According to the Bible, the transcendent Creator of this universe made humans in His own image as the focal point of His creation. Skeptics of a biblical worldview point to the vastness of the universe as evidence that humans cannot be the focal point of a theistic creation.
The famous astronomer and author, (and atheist) Carl Sagan put it this way: “Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.”
Famous physicist (and atheist) Stephen Hawking wrote, “Our Solar System is certainly a prerequisite for our existence . . . . but there does not seem to be a need for all these other galaxies.”
In other words, why would God create this huge universe, if He was primarily interested in His relationship with one species occupying a tiny planet? Why did God create such a vast universe, placing us on a single small planet with no reasonable hope of ever traveling beyond our solar system? Does the size of our universe run counter to a biblical worldview?
God, after all, as the Creator of the universe has unlimited resources. We can hardly speculate on the thoughts in God’s mind when he created all things, but maybe he did it for us, for humanity. Why not create a vast universe for us to discover and explore, and through that experience, come closer to knowing and comprehending the nature and character of our Creator?
If God so precisely, carefully, lovingly and amazingly constructed a mind-boggling habitat for his creatures, then it would be natural for him to want them to explore it, to measure it, to investigate it, to appreciate it, to be inspired by it – and ultimately, and most importantly, to find him through it. To give him credit for all of it. “Yep... look at what my God did... He’s a really really big God don’t you think?”
In the words of Psalm 102:25: “In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.” As Romans 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”
Jay Richards, coauthor of The Privileged Planet, speculates... “Because the universe was designed for discovery, we need something to discover. The universe is vast and we’re small, but we have access to it. That’s what is so amazing. We can see background radiation that has come from more than ten billion light years away.”
A Biblical Perspective of Humankind and the Vast Heavens
If God is the Creator of the universe, and the Bible is revelation directly from God, then accurate observation of the universe will ultimately prove to be consistent with His revelation. By combining the general revelation of science with the special revelation of the Bible, we should be rewarded with a greater understanding of the nature of our Creator and His intentions for mankind. That’s a big assumption... can it be true?
First let’s consider what God’s special revelation for us, the Bible, has to say about the vastness of the universe. The Bible often refers to God’s creative work in “stretching out the heavens” and filling it with stars (e.g. Job 9:8, Zech 12:1). A review of Bible passages on the stars and the heavens reveals a number of reasons why a vast universe is consistent with humans being the most significant part of God’s creation.
We need to realize that creating a vast universe is not harder for God than creating a smaller universe. God brought the universe into existence out of nothing... ex nihilo. He had no limits on the amount of matter and energy available to him for his creative adventure. Consequently, it is meaningless to say that it would be a tremendous waste for God to create so many lifeless galaxies. The concept of waste only applies when there is a limited supply. When there is an unlimited supply, you can use all you desire; there is plenty more where that came from.
Within this vast universe, God placed earth in potentially the only place in the universe capable of supporting advanced life. Of course he created the life-sustaining environment we enjoy. There are many aspects of the universe that are hidden from the casual observer, but the vastness of the heavens is not one of them. God created the earth and positioned it in an ideal place so that humans could observe the vastness of the heavens and the enormous number of stars. The Bible points out at least five purposes for humans observing this vast universe:
To reveal His majesty and power. Job refers to this understanding as he reflected on his sufferings by stating what he has observed and thereby believes about God... Who commands the sun not to shine, And sets a seal upon the stars; Who alone stretches out the heavens, And tramples down the waves of the sea; Who makes the Bear, Orion and the Pleiades, And the chambers of the south; Who does great things, unfathomable, And wondrous works without number. Were He to pass by me, I would not see Him; Were He to move past me, I would not perceive Him. Were He to snatch away, who could restrain Him? Who could say to Him, “What are You doing?” (Job 9:7-12).
Later, God confronts Job with His lack of understanding the full power and majesty of His Creator: Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding, . . Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades, Or loose the cords of Orion?
Can you lead forth a constellation in its season, And guide the Bear with her satellites? Do you know the ordinances of the heavens, Or fix their rule over the earth? (Job 38:4, 31-33). As this passage suggests... God intentionally did creative, wondrous works without number, so that we could see and appreciate His greatness.
To emphasize our insignificance without God. The vastness of the heavens highlights how insignificant humans are apart from God’s concern for us. The primary lesson that Job learned through his experience was that we are in no position to critique God’s actions over His creation. God’s creation is so vast that any significance we have comes solely from God’s choice to be concerned with us. Job stated it this way: “Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You?” (Job 40:4)
King David was the most significant person in Israel during his reign, but when he considered the vastness of God’s creation he acknowledged our insignificance: When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him (Ps 8:3-4)?
As a measure of His loving kindness toward us. God uses the vastness of the heavens to help us understand the magnitude of His love for us, stating, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His loving kindness toward those who fear Him” (Ps 103:11). God’s love for us is greater than the billions of light years which separate us from the most distant galaxies.
As a picture of His faithfulness and forgiveness. In a similar way, God uses our inability to completely grasp the breadth and depth of the universe to emphasize spiritual truths. Through Jeremiah, God promised a new covenant where He will remember our sins no more. God used the vastness of the heavens to convey His promise to never cast those in the new covenant away from Him with these words, Thus says the LORD, “If the heavens above can be measured And the foundations of the earth searched out below, Then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel For all that they have done,” declares the LORD (Jer 31:37).
Even today astronomers recognize that the universe we can observe is much smaller than the state of the universe as it exists today. Due to the finite speed of light, it is impossible to directly observe the current size of the universe or count the exact number of stars. Just as the heavens can never be measured, God will never cast us off, hence the reason humanity is the focus of his attention.
As a reminder that our understanding is limited. Our Creator understands the universe from one end to the other and from the beginning of time to its end. As humans, we are just beginning to probe its mysteries. So, God reminds us, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa 55:9).
It is clear that God intended us to observe and study the stars and the heavens. As a part of God’s general revelation, the magnitude of the universe speaks to His greatness. Through God’s special revelation, we see God using the vastness of His creation to teach us lessons about who we are and how we relate to Him. For a Creator who was willing to sacrifice His only Son on the cross for our redemption, it would be child’s play to create a vast universe solely for our instruction. With this understanding, the vastness of the universe becomes a testament to our importance to God rather than evidence of our insignificance.
Be ‘awe’ inspired at the vastness of the universe
Psalm 19:1 tells us a major reason why the universe is so vast... The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. There are many similar passages in Scripture. They help us understand who God is and how powerful He is.
It reminds us that the more we discover about this incredible universe, the more we should be in awe of the One who made it all. Rather than looking up and wondering who or what else is out there... wondering if those fictionalized aliens we’ve never seen might be real... we should instead be in awe and wonderment at the very One who made it all.
