Q&A: Faith in God vs. Science

Question: I have heard a lot about bad or fake science. I thought science was the one nonpartisan thing a person could believe in. Can you explain faith in science vs. faith in God?

Science starts with the theory that can either be proven or disproved by observation, identification and experimental investigation in order to explain various phenomenon. Science is a building block method that can end with a discovery that causes a better understanding of man and the natural universe. It represents man's constant search through attained knowledge to make life better. Advances in science demonstrate the incredible reach of human logic and imagination. An example of this is to contemplate that in 1903, the Wright brothers flew the first powered aircraft one hundred and twenty feet in twelve seconds. Then, only sixty six years later, man walked on the moon!

However, a Christians belief in God is very different from our belief in science. We should have complete faith in God and respect for science. God is eternal and perfect. Science is mortal and can be imperfect. Science can improve and extend life, but only God can help us in our day to day trials and give us eternal life.

We were created as mortals by an eternal God. We will receive the gift of immortality through faith in the redemptive power of Christ crucified. This is something that science will never be able to do. Because science exists, it is proof that God has allowed science to help us in small ways to live more comfortably in a fallen world. Once God returns to the earth, there may be no more need for science (Revelation 21:1-5). Scripture does not tell us anything about the role of science in the Ages to come as God will provide for all our needs, both physical and psychological.

Science is a study of what can be seen or physically tested. God, as spirit, is unseen and so unquantifiable. We can have faith in Christ and the promises He made concerning salvation and life after death. We can have faith in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that He will give us daily guidance. And, we have faith in Christ and the promise He made to us concerning life after death. Jesus rose bodily from a public execution and burial to prove that He could deliver on His promises. Our faith in God can and should be absolute as He is perfect, all powerful, omnipotent, omniscient and our eternal Creator. Our belief in science should be intellectual, situational and nothing more or less. Generally speaking, while we can rely on science to solve many problems, science has proven it can make mistakes. On the other hand, God through Scripture is never wrong. If we put all our faith in science, we then become totally dependent on a purely physical system that is designed and controlled by mankind. And mankind, by his innate nature, is sinful, limited and mortal.

However, this will be the philosophy of the Antichrist when He rises as the New World Leader. He will cause mankind to question their faith in God (Revelation 13:6). He will put forth the proposition that Mankind would be better off relying totally on their own abilities through modern science and technology. This belief will be greatly augmented by the seemingly miraculous advances brought about by the use of AI. That is, that the earth would be better off under the leadership of a known man as opposed to an unseen God. In other words, man becomes his own god through attained knowledge. This then is the "Great Lie" prophesied by Paul and John (Genesis 3:5; II Thessalonians 2:11; Revelation 13:3-4).

We should not fear truth, so there is no need to fear good science. As previously stated, science starts with a theory. However, if a theory is not supported by truthful facts, then it should not be trusted. Conversely, a theory supported by irrefutable facts can and should be trusted. Learning more truths about ourselves and the universe should cause a person be all the more in awe of their Creator. Knowledge, gained through science, can help mankind combat hunger, disease, ignorance and misunderstandings that can lead to war. However, there is a grave danger when science holds a faith in human logic above faith in its Creator.

Science only has one issue with God and it is a reasonable issue. Science is built on facts that have been proven to be true. So, it is reasonable that science cannot interject God into an equation as God cannot be seen, tested nor is quantifiable. And, while the vast majority of scientists in America are Christians, they cannot allow their theoretical and experimental work to include the idea of God as God is Spirit (John 4:24). Still, as science comes ever closer to the moment of creation, they see a dead end looming in the distance. While they can rationally theorize that creation began with a few extremely dense molecules that ruptured and created matter, time and space, they are starting to believe that they will never be able to explain scientifically how those molecules came into existence. Thus, they currently refer to this conundrum as the God Particle. And we, as Christians, know that theses particles came into existence when the Word of God spoke them into existence (Genesis 1:3). Science will freely admit that while they cannot prove Scripture scientifically, they also cannot disprove Scripture.

So, we can say that good science is founded on a neutral staring point following a strict discipline regime seeking only the truth. And, that the ultimate conclusion of the experimentation process was based purely on provable facts and not the furtherance of an agenda. Interestingly, once a theory is published as fact, the scientific world immediately dissects the accompanying thesis in order to be the first to prove it is somehow flawed. In this way, the field of science polices itself using the most stringent of standards.

On a closing note, as modern science discovers more about the universe, they are forced to consider the theory of Intelligent Creation. The complexity and replication of DNA, the intricate innerworkings of the laws of physics and the harmony of a vast verity of harmonious chemical actions and reactions on the earth have all served to support the Bible's creation story. Therefore, Christians should have faith in Scripture and trust in science that is founded on irrefutable facts.

In short, Scripture tells us how things came to be and science tells us why. So, perhaps we should say that science is simply attempting to better understand what God has created.

"The truth of God ultimately unifies science and theology"