The universe holds many galaxies with countless suns, stars, and probably planets as well, but evidence shows that Earth is unique among them all.
“And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.” - Genesis 1:10
The Big Bang Theory assumes there are no special places in the universe and that everything around us is the result of a cosmic accident with no planning or purpose. So if life evolved on Earth and conditions here are not “special,” then surely life must also have evolved elsewhere…right? Not quite. The Bible and science point to a different history that is supported by reliable evidence.
Life On Other Planets?
In our solar system, Earth joins seven other planets in orbit around a giant sun. Our solar system is part of a spiral galaxy called the Milky Way, and it’s been estimated that there are between 100 and 400 billion stars in this galaxy alone. We’re located on one arm of the spiral and around 27,000 light years from the center of the galaxy.
The planets closest to the sun are called terrestrial planets because they’re composed mostly of rock and metals. Nearest the sun is Mercury, then Venus and of course Earth—the third planet out—and then Mars.
The four outer planets are the gas giants made primarily of gas and frozen vapor. These are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Pluto lost its planet status in 2006 and is now classified as a dwarf planet.
However, out of all of these, Earth is the only one of the bodies in our solar system capable of sustaining life.
Mercury is closest to the sun and has no atmosphere. That, plus extremely high temperatures on its sun-facing side, makes it unwelcoming to life.
Venus is about the same size as Earth, but it has a dense, hot atmosphere that’s mostly carbon dioxide. You won’t find life there.
Mars has always seemed a likely candidate for life. A day there is about as long as one here. But it’s smaller than Earth, and the atmosphere is too thin to sustain life. The air on Mars has only about 1/1000 as much water as our air.
Jupiter is a big ball of gas, and we wouldn’t want to live there. We’ve found no evidence of life on any of its moons.
Saturn is also a cold sphere of gas, and its moons appear to be barren, lifeless places.
Uranus and Neptune are gas giants too, and Pluto is just ice. None of these are going to have life.
Think Tank
How are the planets in our solar system categorized, and what are the characteristics?
The planets closest to the sun are called terrestrial planets because they’re composed mostly of rock and metals (Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars). The four outer planets are called gas giants because they are made primarily of gas and frozen vapor (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune).
What is the “Goldilocks zone”?
This is the area not so close to the sun that the oceans on a planet boil away and not so far from the sun that the oceans freeze—where secular scientists think there may be planets (besides Earth) with conditions necessary for life.
What do secular scientists really hope to find on another planet? Even if they found it, why would that not be enough to prove that life could exist there?
Water. Liquid water on its own is not enough to build life, even though life requires liquid water.
What is the significance of Kepler-22b?
Scientists believe it is a planet in the Goldilocks zone that they think may have the right conditions for sustaining life.
List three examples of why the seven other planets are unsuitable for life?
Mercury has no atmosphere and is too hot because it is too close to the sun. Venus has a dense, hot atmosphere that’s mostly carbon dioxide. Mars’ atmosphere is too thin to sustain life. Jupiter is just a big ball of gas, and there is no evidence of life on any of its moons. Saturn is a cold sphere of gas, and its moons appear to be barren, lifeless places. Uranus and Neptune are poisonous gas giants, too.
What makes Earth unique and perfect for sustaining life? List everything you can think of—use the scientific facts you know.
Water: we’re at the right spot for water to exist in the liquid state. If Earth’s orbit were as extreme as many of the planets outside our solar system, then oceans would boil at the closest point and freeze at the farthest.
Atmosphere: With the perfect thickness to allow life, Earth’s atmosphere protects the earth from cosmic radiation. This includes some ultraviolet radiation that is blocked by a layer of ozone and oxygen that keeps UV light from damaging living cells.
Magnetic field: Earth’s protective magnetic field deflects charged cosmic radiation, but this field is not so strong that it would radiate and kill living organisms.
Tilt: Earth’s tilt, at 23.4 degrees on its axis, is also well suited for life. If our planet were tilted less, we wouldn’t have as many livable regions. And if the tilt were greater, seasons would become too extreme.
Why is it “wishful thinking” for some scientists to say there is life on other planets?
There is no hard evidence that any of the other planets are capable of sustaining life.
Astronomer and evolutionist Carl Sagan said, “We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people.” How would this outlook affect someone’s view of life?
If you don’t believe in special creation, then that can also mean that humans are not special. There is no unique value and worth to our planet and the life on it if we believe Earth is just one of many things in the universe that randomly “just happened.” If people don’t have worth, then there is no reason to protect life or live purposed life, and there is no hope in God or salvation in Jesus, His Son.
What are some of the strongest pieces of evidence you would choose to explain how unique Earth really is?
When I observe all that is around me I don’t see randomness. I see design. I see complexity. I see beauty. I see function. I see the Creator’s handiwork. And when you take that into account along with the evidence presented previously in this article along with much more evidence that is out there like the specific degree of gravitational pull that we have around Earth. Just a little stronger or a little weaker and no life! The odds of all these little things being just so and saying it happened by accident requires way too much faith for me. I see God’s handiwork and I have placed my faith in that evidence as well as the internal evidence of the Bible.
Back to the Bible
Read Genesis 1:9-10; 1:16; 1:20-21; Job 26:7; Isaiah 40:22; 45:18.
According to the Bible, why did God create the Earth? So, who do you think He really created it for?
To be inhabited. He created it for people.
What details about Earth’s physical shape and position can we learn from these verses? How is the Bible’s description of Earth supported by science?
The earth is round and “hangs on nothing.” When the Bible tells us that the earth is round, that’s exactly what we see. It is also suspended in space, just as God says when He describes the earth as hanging on nothing.
How do we know that there were specific, separate purposes for the creation of the sun and moon?
God tells us that the sun was created to rule the day and the moon was created to rule the night. And this is what we see happening in our solar system today.
How long did God spend creating Earth? What does this say about its value?
Five days. Because He spent five days working on it and only one day for everything else, God emphasized Earth’s uniqueness.
What do these verses tell us about the order and planning that went into creation?
God created everything —the heavens and the earth. He established it. He did not create in vain. He created with purpose—the sun and moon and stars were given special jobs. He intended the earth to be inhabited. He placed things exactly where He wanted them to be in space. He gave His creations special names. He created everything in a state that He considered good.
What was God’s attitude toward His final product?
He saw that it was good.
What security can we take in knowing why God created and how He created? How should this knowledge affect our view of ourselves, others, and life in general?
God was intentional with His creation and satisfied with it. His attention to detail shows how much He cares about us. Because of the great care God showed when He created—and knowing in addition that we are created in His image—we should give our planet and our fellow man respect, value and importance. We should view life as having great significance.
Takeaways
The Bible is clear that God created the Earth with great care and for a specific purpose—to sustain life—and He is in complete control.
The order, planning, and detail that God put into making our planet livable gives us worth and proclaims His glory.
Scripture tells us that some people will choose not to see the hand of God in the world all around us (Romans 1; 2 Peter 3:5-7). What can our role be in changing that?
Next Week: Science and Scripture