Science vs. the Bible? Or does Science actually Support the Bible?

Sir Isaac Newton, an English mathematician and physicist, once said, “There are more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history” (Halley’s Bible Handbook, p.19).

It may seem odd to some people that a non-theologian and a man of science like Newton would express such faith and confidence in the veracity of the Holy Book since, to them, science and the Bible simply do not blend. They point out that what the Scriptures explains every phenomenon in the context of the power of the unknown, science makes conclusions from carefully tested hypotheses derived from a series of systematic procedures known as the scientific method.

Such perception – that there is no harmony between science and the Bible – is not by any means new. Scientist during Newton’s time criticized him for his explanation concerning the apparent irregularities in the movement of the planets. Newton’s conclusion – that God must be intervening every now and then to correct such irregularities – had been dismissed by his peers as a “desperate hypothesis” because it was “outlawed by the nature and principles of science” (The Story of Civilization: The Age of Napoleon, p 324).

Indeed many are inclined to believe that science and the Bible are irreconcilable and that once science reaches the “ultimate truth” it aims to discover, the biblical word would be contradicted and disproved. Even worse, there are those who have placed more confidence in science and have rejected the Bible as an obsolete, if not mythical, book.

So we ask this question: Is there really no compatibility between science and the Bible? Which of the two is more credible and can offer the ultimate truth? Before we make any sweeping judgment, we must first establish the foundation upon which each is based. What must we understand concerning the foundation of science? A chemist, John W. Hill, admitted:

“Scientists, like other human beings, use intuition and generalize from few facts. Sometimes they are wrong.” (Chemistry of Changing Times, p. 6, emphasis ours)

Science, it should be noted, is anchored on human experience and knowledge and, therefore, is subject to error. What further proves that science is not infallible and cannot be the supreme arbiter on the “ultimate truth”? In his book entitle. “Science, God and You”, Enno Wolthvis states:

“The history of science clearly shows that what is considered scientifically true today may not be so tomorrow.” (p. 47)

Hence, it is not an exaggeration to say that today’s scientific facts may be tomorrow’s myths. John W. Hill added that science, as a theoretical framework, is constantly changing, “ for scientific models are constantly being reevaluated and revised as new data is obtained” (Chemistry for Changing Times, p. 8)

What conclusion can we draw from the above statements about science? That science is not as reliable as others may wish or claim it to be. Science, as history attests, has always been subject to change and revision.

On the other hand, how dependable are the words of God written in the Bible? Jesus Christ, in His prayer to the Father, said:

“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” (Jn. 17:17, New International Version)

God’s word itself is the truth. Is His pronouncement true only for a particular time and does it change when circumstances do? Isaiah 40:8 states:

“The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.” (King James Version)

The words of God can withstand all scrutiny; they are error-proof and are surely bound to happen. How strong and powerful are God’s words? Christ said:

“I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” (Mt. 5:18, NIV)

Hence, God’s word is the ultimate truth. Unlike science which is founded on the uncertainty of human experience, the Bible rests on the unlimited power and wisdom of the Almighty.

The Ultimate Truth

How was it proven in the long history of man’s quest for knowledge that while scientific facts vary through the ages, God’s word had always confirmed the truth? In his book, “Why We Believe the Bible”, author George W. Dehoff notes:

“When the Bible was written it was universally believed that the earth was flat. It was argued that should one go too far toward the edge he would fall off. … Finally, Magellan and his men sailed around the earth and thus proved it to be spherical in shape.” (p. 49)

For hundreds of years prior to Magellan’s circumnavigation of the earth, the general perception was that the earth was flat. It was then accepted as a scientific truth despite the great strides man has taken in the fields of science since the birth of civilization. Only after Magellan sailed the seas was it established and confirmed that the earth is not flat but spherical in shape.

But do you know that hundreds of years before Magellan, it was already pronounced by God through His prophet, Isaiah, that the earth is round or spherical in shape? In the Book of Isaiah, this is recorded:

“It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth.” (Isaiah 40:22, KJV)

What else was accepted as scientific truth before its actual discovery and confirmation? Dehoff continued:

“The ancient Greeks and Romans were the most advanced peoples of their time, yet they believed that the earth was held in place by poles or by the neck of Atlas. Others believed that Atlas had the earth on his shoulders.” (Why We Believe the Bible, pp. 49-50)

The Greeks and the Romans of old had the most advanced civilizations during their time. Yet, they believed in something which today would be considered absurd, if not funny. But had the ancient Greeks and Romans consulted the Books of the Books, they would not have embraced such peculiar concept of the earth. The old testament book of Job, which Bible scholars estimated to have been written between 600 and 400 B.C. (New Bible Dictionary, p. 598), has spoken of this ultimate truth:

“He stretched out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.” (Job 26:7, KJV)

God had already stated before-hand what man discovered hundreds of years later: that nothing supports the earth contrary to man’s earlier beliefs.

