Culture, Science and Faith

A. The Compatibility of Science and the Bible.

1. God as the Creator of the Universe

·      Genesis 1: 1: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

·      Genesis 1: 31: “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”

·      Psalm 19: 1: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”

·      Psalm 104: 24: “O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.”

·      Isaiah 40: 26: “Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power, not one is missing.”

·      Colossians 1: 16-17: “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

2. God’s Wisdom in Creation

·      Proverbs 3: 19: “The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding, he established the heavens.”

·      Proverbs 8: 22-31: “The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old. Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth… when he established the heavens, I was there, when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above…”

·      Jeremiah 10: 12: “It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.”

3. God’s Order and Design in Creation

·      Genesis 2: 2-3: “And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.”

·      Psalm 104: 19: “The moon marks off the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting.”

·      Isaiah 45: 18: “For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited!): ‘I am the Lord, and there is no other.’”

4. The Laws of Nature and God’s Order

·      Jeremiah 33: 25: “Thus says the Lord: If I have not established my covenant with day and night and the fixed order of heaven and earth, then I will reject the offspring of Jacob and David my servant.”

·      Job 38: 4-7: “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding… When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”

·      Job 38: 33: “Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you establish their rule on the earth?”

5. Science and Knowledge are Not Opposed to Faith

·      Proverbs 2: 6: “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”

·      Daniel 2: 21: “He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.”

·      James 1: 5: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

·      1 Corinthians 1: 25: “For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

6. The Glory of God Revealed in Creation

·      Psalm 19: 1-4: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.”

·      Romans 1: 20: “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”

7. Human Understanding of Creation

·      Psalm 111: 2: “Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them.”

·      1 Timothy 6: 20-21: “O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called ‘knowledge,’ for by professing it some have swerved from the faith.”

·      Colossians 2: 8: “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.”

8. God’s Creation is Good and Sustainable

·      Genesis 1: 31: “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”

·      Psalm 104: 10-30: “You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills; they give drink to every beast of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches. From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.”

·      Matthew 6: 28-30: “And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?”

9. The Harmony of God’s Word and Creation

·      Isaiah 55: 10-11: “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”

·      Hebrews 11: 3: “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.”

·      John 1: 1-3: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.”