SCIENCE, THE UNIVERSE AND GOD
“The Church is in crisis. A large number of young people are walking away from the faith. They have bought into the narrative that the discoveries from science make belief in God unreasonable. When Scripture is understood and the discoveries of science are viewed through the appropriate lens, the insights from science provide powerful evidence for the Christian faith.” – Dr. Fazale Rana PhD, CEO of “Reasons to Believe”.
FIGHTING FOR OUR YOUTH
The Church needs to take action to defend our faith. Instead of putting up with universities and academic institutions discrediting us, we should equip our youth with the knowledge they need to defend creation. The popular Christian teachings on creation science fall short of this goal and leave our students unprepared. We’ve gathered insight and knowledge from top creation scientists who believe in the Bible. These scientists offer a fresh perspective on what the Bible actually says, and this perspective gives us the tools we need to win the debate for biblical creation. With this knowledge, our children can stand strong in the classroom, and we can better defend our faith.
God created everything, and He also gave us the Bible. Except for the miracles, science and the Bible are in agreement. Also, the miracles described in the Bible, like the sudden, supernatural appearance of life and the six days of creation, are visible in the natural world and science reveals them. Evolutionary scientists, however, have never provided a convincing argument on this subject, suggesting life could form from chemicals in a puddle—this idea is ridiculous. The Bible offers a much stronger argument. Psalm 19:1-2 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.” This verse encourages us to study the universe because the knowledge we gain will show us God’s existence. David also said in Psalm 8:3-4, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them?” The Bible encourages us to look and study the world, the universe, and the animals God created. We are told to consider them to discover God’s glory. Additionally, the Bible teaches that the natural world gives us so much evidence for God that nonbelievers have no excuse for their unbelief. Romans 1:19-20 says, “What may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”
Creation is a miracle
In the beginning, God created everything. God is eternal so it’s hard to believe He only began creating 6,000 years ago (some Christians believe this). Furthermore, some Christians believe He did all His creating in just six 24-hour days. Is the Church saying that God’s creative work lasted only 144 hours? That is what 6 days times 24 hours adds up to, literally 144 hours.
We know that God can do anything, and He doesn’t even need six days to do it all. He could create everything with a single word. But did He do all His creating that way? We believe the Bible when it says, “In six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them” (Exodus 20:11). We believe this but we face a big challenge reconciling this with the details of the natural world around us.
The Bible encourages us to study science to find evidence of God, but the natural world shouts at us. It seems to tell a different story than the six literal days of creation. It shows us that the earth is billions of years old and that life has been here for millions of years. There are hundreds of visual examples that point to the earth being much older than 6 or even 10 thousand years. For example, the cars we drive use gasoline, a fossil fuel made from the remains of plants and animals that decayed over millions of years. Diamonds form under pressure from dead things over billions of years. The white cliffs of Dover are 360 feet high and were formed from tiny sea creatures’ skeletons that piled up at the bottom of the ocean over millions of years. The fertile valleys where we grow crops all around the world, were shaped by erosion and decaying plant life that came together over hundreds of thousands of years. Ancient mountains, like the Appalachians, have rounded tops, while younger mountains like the Rockies are sharper and taller. These are just a few examples showing that the earth is much older than 6,000 or even 10,000 years.
The universe also shouts at us to let us know of its great age. When the Hubble Space Telescope focused on a dark spot and left its camera aperture open for 270 hours, it revealed 10,000 galaxies in that spot. The farthest galaxy was 13.8 billion light-years away. This means that light from that galaxy took 13.8 billion light years to reach us. We were looking back in time, closer to the beginning of the universe when God created the heavens and the earth. Scientists have called this the Big Bang.
How can our youth face the challenge of what seems like a huge contradiction between science and the Bible? This will help. The word “day” in Scripture is the word yom in Hebrew. It can mean either a 24-hour day or a long period of time. When the Bible says the heavens and earth were made in six yoms (days) it’s not talking about six 24-hour days or 144 hours but rather six (yoms) long periods of time. Each of these periods began with a supernatural miracle day of creation that came from God’s powerful words. Then there was a long period of time before the next creation day arrived. Understanding these six days as six long periods of time doesn’t contradict the Bible but helps us see how the Bible and science line up. This understanding strengthens our faith, helps our students understand the Bible and allows us to defend the Bible from a place of knowledge and strength. These ideas and many more are explained in “Science, the Universe and God.” God is the Creator of the Bible and He also created true science. Let’s shine a bright light and rightly divide the Word of God. Let’s help our youth keep their faith strong. Let’s give them the tools and understanding they need to defend their faith.
We pray our monthly teaching
devotional empowers & inspires you
to live a supernatural Christian life.
DR. PETER WYNS
Founder & President
Christian for Messiah Ministries
Pastor at Antioch International Church
Instructions in Righteousness is produced by “Christians for Messiah Ministries” (CFM). Dr. Peter Wyns is the President of CFM and the Head Pastor of Antioch International Church. He has served as a pastor for 54 years and ministered in more than 45 nations.
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