The Evidence From Design

THE EVIDENCE FROM DESIGN
This line of evidence deals with the order and design of the universe. It is called the “Teleological Argument.” The term “teleology” is a compound from of the Greek words teleoV (telos, meaning “final”) and logoV (logos, meaning “word” or “purpose”). It is the argument from design. It carries the Cosmological Argument one step further to point to the order and design of the universe.

Cosmological Argument|Teleological Argument|
The fact of the existence of the universe points to a first cause: God|The presence of order and design in the universe points to an intelligent designer: God| The principle of design is illustrated in Psalms 19:1-3. The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
Day to day pours forth speech,
And night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words;
Their voice is not heard. (Psalms 19:1-3).

If one footprint in the sand convinced Robinson Crusoe that a person was on his island, then by the same logic we can be convinced that God created the world, for He left countless footprints on its surface. The astronomer Kepler used to keep a complex model of the solar system in his office. The story is told of how an atheist once came to visit him and, upon seeing the model, inquired who had made it. He replied, “No one made it. It merely came into existence.”

“You don't expect me to believe that!” retorted the atheist. “No,” replied Kepler, “But you expect me to believe that our entire solar system came about by chance.” In my younger days, I used to drive a Pontiac Firebird. It was a creation. It had a purpose. Its design showed a function and an order. If I brought in a team of scientists who had never before seen an automobile; showed them all of its features, how the engine operated, how it was designed to carry people comfortably, its various features, and then if I told them that this machine had evolved merely by chance and that it had not been put together by an intelligent designer, what would be their reaction?

I can picture their faces if I were to tell them how this car just happened to come together into its present form by random amino acids joining together by chance after having been struck by a bolt of lightning. Yet there are people today who attempt to tell us that the design and order found in the universe came about by chance.

Look at the human body. Examine the functions of the eyes, the ears, the heart, the lungs and the brain. It contains a reciprocating pump, an automated cooling system, a multi-faceted sensory system and the most diverse and imaginative computer known to man. Did a design like this come about by chance? For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. (Hebrews 3:4).

I live in a house. It has doors and windows and rooms with various functions. It was obviously designed by a being with a certain degree of intelligence. It would be silly for me to believe that it merely came about by chance. So it is also with the world in which we live.