GOD AND SCIENCE
Last Sunday, I mentioned that some people have a scientific nature and like to ask probing questions about the world around them. But, when it comes to matters of faith, those same people would put Jesus to a different test than they do the things of nature. Whereas there are scientists who hypothesize about how things operate in the physical world, they sometimes buy into their own speculative “theories”—hook line and sinker—but would not possibly accept Jesus as Lord and Savior based upon matters of faith. In other words, some have determined to reject Jesus unless offered irrefutable evidence with absolute certainty that He is God. Having mentioned that in last week’s sermon, I don’t want to leave you with the impression that all scientists are somehow atheists or agnostics. On the contrary, many prominent scientists are strong bible-believing Christians. That has been true in centuries past and remains so today.
In this regard, five of the greatest scientists since the 17th century were Christians. For example, Frances Bacon (1561-1626), the “father of the scientific method,” was a staunch believer. Johann Kepler (1571-1630), the great astronomer, was a devoted Christian. He developed the laws of planetary motion and was a pioneer in the methodology of calculus. Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) was a French Christian philosopher and writer. He also happened to be the inventor of the barometer and contributed to advances in physics, the applications of calculus, as well as probability theory. Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727) discovered the Law of Gravity, the three laws of universal motion, and made calculus the refined branch of mathematics that it is today. Newton was a strong defender of the faith and wholly credited God as the Creator of the universe and all its natural laws. From the field of medicine, there was Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) who pioneered the field of germ theory and made important breakthroughs in the sciences of chemistry and physics. Pasteur was a Christian who boldly rejected the notion of evolutionary theory and was willing to stand up against the criticism he faced for taking such a position.[1] In addition to this, did you know that the list of Nobel prizes winners in the sciences during the 20th century included a large percentage of Christians?[2]
Now how can we explain the fact that so many brilliant men and women of science have surrendered their lives to Christ? Well, they came to realize something. Their work in science taught them to appreciate the complexity, design and wonders of God’s universe. But more importantly, they began to understand that science is quite limited when it comes to answering the most important questions of life—questions like: “What is the meaning of life?” “What are we here for?” “Where did we come from, and what is our destination beyond this earthly life?” John Lennox is a professor of mathematics at Oxford University and is regarded as one of the world’s top authorities concerning the important interrelationships between science, philosophy and religion. He is also a devote Christian and defender of the faith. I love the way he puts it in one of his recent books: “. . . Even brilliant scientists can get things badly wrong. . . Outside his or her field, the scientist is just as dumb as the next guy.” Lennox continued by applying this conclusion to the opinions of one of the world’s most brilliant physicists, Stephen Hawking. Prior to Hawking’s death in 2018, he ventured from the field of physics and offered some very un-Christian-like speculations in the area of theology—a field in which he had very little background whatsoever. Lennox wrote this regarding Stephen Hawking: “A rather blatant example of this error [of a scientist straying from his field of expertise] is given by the [late] Stephen Hawking in his book, The Grand Design [in which Hawking denies the necessity of a Creator God]. [In his book, Hawking,] says that ‘philosophy is dead’. . . [and that] ‘scientists have become the bearers of the torch of discovery in our quest for knowledge.’” Reflecting upon Hawking’s arrogant assertion, Lennox commented: “I thought it rather unwise [of him] to say philosophy is dead at the beginning of a book whose main topic is the philosophy of science!” A scientist friend of Hawking added: “I [knew] Stephen Hawking well enough to know that he has read little philosophy and less theology, so I don’t think his views should be taken with any special weight.” This friend made the same point when he wrote Hawking’s obituary.[3]
My point in bringing all of this to your attention is that people do not have to leave their brains behind when they become Christians. While there are many unbelievers like Stephen Hawking, there is also an abundance of brilliant scientists who are bold followers of Jesus Christ. They are not afraid to stand up for Christ when other scientists oppose a Christian world view. Furthermore, these scientists for Christ have seen that the Bible is not out of touch with reality. On the contrary, God’s Word is far ahead of science in many ways. I thought about that when I was reading the Apostle Peter’s Second Letter in which he described what will happen at the end of time. In 2nd Peter 3:3-7, he tells us:
3 Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. 4 They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.” 5 They deliberately forget that God made the heavens by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. 6 Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. 7 And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed. (NLT2)
Then, as we continue in verses 10-13, we find:
10 But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment. 11 Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, 12 looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. 13 But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness. 2nd Peter 3:3-7,10-13 (NLT2)
There is an Old Testament parallel to this in the Book of Isaiah which reads: “The heavens above will melt away and disappear like a rolled-up scroll. The stars will fall from the sky like withered leaves from a grapevine, or shriveled figs from a fig tree.” Isaiah 34:4 (NLT2)
When we consider the magnitude of destruction that Peter and Isaiah speak of here, it is almost unimaginable. What they both are saying is that, at the end of time, everything will be obliterated—that means the entire universe. According to the best estimates of scientists, the universe at present spreads out for 10 billion light years in all directions and contains over 200 billion galaxies. Can you conceive of that?—something as vast as the universe suddenly coming to an end? And yet, the Bible says that the vastness of the universe will simply dissolve “with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire.” Apparently, all this will happen in but a moment. Is that physically possible—such an incredibly, enormous universe gone in an instant??!! What would a scientist have to say about these biblical predictions? Well, it depends upon which scientist you ask. But did you know that just as the Bible has its “end-times” prophecies, so too does science have its own “end-times” predictions. The problem is scientists can’t agree on which prediction is accurate. (That’s a surprise—NOT!) They offer at least ten or more different and conflicting scenarios to theoretically explain the universe’s eventual end. Some of these scientific theories have the universe going on forever, while other theories go in the opposite direction toward predicting its ultimate destruction. In fact, some of them sound eerily like what I just read to you from the words of the Apostle Peter and the Prophet Isaiah.
