Design testifies to a Mind

When we see something that is designed, we know that it comes not from random interactions of matter but from a mind. Natural processes, such as evolution, simply are incapable of producing what we see in nature.

Design in Nature Reveals God’s Character and Work

When we look at living things – animals, plants, even bacteria – the thought often occurs to us that they are so well designed for their particular situation in life. The Canadian beaver, for example, is an excellent example of this.

We typically recognize design based on two of its most obvious attributes:  functionality and beauty. Concerning functionality, in that organisms survive generation after generation, we can see that their bodies and behavior patterns enable them to be successful. Concerning beauty, it is a characteristic that does not necessarily contribute to survival success, but it certainly adds to our interest.

Functionality is derived from good design that allows an organism to successfully live and reproduce. We find that to be functional, every organism must have many parts working together. Even in the smallest microbe, we find a complicated interaction of parts. The components must be precisely shaped and work together in elaborate relationships. Such exact coordination reveals careful planning, the work of a designing intelligence.

Beauty is a phenomenon that is produced by a mind and appeals to minds. And for the most part, living creatures are beautiful. OK, maybe not vultures, but most creatures are beautiful (although some are more so than others). Another aspect of beauty is the richness and diversity that we see in living creatures. Did you ever wonder why there are so many creatures of one kind (such as beetles) which exhibit different shapes, sizes, textures and colours? These add to the interest of the creation but not necessarily to their survival value. Many organisms display such variety. These variations in detail are also the result of a designing intelligence who loves life and beauty.

The Bible beautifully identifies the person and character of the Creator who is completely separate from nature and who is vastly superior in every way to our limited abilities to understand these issues. To the question of where the beauty, and amazing complexity of information revealed in the design of living creatures came from, our only possible answer is that it came from an awesome intelligent designer, our God [the creator of heaven and earth and all that are in them.]

Related Resources

• Recognizing Design (YouTube, 34 min)

• Why Human Skeletal Joints Are Masterpieces of Engineering (YouTube, 62 min)