Pondering the Infinite, Part 2

During my annual Fiction Fast, I read Secrets of Infinity: 150 Answers to an Enigma, edited by Antonio Lamua. There are different sections, such as mathematics, science, and art. This series of posts will focus on the section regarding philosophy. It never ceases to amaze me that men of the world, men of science and deep thought, can come so close to the bull’s-eye but miss the truth by a mile. Check out Part 1 if you haven't already!

I want to dig further into the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, for I was intrigued by the short piece I read in Secrets of Infinity, which states, “The universe must have a beginning because if it did not it would not exist, since everything that exists has a beginning and an end…” (p. 262) I agree; that statement is rational. “…and it cannot be infinite in space, because as it is something in space, it has to cease to exist and have a limit.” (p. 262). Again, rational. The editors then ask the question, “But if the universe had a beginning in time and space, what was there before it existed?” (p. 262)

The editors believe the answer is that Kant’s statements – the thesis that states the universe has a beginning in time and is limited in space; and the antithesis that says the universe has no beginning and no limits because it is infinite in time and space – are both false. The editors come from a worldview that states there is no God.

I do not come from such a place, and Kant’s statements make perfect sense to me. Yes, there is absolutely something that existed before the universe. It is God.

When God sent Moses to lead the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt, Moses asked, “Who shall I say sent me?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:14) Commentators tell us that the original Hebrew words used here indicate God is eternal, always has been and always will be. This concept of infinity can boggle the brain!

Something else to boggle the brain is what Colossians tells in in chapter 1, verses 15-17: “He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”

The universe is not infinite; God created it, through Christ for His glory.