For example, take the end-times theory that is based upon what scientists refer to as a “false vacuum” and “black holes.” An article recently appeared in the International Business Times summarizing this theory in layman terms: “The false vacuum works on the idea that the universe is unstable—and that billions of years from now it will tip over and a bubble will appear a bit like an alternate universe. The idea was recently visited by a team of scientists that said if a mini black hole was inside one of these bubbles of true vacuum, the gravity of the black hole would shift the balance, causing the bubble to expand and consume the whole universe within just a fraction of a second.”[4] There is a competing scientific theory called “The Big Crunch Theory” described as follows: “The Big Crunch is based on Einstein's Theory of General Relativity. It says the expansion of the universe (from the Big Bang) will not continue forever. Eventually, it will stop expanding and start collapsing into itself. When this happens, it will pull everything in the universe inside it turning into the biggest ever black hole.” [5] Apparently, when this occurs it will be in a brief instant and the friction of all this matter coming together so quickly will create such unimaginable heat that everything in the universe will be destroyed in the flash of a massive fireball.
Hum. . . When reading either of these two scientific theories, it sounds a lot like Peter saying the “very elements themselves will disappear in fire,” and Isaiah describing it like, “The heavens above will melt away and disappear like a rolled-up scroll.” Now, I don’t say that to subordinate the Bible to science—quite the opposite. Rather, it seems to me that the Bible is “light-years”, so to speak, ahead of the scientists in giving us the truth about the ultimate destiny of the universe. The Word of God is not only true, it is the TRUTH to which all things must yield—including science itself.
Before leaving the scientific theories regarding the end of the universe, there is something else that is very interesting from a biblical perspective. Those scientists who oppose the Big Crunch theory do so based on their belief that the universe will continue to expand until it eventually rips itself apart in an outward manner. But all scientists are puzzled by evidence suggesting the universe is expanding, while conflicting evidence indicates that the universe is contracting. In other words, they can’t tell if the universe is destined to destruction by flying apart or by closing in on itself. What seems to be the common denominator for this scientific marvel is something they refer to as “dark energy.” One scientific publication explains: “Dark matter is usually all the matter in space floating about and is very difficult to see and makes up over 95% of all the mass in the universe according to scientists. The 'dark energy' may be the reason why the universe is expanding but scientists are still baffled by it because it has an effect on other objects in space. This unknown entity is widely believed to push galaxies farther apart, but it's only an assumption on this mysterious dark energy.” [6]
Isn’t that interesting?—scientists are baffled by this “mysterious dark force” that seems to be holding the universe together. Somehow, this “unknow entity” stands there preventing the universe from flying apart or catastrophically collapsing upon itself. But, for Christians, this is not an “unknown entity.” Nor is it a “mysterious dark force.” In fact, we know that He is not “dark” at all. Rather, the Apostle John tells us: “This is the message God has given us to pass on to you: that God is Light and in Him is no darkness at all.” 1st John 1:5 (TLB) Yes, it is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is the “Light of the World” that these scientists fail to see with their Hubble telescopes and vast array of spectroscopes. Jesus promises us: “I am the Light of the world. If you follow Me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the Light that leads to life.” John 8:12 (NLT2) Bible reveals to us the “glue” that keeps the universe from imploding into a fireball or destructively spinning itself apart. So what holds the universe together? The Apostle Paul answers this better than any scientist ever could when he says: 15 “Christ is the exact likeness of the unseen God. He existed before God made anything at all, and, in fact, 16 Christ Himself is the Creator who made everything in heaven and earth, the things we can see and the things we can’t; . . . all were made by Christ for His own use and glory. 17 He was before all else began and IT IS HIS POWER THAT HOLDS EVERYTHING TOGETHER.” Colossians 1:15-17 (TLB)
