Testimonies for the Church, vol. 8

Nature is not God

God's handiwork in nature is not God Himself in nature. The things of nature are an expression of God's character; by them we may understand His love, His power, and His glory; but we are not to regard nature as God. The artistic skill of human beings produces very beautiful workmanship, things that delight the eye and these things give us something of the idea of the designer; but the thing made is not the man. It is not the work, but the workman, that is counted worthy of honor. So, while nature is an expression of God's thought, it is not nature but the God of nature that is to be exalted. 8T 263.2

“The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth,
These shall perish from the earth, and from under the heavens.”
“The portion of Jacob is not like these;
For He is the former of all things.”
“He hath made the earth by His power,
He hath established the world by His wisdom,
And by His understanding hath He stretched out the heavens.” Jeremiah 10:11, 16, 12, A.R.V. 8T 263.3

“Seek Him that maketh the Pleiades and Orion,
And turneth the shadow of death into the morning,
And maketh the day dark with night;
That calleth for the waters of the sea,
And poureth them out upon the face of the earth
(Jehovah is His name).” Amos 5:8, A.R.V. 8T 263.4