What else was considered in the past as scientifically correct, only to be refuted by later research and discovery? Dehoff states:

“The ancients believed that there were only a very few stars in the heavens. In 150 B. C. Hipparchus said that there were less that three thousand. In A. D 150 Ptolemy said there were not more than three thousand. … After the middle ages and the invention of the telescope, men discovered that the stars are innumerable.” (Why We Believe the Bible, p. 56)

Did man need to wait for a Galileo to invent the telescope for him to know that the stars are countless? The Bible states the following:

“And as the stars cannot be counted nor the sand upon the seashores measured..” (Jer. 33:22, Living Bible)

What other scientific fact was established only after the telescope was invented by Galileo? Dehoff continues to say:

“Astronomers have discovered that there is a great empty space in the North. It contains no moving planets and shining stars. By turning their telescope to the South, the East, and the West, men may behold countless millions of stars invisible to the naked eye but when the telescope is set exactly to the North there is a great empty space. For this astronomers have been unable to account. They did not know until recently that there was such and empty space.” (p. 50)

Did it really require a telescope to know this phenomenon? The Bible offers this explanation:

“He stretch out the north over empty space.” (Job 26:7, KJV)

Again, God had spoken of the ultimate truth long before man has discovered it.

Thanks to modern archaeology – another branch of science – many people who used to dismiss the Bible as nothing but a book of magical tales are beginning to change their perception. Recent significant discoveries made by archeologists have contributed to the growing perception that the Bible is indeed the ultimate truth. The biblical account of the Great Flood (Gen. 6: 8), the reign of the great kings of Israel like David (I Sam. 16; I Kings 2), and the life of Christ(the gospels) were all confirmed to be historically true by these findings. A journalist, Werner Keller, who took interest in the results of modern science and research, said in his book, “The Bible as History”:

“These breathtaking discoveries, whose significance it is impossible to grasp all at once, make it necessary for us to revise our views about the Bible. Many events which previously passed for ‘pious tales’ must now be judged to be historical.” (p. 23)

In the face of all these data gathered through scientific research, Keller concluded:

“In view of the overwhelming mass of authentic and well-attested evidence now available, as I thought of the skeptical criticism which from the eighteenth century onward would fain have demolished the Bible altogether, there kept hammering on my brain this one sentence: ‘The Bible is right after all!’”(Ibid., p. 24)

Confirming biblical truths

So we go back to our question: Is there any contradiction between science and the Bible? We have shown you the many mistakes of science. However, we can say without doubt or fear or contradiction that as long as science arrives at the ultimate truth, it will always be compatible with the Bible. Science only confirms what had long been established as absolute truth through biblical pronouncements. Hence, as far as the ultimate truth is concerned, the Bible is supreme and is second to none.

What then should we realized now that it had been established that the words of God written in the Bible are the truth? The Scriptures states:

“But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble,and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation. … He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.”(Jer. 10:10, 12 KJV)

Everyone should acknowledge that there is one true living God who created the heavens and earth and who sustains our life and strength. What, therefore, is our fundamental obligation to Him, our Maker? In Psalms 100:2-3, this is written:

“Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”(Ibid.)

Reference:

Dehoff, George W. “Why We Believe the Bible”, 5th edition. Murfreesboro, Tennessee: Dehoff Publications, 1962.

Durant, Will and Ariel. “The Story of Civilization: The Age of Napoleon”. New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1975.

Helley, Henry H. “Halley’s Bible Handbook”. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1965.

Hill, John W. “Chemistry for Changing Times.” New York: MacMillan, 1988.

Keller, Werner. “The Bible As History”. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1995.

“New Bible Dictionary”. London: The Inter-Varsity Fellowship, 1962.

Wolthvis, Enno. “Science, God & You.” Grand Rapid, Michigan: n. p., 1966.

Published in GOD’S MESSAGE

January 2002