What unbelieving scientists see as a “dark energy,” those scientists who know Christ see very differently. Believers are like the Apostle Paul when he appeared to the “learned” men of Athens on Mars Hill. The Athenians had many statues dedicated to their many pagan gods. But just in case they inadvertently missed some deity with whom they were unfamiliar, they set up a statue in honor of the “Unknown God.” Listen as Paul addressed these Greek “scientists” of philosophy:
22 So Paul, standing before them at the Mars Hill forum, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious, 23 for as I was out walking I saw your many altars, and one of them had this inscription on it—‘To the Unknown God.’ You have been worshiping Him without knowing who He is, and now I wish to tell you about Him. 24 He made the world and everything in it, and since He is Lord of heaven and earth, He doesn’t live in man-made temples; 25 and human hands can’t minister to His needs—for He has no needs! He Himself gives life and breath to everything, and satisfies every need there is. 26 He created all the people of the world from one man, Adam, and scattered the nations across the face of the earth. He decided beforehand which should rise and fall, and when. He determined their boundaries. 27 His purpose in all of this is that they should seek after God, and perhaps feel their way toward Him and find Him—though He is not far from any one of us. 28 For in Him we live and move and are! . . . But now He commands everyone to put away idols and worship only Him. 31 For He has set a day for justly judging the world by the Man He has appointed [i.e., Jesus Christ], and has pointed Him out by bringing Him back to life again”—[as God did when He resurrected Jesus from the tomb.] Acts 17:22-31 (TLB)
Here, Paul told these so-called “learned Greeks” about the Creator of the universe, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Interestingly, the Book of Acts tells us that a few of these Greek philosophers came out of their “darkness” and believed in the only One who could give them true Light.
In closing, let me mention another learned man who accepted the Light of Christ. You may remember that last Sunday I mentioned many of us don’t understand the miracle of electricity and how it powers our laptops and smartphones. We have faith in the fact that laptops and smartphones work simply because we can see them working. While we may not know a lot about electricity, there is a man who does understand quite a bit about how electricity works. The man’s name is John Goodenough. He turned 100 years old last July. Most recently, he has served as a professor of mechanical science and electrical engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. Goodenough was awarded the National Medal of Science for Engineering in 2011. Then, in 2019, he won the Nobel Prize in chemistry for his development of those rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that power everything from your laptops to your cell phones. Notably, he is a devote Christian. He describes the night when, as a boy, he fully committed himself to Christ. In grade school, Goodenough had an English lesson about a poem, entitled, “The Hound of Heaven.” In this poem, the Spirit of Christ was pursuing the poem’s author until he finally submitted to Jesus as His Lord and Savior. The poem played over and over in Goodenough’s mind. He had been raised as a nominal Christian, but had never really given Jesus much thought. He told his father about how these thoughts about God were troubling him. He desperately wanted to know what to do about it. Goodenough’s father was supposed to be a minister, but his views were heretical—like too many pastors today. In fact, his father gave more credence to the psychological views of Sigmond Freud, than to the teachings of Jesus Christ. And so, his father showed him various pictures that depicted ancient pagan gods of the Greeks and Romans. Goodenough’s father then proceeded to try to sell his son a lie. And the lie that he told him was that “God” is nothing more than “man’s psychological need for a religious experience.” His father’s explanation greatly troubled the young Goodenough.
