Sunday, December 6, 2015

Love From the Beginning of Time

12/6/15

Yesterday, I was watching a documentary on television about how Einstein’s E=mc theory revolutionized the way scientists understand the universe.  His theory of relativity intrigued me, and I started to think of the amazing power that it took to create everything in our universe. While I don’t claim to be a scientist who fully understands Einstein’s theory, I do know that it involves the speed of light, mass, and kinetic energy.  I was curious about what I was hearing on t.v., so I decided to look up a little more information about Einstein’s discovery. 

The Encyclopedia Brittanica’s Blog gives a basic overview of what E=mc means.  I was especially intrigued with the speed of light and electromagnetic radiation.  An excerpt from the blog is as follows:

In E = mc2 Einstein concluded that mass (m) and kinetic energy (E) are equal, since the speed of light(c2) is constant. In other words, mass can be changed into energy, and energy can be changed into mass. The former process is demonstrated by the production of nuclear energy—particles are smashed and their energy is captured. The latter process, the conversion of energy into mass, is demonstrated by the process of particle acceleration, in which low-mass particles zipping through a device collide to form larger particles.

The inclusion of the speed of light in Einstein’s equation was based on the principles of classical mechanics and electromagnetic radiation, the latter of which is pure energy. Electromagnetic radiation is constant—it always travels at the speed of light, or 186,000 miles/sec (300,000 km/sec).
(2010, E=mc: The Unforgettable Equation of Einstein’s Miracle Year (Picture Essay of the Day))

While I won’t go into the science of it much more, I do want to include one more quote from the blog pertaining to special relativity, which says it is…“revealed that the speed of light is a limit that can be approached but not reached by any material object; it is the origin of the most famous equation in science, E=mc; and it has led to other tantalizing outcomes, such as the twin paradox” (2010, http://blogs.britannica.com/2010/09/e-mc2-the-unforgettable-equation-of-einsteins-miracle-year-picture-essay-of-the-day/).
   
You’re probably wondering why I included the brief information about Einstein’s theory.  After all, the title of this blog doesn’t exactly fit with the quotes I’ve given.  I’ll be honest, while I’ve always been interested in science, I was never exactly an Einstein in school when studying the subject myself.  Still, after watching the documentary about Einstein, I started to think about what the purest power is in our universe.  Above, I underlined the words “pure energy” because the purest energy I am able to think of is the energy of light, and, as a Christian, I automatically associate light with God and with good reason.  The Bible tells us in 1 John 1:5 (NIV) that “God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all,” and in Revelation 21:23 it says, “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp (Lamb is referring to Jesus for any who may not know)” (https://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quicksearch=God+is+light&qs_version=NIV).

Being that the Bible is inspired by God and written down by men, I trust that its words are “infallible” as both 2 Peter 1:19 and 2 Timothy 3:16-17 state (see www.gotquestions.org/Bible-infallible.html). Further, the Bible (and history) testifies to the accuracy of all the prophecies written within (2 Peter 1:20-21) being that all of them have come from God and are true, though the ones in Revelation haven’t happened yet, showing further proof of its truthfulness.  While I do believe in God’s Word as truth, I still haven’t ever been able to understand how God Himself came into existence.  My son has asked me the same question a couple of times too, but I didn’t know how to explain it to him since I wasn’t sure; however, that didn’t stop me from thinking of plausible explanations and trying to research an answer that made sense.  I do know that God is light, and I also know “God is love” (1 John 4:8), and light and love go hand in hand.

Love is universal and spans across time and space.  Every person knows what love is even if his or her version of it is skewed, though some people are able to love others easier than others are able to show it.  Love burns away all impurities, and its power cannot be contained.  It’s an everlasting gift that Heather Bixler says is “used to bridge the disconnection in the world” because “when walking in love we desire the best for people” (2015, described in the description of Love: Four Week Mini Bible Study).  Love’s burning light will never be lessened, and true love in action means sacrifice, light, purity, and strength when all else fails.  Darkness cannot defeat it because darkness is the absence of light; it’s the struggle of mankind in this fallen world.  Love is not bound by time, just as God isn’t bound, and its (His) power is so utterly pure that all that isn’t pure is burned away by His overwhelming spiritual energy (like the energy in Einstein’s theory) until the only thing that is left is God.

Love is sustaining to people, and it sustains itself (Himself) as well.  There couldn’t ever be a time when it didn’t exist (and therefore God) since unconditional love can’t be snuffed out of existence.  It just IS.  Just as God has many names, such as I AM (Exodus 3:14), He also just IS.  God and love are transposable, and just as the Trinity is in perfect relationship to itself, creation itself is interchangeable with love and light, unlimited by anything or anyone. Just as electromagnetic radiation is “pure light” (2010, Encyclopedia Britannica Blog) as well as “constant” so too is God (Numbers 23:19; Hebrews 13:8). He’s on a different wavelength than the rest of us, yet just because we can’t see Him with the naked eye, it doesn’t mean He hasn’t always been there.

Love, and therefore God, demands the creation of something better that isn’t marred by imperfection.  Darkness, on the other hand, destroys everything around it, and its purpose is to suck everyone crossing its path into its black hole.  Even with all the different belief systems out there, everyone wishes to be accepted for who they are flaws and all.  I’ve never met one person who doesn’t want this.  Unconditional love, the kind that comes from God (and through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ) brings everyone it (He) touches freedom, the freedom to be who they are. It’s the universal language everyone understands. As I said before, love cannot be contained.  It would be like trying to trap the wind in a jar; it can’t be done.  Since I know God is love, I know He has always existed.

I once heard even a drop of light illuminates the darkness. God is our Creator, and only love is able to create something in a way that leaves a person instinctively knowing only love could have created it.  The human race is proof of this (Genesis 1:26).  I personally don’t even think the reason for how it was done is as important as why it was.  Granted, scientists like Einstein would probably argue otherwise.  Still, scientists know about the power in a microscopic atom and the energy it contains.  Our bodies are more than just the physical part containing the energy inside of us. We are vessels who learn, love, and live.  Yet, when we are released from it in death, our energy (spirit) still exists like God’s energy does showing us that transformation is possible, such as the transformation between mass and energy in Einstein's theory.

The knowledge of human beings is limited by our world’s view and because the way we were designed by our Creator doesn’t allow for all the answers while we are here.  I realize that I can’t fully explain how I feel. It’s like my mind is trying to move through sludge struggling to find the truth about how God exists and then attempting to explain it. I know I can never do Him justice.  I do know in my heart and after experiencing unconditional love from both Jesus and my husband that nothing can warp it or take it away.  The mere memory of it warms me and stays with me like an old friend.  Just as Einstein’s theory of relativity “revealed that the speed of light is a limit that can be approached but not reached by any material object” (see above), then through the very nature of Who God is we can, in our limited view, understand the wisdom that He has always been there even when we can't physically touch Him.


References


Bixler, H. (2015). Love: Four week mini Bible study [Nook Edition]. Retrieved from Barnes and Noble shop.

Encyclopedia Britannica Editors. (2010). E=mc₂: The unforgettable equation of Einstein’s miracle year (Picture essay of the day). Retrieved from http://blogs.britannica.com/2010/09/e-mc2-the-unforgettable-equation-of-einsteins-miracle-year-picture-essay-of-the-day/

Got Questions?org. What does it mean that the Bible is infallible? What is Biblical infallibility?. Retrieved from http://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-infallible.html &  http://www.gotquestions.org/I-AM.html & http://www.gotquestions.org/image-of-God.html