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A Simple Way to Think About Order, Choice, and God

by Cecil Maner
09/07/26
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A Simple Way to Think About Order, Choice, and God

Einstein once said, “God does not play dice.” He meant that the universe is not random like a game of chance. Things happen according to real rules and order, not just by luck.

We agree with that. The universe has order. It is not pure chaos.

But order does not mean everything is already locked in with no choices left. There is still room for real choices. How? Through something called potential. Potential means real possibilities that are already built into the way things work. Think of a seed. The seed is not random. It has the potential to grow into a certain kind of plant. It cannot turn into a bicycle or a cloud. The possibilities are limited and ordered. Yet different things can still happen depending on sunlight, water, and care. Choice works a bit like that. The universe gives us real options that fit inside its order. We are not rolling dice, and we are not stuck on one fixed path either.

Scientists who study the tiniest particles (the building blocks of everything) notice something tricky. When they try to measure those particles, the act of measuring can change them. Because the particles are so small, we cannot see or control them perfectly yet. So scientists use probability — a kind of careful guessing based on patterns. That does not mean the universe is truly random. It may just mean we have reached the edge of what our tools can do. Some people think God is actively holding the smallest parts of matter together. If that is true, humans may never fully measure or control that level.

The Bible talks about a day when the present sky and earth will pass away. It says the elements will melt with intense heat, and then there will be a new heaven and a new earth. One way to picture this is that God is the one holding every atom together right now. If He released that holding power, the energy let loose would be enormous — like the fire of the sun. The earth and the sea as we know them would be gone in an instant.

Putting it all together:

The universe is ordered, not random.

Inside that order there are real potentials, so genuine choices can happen.

Our scientific tools have limits, especially at the smallest scales.

And the whole thing depends on God. He holds it together now, and one day He can change it completely.

So Einstein was right that God does not play dice. At the same time, the order God made still leaves room for choice through potential. And everything remains in God’s hands.