In his book Witness to Grace, Goodenough wrote: “That night I had a dream. In the dream, the [false] ancient images of [the pagan gods my father showed me] appeared one by one. In the dream, as each appeared, I cried out ‘That’s not God!’” And then, as the dream continued, Goodenough looked around. And there sat the hound he’d read about in the poem. Oddly, he could perceive a smile on the hound’s face. Goodenough goes on and writes: “Behind the smile was a warm light, and I cried out, ‘God is love!’ The excitement of this moment awoke me from my sleep, I jumped out of bed for joy wanting to share my discovery.” Goodenough explains: “I understood: ‘God is love.’ Of course that’s what [the Bible] says all the time. But it was the first time I experienced that love and I almost jumped out of my bed, I was so excited. . . The resurrection of Jesus, which transformed completely the thought and the lives of those who witnessed it, testified for me that the Holy Spirit [who] searches an open heart has the power and the love to free us from conformity and transform us by the renewing of our mind.”[7] Goodenough had accepted God’s truth—and so, rejected the lies of the world his father had told him. He understood what the Apostle Paul proclaimed when he instructed us: “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2 (NLT2)
Last week, I commented that you don’t have to be a “rocket scientist” to come to Jesus Christ. But, you don’t have to abandon your intellect either. So many people who God has blessed with brilliant minds have assessed the evidence and, in so doing, have come to Christ. They understand that science may be able to scratch the surface in understanding the nature of the universe, but God’s Son is the only One who can resolve the needs and desires of the human heart. Those scientists who know God, know something that their unbelieving colleagues have yet to understand. Believers know that, for those who puzzle over the universe, who speculate on how it began and how it will end, they don’t need to speculate anymore. For as wonderful as science is, the true answers to life lie not in mathematical equations, scientific theories or the unraveling of the mysteries of dark energy. The truth answers lie in the Person of Jesus Christ. We don’t need to consult science books to learn what holds the universe together. All we need to do is believe the One Book that matters most: The Bible—God’s Holy Word. Jesus Christ is God’s Word in the Flesh that dwelt among us.[8] He is the One the scientists, and non-scientists alike, must come to know in order to receive eternal life. Yes, Jesus Christ is the “Alpha and Omega”—or as Jesus said, using today’s language: “‘I am the A and the Z, the Beginning and the Ending of all things,’ says God, who is the Lord, the All Powerful One who is, and was, and is coming again!” Revelation 1:8 (TLB)
So, what’s the bottom line to all of this. Well, it doesn’t come from a scientist. Rather, it comes from a lowly, uneducated, but thoroughly faithful, fisherman by the name of John whose Gospel proclaims:
1 Before anything else existed, there was Christ, with God. 2 He has always been alive and is Himself God. 3 He created everything there is—nothing exists that He didn’t make. 4 Eternal life is in Him, and this life gives light to all mankind. 5 His life is the light that shines through the darkness—and the darkness can never extinguish it. . . 10 But although He made the world, the world didn’t recognize Him when He came. . . 12 But to all who received Him, He gave the right to become children of God. All they needed to do was to trust Him to save them. 13 All those who believe this are reborn!—not a physical rebirth resulting from human passion or plan—but from the will of God. John 1:1-5, 10-13 (TLB)
Scientist or not, this re-birth can be yours today! And if you repent and live for Christ, then here’s the part that is a promise to you. Yes, science does predict the universe is coming to an end. But the Bible promises that is not the end of the story. God’s Kingdom will never come to an end—for as God’s Word teaches, it is only this fallen world and the surrounding physical universe that will pass away. God has major plans for those in Christ—plans that extend eternally far beyond the demise of this sinful world! God has something so much better in store for those who are in Christ. In the Book of Isaiah, God promises: “I am making a New Earth and New Heavens. The events of the past will be completely forgotten.” Isaiah 65:17 (TEV) And Revelation 21:1 adds: “Then I saw a New Heaven and a New Earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared.” (NLT2) The Apostle Peter echoes this in saying: “We wait for what God has promised: New Heavens and a New Earth, where righteousness will be at home.” 2nd Peter 3:13 (TEV)
That place where the righteous will reside holds a mansion[9] prepared especially for you in God’s Heavenly Kingdom. . . THE KINGDOM IN WHICH JESUS CHRIST SHALL REIGN FOREVER![10]
Let us pray.
Darvin Satterwhite, Pastor
Forest Hill Baptist Church
January 22, 2023
©2023 All Rights Reserved as follows:
Anyone is at liberty to use this sermon or any portions thereof for educational or religious purposes, with or without credit. The pastor believes the material presented herein to be true to the teaching of Scripture, and desires to further, not restrict, its potential use as an aid in the study of God’s Word. The publication of this material is a grace ministry of Forest Hill Baptist Church in Louisa, Virginia.
[1] Robert Driskell, “8 Famous Scientists Who are Christian,” What Christians What to Know, https://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com.
[2] Lennox, John C. Can Science Explain Everything? Good Book Company: India, (2019) p. 17. (Overall, 72.5% of the winners in the field of chemistry were followers of Christ—65.3% in physics, 62% in medicine, and 54% in economics.)
[3] Lennox, pp. 26-27.
[4] Hannah Osborne, “How will the universe end? Top theories about the ultimate fate of the cosmos,” International Business Times, https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ (August 15, 2015).
[5] Ibid.
[6] “The Big Crunch Theory,” Hubpages, https://discover.hubpages.com (April, 27, 2019).
[7] “Winners of this Year’s Nobel Prizes Follow Jesus,” Eternity News, https://www.eternitynews.com.au/ (October 14, 2019).
[8] John 1:14 “The Word became a human being and, full of grace and truth, lived among us. We saw His glory, the glory which He received as the Father’s only Son.” (TEV)
[9] John 14:2 “In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” (NKJV)
[10] Revelation 11:15 “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever.’” (KJV)
