Cosmic Love

By: Brian G. Chilton | August 9, 2021

When I say, “cosmic love,” I am not speaking of some New Age philosophy or jargon. Rather, I am speaking of something far deeper and mysterious. I will define cosmic love in a moment. But to understand what I mean by this term; you first need to understand my deep love for astronomy. The universe fascinates me to no end. The more that is learned about the universe, the more incredible it becomes. The universe’s incredulity leads me to consider the even greater incredulity of cosmic love. Follow along and you will see what I mean.

The incredulity of the cosmic size of the universe God created.

In the third century BC, Aristarchus of Samos queried, “How far away is the moon?” Amazingly, he was able to measure the distance by observing the earth’s shadow on the moon during a lunar eclipse.[1] While no one knows for sure, the estimated size of the observable universe is around 93 billion light years. Considering that light travels at 186,000 miles a second, a light year is around 5,866,440,000,000. Multiply that number by 93 billion and that is how large the universe is.[2] To put this into greater perspective, I was personally amazed as I was stargazing one evening and was able to find a cluster of distant lights in my backyard. It was discovered that the lights in the night sky were actually a cluster of some 20 galaxies, many which were larger than our own Milky Way galaxy. The infinitesimally small stature of humanity is in view when considering the incredible size of our universal home. Now, consider that God is greater than the universe itself. As immensely large as the universe is, it came into existence by the very words of the Creator (Gen. 1; John 1:1-14; Col. 1:16).

The incredulity of the cosmic power within the universe God created.

Equally amazing to the size of the universe is the power found within the universe’s boundaries. One such example was found in a discovery of light echoes first observed in 2015. Using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, scientists captured X-ray images of giant rings emanating from a black hole in the binary system named V404 Cygni. The black hole is separating from a companion star that holds half the mass of the sun. The energy from the black hole created a burst of high-energy X-ray rings, causing a phenomenon which scientists call a “light echo.”[3] The light echo operates comparably to the operation of sound waves but on a much larger and powerful scale. The team had to take special measures to ensure that their equipment was protected. Similar outbursts were reported in 1938, 1956, and 1989. Sebastian Heinz and a team of researchers from the University of Wisconsin in Madison analyzed the light echoes from 2015 and the information they reveal, including the nature of black holes, the composition of dust clouds—in this case, the clouds contained graphite and silicate grains, the nature of how interstellar X-rays interact with other bodies, and the cosmic landscape between V404 Cygni and Earth.

Also consider this, the human body could not withstand the radiation from the Sun outside of Earth’s atmosphere without special suits. Solar radiation, and even more-so cosmic radiation, is believed to do the following to the human body due to protons and all the elements of the periodic table traveling in and through the human body at the speed of light: a break or even unraveling of the DNA structure, altering the cardiovascular system, damaging the heart, hardening and narrowing arteries, eliminating the cells in the lining of the blood vessels, cardiovascular disease, the hindrance of neurogenesis (the process of regenerating new cells in the brain), and the damage of nerves, leading to irreversible cognitive impairment and memory deficits.[4]

Yet even all the power of the universe is not but a drop in the bucket compared to the power of God. When we speak of God’s Almightiness or his omnipotence, do we truly fathom the level of power that God holds? To make matters even more amazing, if God holds that kind of power, why would we ever place trust in human systems or in human capabilities? The apostle Paul hit the nail on the head when he said, “If God is for us, who is against us?” (Rom. 8:31, CSB).

Taking all of the aforementioned data in consideration, this leads to an even more amazing mystery…

The incredulity of the cosmic love that God has for us.

When one stops to consider the size and power found within the universe and how God is even greater still, it causes one to ponder why a God like that would ever love and care for something so infinitesimally small and fragile like the human race. When compared to the Milky Way Galaxy, humanity is likened to a flea, on a speck, on a frog, on the bump, on a branch, on a log, in a hole in the bottom of the sea. Perhaps even that image grants humanity too much size. How could God love us as he does? Yet God does. This kind of love is on a cosmic scale—hence the term, “cosmic love.”

Conclusion

God is a maximally great Being. Anselm of Canterbury had it right when he said that God “is a being than which nothing greater can be conceived.”^[5] God holds immense power and a presence that exceeds the boundaries of the observable universe. This God knows every molecular change in every corner of the universe. Yet this God ascribes worth and value to humanity despite our filth, negativity, and rebelliousness. This maximally great God could easily wipe us out of existence with a mere word. Instead, God chose to come to earth to provide us a way to himself (Phil. 2:5-11). As Athanasius of Alexandria noted, “For He became Man that we might be made God: and He manifested Himself through the body that we might take cognizance of the invisible Father: and He underwent insult at the hands of men that we might inherit immortality.”^[6] While I may never understand why God loves us, I am most appreciative as I am a benefactor of this cosmic love.

About the Author

Brian G. Chilton is the founder of BellatorChristi.com, the host of The Bellator Christi Podcast, and the author of the Layman’s Manual on Christian Apologetics. Brian is a Ph.D. Candidate of the Theology and Apologetics program at Liberty University. He received his Master of Divinity in Theology from Liberty University (with high distinction); his Bachelor of Science in Religious Studies and Philosophy from Gardner-Webb University (with honors); and received certification in Christian Apologetics from Biola University. Brian is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society and the Evangelical Philosophical Society. Brian has served in pastoral ministry for nearly 20 years and currently serves as a clinical chaplain.

https://www.amazon.com/Laymans-Manual-Christian-Apologetics-Essentials/dp/1532697104

Notes

[1] “How Big is Our Universe?,” NASA.gov (July 15, 2004), https://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/5-8/features/F_How_Big_is_Our_Universe.html.

[2] If calculated correctly on my part, the universe is somewhere around 54,555,789,200,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 miles across.

[3] Lee Mohon, ed, “Huge Rings Around a Black Hole,” NASA.gov (Aug. 5, 2021), https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/chandra/images/huge-rings-around-a-black-hole.html.

[4] Amy Blanchett and Laurie Abadie, “Space Radiation is Risky Business for the Human Body,” NASA.gov (Sept. 19, 2017), https://www.nasa.gov/feature/space-radiation-is-risky-business-for-the-human-body.

^[5] Sidney Norton Deane with Saint Anselm, Proslogium 2, in Proslogium; Monologium; An Appendix, In Behalf of the Fool, by Gaunilon; and Cur Deus Homo (Chicago: The Open Court Publishing Company, 1939), 7.

^[6] Athanasius of Alexandria, On the Incarnation of the Word of God 54, in Athanasius: On the Incarnation of the Word of God, T. Herbert Bindley, trans (London: The Religious Tract Society, 1903), 142.

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