CCHS -- Chemical and Physical Changes

Certainly the idea is present that in order to have a chemical reaction or for a chemical change to occur something has to undergo a radical and complete change. The product in the end of a chemical reaction is completely different than the material with which the chemist began.

First of all the student must understand, as with all things, that God is the creator and has made the beautiful and intricate creation. We bow before His greatness and marvel at all His works; including the chemical reactions. Psalm 97: 1ff we read, The Lord reigneth: let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof. Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgement are the habitation of his throne. A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about. His lightnings enlightened the world; the earth saw, and trembled. The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory. . . . . For thou, Lord, art high above all the earth; thou art exalted far above all gods.God is sovereign. He is in control of all things. The physical and chemical phenomena are in his hand. We bow before the almighty and utter "How great thou art".

Secondly, the idea of chemical and physical changes brings to mind passages of Scripture which speak of gold and silver being "purified" by the fire.

"And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin" – Isaiah 1:25.

"But who may abide the day of his coming? And who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like a fullers’ soap; And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness" Malachai 2:3,4.

Fire, a common element in many chemical and physical reactions, is given in the Scripture as that which "purifies". Fire purifies elements and makes them to be clean and pure – without impurity. God gives us this picture to show us how we shall be completely purged of all our sin.

Related to this idea is that in Chemistry we see things "change". The item(s) with which we began are radically different when we are finished with them. This is seen in the "Charcoal Sausage" or "The Grain Elevator Explosion" demonstrations. Is the same not true for the believer? Are we not radically changed? We are changed in two ways. On this earth we already are changed. We no longer have a hard heart but our heart has been softened. We have been given a heart of flesh. "And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: that they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God" (Ezekiel 11:19, 20). We are no longer spiritually dead, but we are spiritually alive. Secondly, we know that our earthy bodies cannot inherit the "spiritual" so we must be transformed. "Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" (I Corinthians 15:51,52).

In these ways we experience change, just as things upon this earth experience chemical and physical changes.

Not only is fire used to show God’s preservation and purification of his people, but it also is used in Scripture to show God’s judgment upon sin and the wicked. "Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup" (Psalm 11:6). "Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven" (Genesis 19:24). "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up" (II Peter 3:10).

When we read these Bible passages with our students it becomes evident that the Lord hates sin and the wicked sinner. God will destroy sin and the sinner with fire as he did to the 250 men that offered incense in the matter with Korah, Dathan, and Abiram (Numbers 16:35). It behooves us to teach the students that this world will be utterly destroyed with fire in the end. We are not to store up earthly possessions, for they will be utterly destroyed. We are not to look for an earthly kingdom, for the earth will be utterly destroyed. We are not to try to "save the earth" with the environmentalist because we are going to have to live here forever. No, the world will be destroyed. We must, of course, be good stewards of the gifts and creation that the Lord has entrusted unto us, but we ought not expect to live here forever.

In conclusion, we see that chemical and physical reactions are under the sovereign reign and control of God. As we study the reactions we are humbled and stand in awe of our Creator God. We further are reminded that we too shall change on the last day. We shall receive our glorified bodies. We already now experience change. We have been called out of darkness into God’s marvelous light. We are reminded as we study reactions and fire that God will judge the wicked with fire and destroy them and the earth. God shall create a new heavens and a new earth for his chosen people.

The Federation Board of the Protestant Reformed Christian Schools commissioned Joel Minderhoud to develop this Repertoire of Chemical Demonstrations