Kaka D Iralu
If man was the first to appear in the universe, then he should also have been the creator of all the stars, the moons, the planets, the oceans and the earth with all its inhabitants. He should also have then be the author of all physical and moral laws enacted for the governance of the universe and all social lives on earth. But from scientific studies, we all know that such a proposition is not true to reality as we know it. In fact, through scientific investigation, we know that man was not the first in the sequence of things on earth. He was rather a late comer into the scene. But science and secular philosophy does not give us a satisfactory answer as to whether law was first or man was first in the universe. All that science can give us is that man has appeared in the scene only after millions of years of evolution! This was supposed to have happened after protoplasm (living matter) appeared in an otherwise dead universe of only matter (non living objects). That being the conclusion of scientific research, we are left with no answers to the above question except to investigate other religious sources to find out whether man or law was the first to appear in the universe.
As for religious sources, the Bible begins by stating that the “heavens (universe) and the earth” were created by God (Gen. 1:1). The Bible goes on to reveal to us that this creator God is not an impersonal God but a loving personal God with emotions and thoughts. The Bible also reveals that righteousness and justice inhabits the throne of God (Ps. 89: 14). The Bible also substantiates and confirms scientific evidence that the physical and material world was created before the personal creation of man. In fact, if we study the sequence of creation as recorded in the Bible, we will see that the creation of water, vegetation (necessary for production of oxygen) and animal life all preceded the creation of mankind. In short, all necessities for sustenance of mankind namely-water, oxygen and food- were all created before mankind was finally created from the dust of the earth (Gen. Chapters 1&2).
Now, I have not posed the question to our quarry as to whether God or man is first in the universe. Instead of the word God, I had used the word ‘Law.” This is because modern man has rejected the concept of God as the author of creation and law. Modern man has rather raised the proposition that “evolved” Man is the final authority in the universe and that man alone can define his own laws to govern himself. For example, Paul Satre (1905-80) said: “The world is all there is. Our existence is all we have. There are no divine judges or controllers. You are your life and that’s all you are.” Both he and Camus began to write about “A universe without a master.” This intellectual take over- supposedly backed by scientific evidences-has thrown the whole world into confusion. What eventually emerged was a world with every region and nation claiming its own autonomy over legal matters pertaining to life. For example, many countries in the world have today banned capital punishment for even heinous crimes committed by perverts. Many countries in the world have also legalised free sex, abortions and gay marriages. As a result, there remains very little basis for universal concepts of laws that are applicable worldwide. It is this context, that I have posed the question in its present form.
But it is a general truth that a law cannot exist without a law giver standing behind any given laws. Therefore, when we talk about law, we are very much talking about the lawgiver who is none other than the personal God whom the Bible has revealed (Is. 33:22). This personal God has given us his just laws and commandments which are not burdensome but have been given for our own good (1 Jn. 5:3). In this context of the law and commandments, I am not talking only about the Ten Commandments given to Moses but all of God’s laws given to Adam, Noah, Moses as well as all the prophets. And as just stated, all these laws were given for our own good and survival on earth.
If we however reverse the order by putting the recipient of the law (man), in the place of the lawgiver (God), then we throw the whole system of jurisprudence into confusion and disarray. This is what is happening to our 21st century world and unless it is checked by Christian intellectuals, the situation will get even worse. We may even end up in a situation where a man made Dictatorship of the Judiciary will reign over all our lives.
