THE BIBLE & SCIENCE (1)

With the many scientific discoveries and achievements that have been made in modern times and all the benefits that modern science has brought to man, Science has acquired tremendous esteem in the eyes of man – and quite often, much greater esteem than it deserves.

Some believe that Science will solve every ailment and problem. They say we are close to discovering the secret of immortality and those who can afford the treatment may soon be able to prolong their life indefinitely. Babies may soon be born with built-in immunity to diseases. High blood pressure, diabetes and even cancer may be eliminated in time to come. In such an environment some will wonder whether God and His Word are still relevant. Who needs them when Science can do everything for us?

But the truth of the matter is that Science is meant to serve God and bring glory to Him. It was not man's invention but the product of man's obedience to God's command to subdue the earth and to exercise dominion over creation. Soon after Adam was created, the Lord brought the animals and birds to him (Genesis 2:19). And Adam named all of them probably according to what he observed in them. This was how science began – as man's attempt to observe, classify, analyse, understand, and explain in detail the operation of the universe and its inhabitants. This knowledge is then used by man to improve his life, to harness all the properties of creation for his own benefit, and ultimately for God's glory.

The Bible Provides the Basis for Science

Psalm 8:6 records the divine mandate that God gave to man: "Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet" Every marvel of science that we learn about through subduing the earth shows us how great God really is. This is why the psalm begins and ends with the words – "O LORD our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth!"

At the same time, Science ought to make us realise how small we are. Psalm 8:3, 4 – "When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that Thou visitest him?" From this we see that Science will tend to produce humility rather than pride. This has been amply demonstrated in the lives and testimonies of many godly scientists.

Johann Kepler (1571-1630), the founder of physical astronomy, wrote "Since we astronomers are priests of the highest God in regard to the book of nature, it befits us to be thoughtful, not of the glory of our minds, but rather, above all else, of the glory of God."

John Ray (1627-1705), the father of English natural history who was the greatest zoologist and botanist of his day, wrote a book entitled, "The wisdom of God Manifested in the Works of Creation." Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1778), the father of biological taxonomy, attempted to delineate the original "kinds" of Genesis 1:11, 12,21 and 25. This gave rise to his system of classification which is still in use today. He firmly believed in the Genesis account as literal history.

Michael Faraday (1791-1867), the great physicist who developed the foundational concepts of electricity and magnetism, was active in the various ministries of his church and had an abiding faith in the Bible and in prayer. Charles Babbage (1792-1871), the founder of computer science who developed information storage and retrieval systems, was also a Christian with strong convictions. He wrote an important book defending the Bible and miracles. John Dalton (1766-1844), the father of atomic theory, was an orthodox, Bible-believing Christian.m Werner.

Von Braun (1912-1977), the father of space science, wrote, "...the vast mysteries of the universe should only confirm our belief in the certainty of its Creator. I find it as difficult to understand a scientist who does not acknowledge the presence of a superior rationality behind the existence of the universe as it is to comprehend a theologian who would deny the advances of science."

The Bible Speaks Accurately Whenever It Deals with Science

We have seen that the Bible provides man with the very basis of Science, which is: To glorify God and to humble man. However, some would insist that Science conflicts with the Bible. They allege that there are scientific mistakes in the Bible, especially in the first 11 chapters of Genesis.

Although the Bible is not a science textbook it does speak accurately and authoritatively on Science. In fact, there is much evidence that the Bible is fully consistent with true Science. E.g. Job 26:7 – "He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing." When this was written about 3,500 years ago, many were mistakenly believing that the world was supported by a giant turtle, and others thought that it was carried on Atlas' broad back. The foundation upon which the earth rests is now known to be nothing.

Job 38:31 – "Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?" This refers to the constellation of stars called the Pleiades. But what does the 'binding' refer to? Photographs taken with the use of modern telescopes show the principal stars of this constellation as enveloped and "bound" together by delicate streams of nebulous matter. Job 28:24, 25 – "For He looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven; To make the weight for the winds; and He weigheth the waters by measure." The weight of air is known today as 101,325 pascals. The amount of water in this world was carefully measured by God. It is now known that the earth's water content cannot be appreciably increased or decreased without destroying life.

These are only a sampling of passages which show that the Bible is consistent with true science. However when people claim that there are scientific mistakes in the Bible, what they are talking about is not true science but speculative science. E.g. the Big Bang is a speculation about the origin of the universe. Evolution is a speculation about the origin of Life on earth. These speculations or theories are false science (1 Timothy 6:20) since they are based on the very unscientific assumption that miracles never happen. By this assumption anything supernatural or miraculous that cannot be explained without God's intervention must be rejected.

(To Be Continue....)

Adapted from Life BPC Weekly 8 Jul 2007.
Written by Rev. Charles Seet.