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This Marvelous Miracle
HUMAN
CONSCIOUSNESS
H
UMAN BE I NGS
have
been given the won–
derful g ift of con–
sciousness. We are aware of
ourselves and our environ–
ment. We are able to appre–
ciate the aesthetic beauties of
the earth. We can read ily
perceive the past- or think
we can- and the present and
t he future. We have the abi l–
ity to perceive good and
evil.
But what are the origins of
human consciousness? How and
when did we come to have this
marvelous gift?
Man Look s at the Pr o blem
Evolutionists have proposed to
explain the origin of the physical
being caJled man. But evolution
offers no viable explanation for the
existence of consciousness-not
even the vastly inferior animal con–
sciousness that was before man's.
Eminent scientist and Nobel prize
winner, Sir John Eccles, has said:
"The genetic code and natural
selection explains quite a lot. But
not how I carne to exist. lt doesn't
explain even the origin of con–
sciousness, even animal conscious–
ness. If you look at the most mod–
ern texts on evolution you find
nothing about mind and conscious–
ness. T hey assume that it just
comes automatically with the
October / November 1981
by
John Ross Schroeder
development of the brain. But
that's not an answer"
(lnternation–
a/ Herald Tribune,
March 3 1,
1981).
But if evolutionists cannot really
explain the existence of conscious–
ness, the Holy Scriptures do.
God Gi ves the Answer
The biblical book of Job contains
sorne of the most beautiful poetic
language in English literature. But
the intrinsic worth of this ancient
work goes far beyond mere beauty
of language.
It
records a conversa–
tion that the man Job had with the
Creator God.
The Almighty had asked the
patriarch J ob:
"Where were you
when I laid the foundation of the
earth? Tell me, if you have under–
standing. Who determined its mea–
surements- surely you know!"
( Job 38:4-5, RSY ).
T hese verses reveaJ tbat intelli–
gence vast ly superior to man's was
present at the time of creation.
· Further, the same verses show that
God possessed by his very nature
the marvelous attribute of con–
sciousness. Man was nowhere
around at the time. He took no part
in tbe creation work.
Centuries after Job died the
prophet lsaiah was privileged to
record God's Word to the children
of Israel in a simi lar vein. "Thus
saith the Lord, your Redeemer,
who formed you from the womb: 1
am the Lord, who made all things,
who stretched out the heavens
alone,
who spread out the earth–
Who was with me?"
(lsaiah
44:24).
God needed no help from any
man to make the heavens and the
earth. For the duration of this pres–
ent age man must content himself
as an intelligent observer of an
already accomplished fact- the
creation. However, this need not
detract man from fulfilling his
incredible human potential. In
truth, the entire earth, as we now
see it , was itself prepared for the
advent of man.
Ori g in of Human Consciousness
But how did man come to be con–
scious of himself and of his sur–
roundings? The biblical book of
Genesis records the simple answer:
"Then the Lord God formed man
of dust from the ground and
breathed into his nostrils
the
breath of lije;
and man became a
living being" (or a ..living soul"–
KJV) (Genesis 2:7).
Man is made of dust. He is ear–
thy. And with the breath of lifc–
the oxygen we breathe- man
became a living soul. He did not
have a soul inside him. He became
a living soul- made of dust and
breathing air with its physical life–
giving oxygen.
This living, breathing man is a
phenomenal creature. And it is the
attribute of human consciousness
that results from his breathing into
his physical being oxygen that
accounts for the presence of this
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