Everyone enjoys a magician. They perform amazing tricks. They do things that we cannot understand. They do things that defy the physical laws that we live by. They amaze us.
But, just exactly, what is magic?
Magic is when we experience something that defies explanation. When we watch a magician perform, we know that it is all a trick. The more outrageous the trick…….the better the performance. Still, in our hearts, we know that the magic show is not true. We accept the rule that the laws of science govern everything. Whatever falls inside the rules of science is real. The rest is, at best, entertainment…….at worst, mythology. In practice, we separate our experiences into science and magic. We trust science and we do not trust magic.
But, there is a problem.
There are lots of things that we experience that science cannot explain. These experiences fit into our definition of magic. So far, so good. The problem is that while some of them are untrue……..while some of them are tricks……..some of the things that science cannot explain are true. And that is the topic for today. How do we deal with the things that we experience every day that are true but that science cannot explain? How do we handle the magic that we encounter every day…….the magic…….that is true?
The first category of magic that is true is things that we experience that science cannot explain…….yet. Not too long ago, magnetism, antibiotics, and heavier that air flight were magic…..now they are routine.
The second category is things that are true, but that science will never explain. This leads us into the divide that separates mankind into two camps: secular humanism and Creationism. The secular humanists believe that science explains everything….or will soon be able to explain everything. They use theories and assumptions to bridge the gaps that science cannot explain. They treat and teach these theories and assumptions as facts…….even though they are unproven. In effect, science, as we use it today, is a mixture of measurable fact, unproven assumptions, and evolving theories. Anything that science cannot explain, anything that contradicts the theories and assumptions, is discarded as untrue…….myth. The creationist, on the other hand, accepts the idea that science has limits……..that there are things that are true but that science cannot and never will explain. Both sides accept the existence of the physical/temporal world. The creationist also accepts the existence of a parallel spiritual universe. The secular humanist rejects the existence of a parallel spiritual universe.
For the secular humanist, the spiritual world is a myth, a fairy tale that unsophisticated, naive people cling to.
The secular humanist asks, “does the spiritual world fit into the scientific framework that governs everything?” This, in spite of their admission that the scientific framework is incomplete…….that the scientific framework is, and always has been, full of holes.
The creationist asks, ” is the spiritual world true……is it real?” The answer to this question requires the creationist to look beyond science…….to the truths that are in our heart and in our soul…..to the truths that were put there by our creator. It also requires us to believe things that cannot be proven by science…….things that must be felt…..things that must be spiritually discerned. This is the realm of faith.
The spiritual world……God’s world……promises blessings. But, in order to enjoy those blessings, we must first satisfy a rock solid, non-negotiable, requirement:
The creationist…….the Christian……must act on faith. The Christian must accept as true ideas and entities that cannot be proven using the limited rules of science. I believe that this is no accident. This is a requirement of the creator. This is how he set the whole game up. In a way, this physical/temporal life is a pop quiz……a test……to separate those who can act on faith from those who cannot or will not act on faith.
You cannot access and enjoy the blessings of the spiritual world if you are unable to act on faith. This is a rule of the creator……..and it is non-negotiable.
After all…….it’s his world………both the physical/temporal world and the spiritual world.
This is the truth.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his world.
Paul describing Jesus, Collosians 1: 15-20, ESV
If you would like to hear more about magic…….search the list of prior posts for “Magic Smoke”.