetics for many years and concluded,
“When I began studying the scientific literature on the subject, I realized there were serious problems with the evolutionary idea of nearly identical human and chimp DNA. In every publication I evaluated, it became clear that researchers had cherry-picked highly similar DNA sequences that supported evolution and discarded the data that were dissimilar.” 1
Here we go again – evolutionary bias. If you believe in naturalism as your foundation, why would you not be biased? Tomkins’ research revealed that a chimp’s genome was put together using the human genome as its model. He also found that the chimp’s DNA that was used was extremely poor, which put their results in question. This exemplifies partiality to the highest degree, not scientific objectivity. In Tomkins’ words,
“The human genome guided the researchers throughout the chimp genome assemblage process.” 2
They lacked the funding and the genetic resources to have a complete model of a chimpanzee genome. It was their evolutionary presupposition which gave forced results.
As the science was developing, scientists found that error was introduced by human contamination, particularly by lab technicians in the earlier steps. It is interesting to note that over half of the samples used to construct the chimp genome appear similar to humans which points to contamination, including the samples used in 2006. This of course would alter the code to look more human.
Just recent, a new and more accurate version of the chimpanzee genome was completed. Richard Buggs, an evolutionary biologist from the University of London, stated in his blog dated July 14, 2018, “The percentage of nucleotides in the human genome that had one-to-one exact matches in the chimpanzee genome was 84.38%.” 3 Tomkins’ former meticulous research in 2016 agrees closely with Buggs at 84.4%.
As we have seen in the past, evolution is based on naturalism, which evolutionary scientists hold in fervor just like a barnacle attaches itself permanently to its service. It will take time before they do some frivolous study and declare victory, only to be silent and humbled by the truth.
Those who believe in Christ know John 1:1, the “Word” became flesh. (John 1:14) We know that by His “word” he spoke everything into existence. The “Word” in John 1:1 is Christ our Creator of the entire universe, big and small. He is our truth and salvation.
References
1. https://www.icr.org/article/separate-studies-converge-human-chimp-dna
2. ibid
3. http://richardbuggs.com/index.php/2018/07/14/how-similar-are-human-and-chimpanzee-genomes/
