With anything in life, it is helpful to occasionally review the “why” that motivates our beliefs or actions. So today we will delve into the “why” behind biblically-based nature documentaries at Creation in Focus.

The heavens declare the glory of God,

and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

Psalm 19:1 ESV

What We Observe | General Revelation

All mankind can look at the universe and what it contains and wonder, “How did this get here?” That fundamental question can be answered in one of two ways. Either:

1. Everything happened by itself;
2. Or an infinitely-powerful being created everything and brought it into existence.

There is no middle ground, no neutral position between these two possible views. An examination of the simplest thing in nature reveals intricate design and detail that can only be attributed to a designer as its origin. To think otherwise would require more faith than to accept this fact: If something has the appearance of order and design, it must have a designer.

Having come to this conclusion by observing the world, one would ask the next natural question, “If everything has indeed been designed, then who is the Designer?” So far these conclusions have been made by observing the natural world, but merely examining the creation fails to tell us the identity of the Creator. However, some characteristics of the Creator could be reasonably derived from the evidence found in creation. Beyond the basic determination that there is a designer, one could conclude that this Designer is orderly, having created everything with a purpose and function. Although many things about this creation are good and beautiful, there are noticeable problems in the world, like death and disease, that would cause someone to wonder why these blemishes are to be found in an otherwise wholesome and orderly creation. There is an answer to this conundrum, and it is found in a different kind of revelation.

All that has been discussed up to this point is what is known as “general revelation.” These are general things that casual observation of the world around us can reveal about the creation and its Creator. To move beyond this basic understanding, you either have to make a guess as to who or what the Designer is, or you can rely on the written testimony of the One who tells us that He created the heavens and the earth (in other words, everything).

What We Read | Special Revelation

The eye-witness testimony of the Creator is found in the Bible, and in the Scriptures the Creator identifies Himself as the Lord God.

These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.

Genesis 2:4 ESV

This written testimony in the Bible is what is known as “special revelation.” The Lord has given us information about Him and His creation that we could not know apart from His divine revelation, thus making it “special.” How gracious and good it is of the Lord to let us know who He is and how we can have a relationship with Him!

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

John 3:16-17 ESV

The conundrum mentioned earlier is the result of sin, which brought about a curse on God’s perfect creation after the first man, Adam, disobeyed God’s direct command. The effects of sin are now obvious in the world, but the troubled state of creation today is not how the Lord originally designed His creation.

And to Adam he [the Lord God] said,

“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife

and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you,

‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;

thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;

and you shall eat the plants of the field.

Genesis 3:17-18 ESV

Jesus, the Son of God mentioned above in John 3:16-17, is our salvation from sin and eternal separation from our Creator. Thank you Lord!

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23 ESV

Why Does This Matter?

Our understanding of how everything came into existence impacts how we view the world around us today. By believing God’s clear Word in the Bible, we have a consistent foundation from which we can make accurate statements and observations about God’s creation in the present.

Take reproduction as an example. In Genesis 1, the Lord states that He created everything to reproduce after its kind, and that is exactly what we see today. Birds produce offspring that are birds, lizards produce lizards, cows produce cows, fruit trees produce fruit trees, and so on. Never has anyone observed a cow birthing an ostrich!

Most nature documentaries produced today are made with the premise that God does not exist, so the makers of these documentaries must use the first option that we discussed at the beginning of this post (everything happened by itself) as the basis for their reasoning. Unfortunately, this mindset of the modern media does not even give a platform to any other view. One of the purposes of Creation in Focus is to show that the Bible (special revelation) provides a reasonable explanation for the things we observe (general revelation) around us and how everything came into being.

People may resent the truth of God’s Word and reject Him as their Creator and Savior, but the alternative of unbelief is not a good one.

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

John 3:18 ESV

At the end of the day, where do we place our trust? Do we trust that the Lord’s Word is true, and that He is faithful? Or do we trust in man’s educated guesses founded on an assumed past that no one was there to witness?

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Romans 1:19-20 ESV

Being biblical in our thinking is vitally important, because without that firm foundation of truth, we are left to fabricate our own subjective version of “truth.” Either way, faith is required. At Creation in Focus, our faith is founded on the certainty of the Lord and His Word.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible….

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Hebrews 11:1-3 and 6 ESV