God Speaks ScienceSample

CREATION, God’s First Book! Creation reveals things about the nature of God. God speaks through the cosmos. Creation is God’s first book. To read it we need science. Science is not the enemy of the Christian faith; it’s an ally! Jesus referenced creation in many of His parables and teachings. He taught that the Kingdom of God is like a seed, yeast, salt, birds, flowers, and the expanding nature of fermenting grapes. Jesus called Himself the light of the world, the true vine, a cornerstone, the root, and the bright morning star. Often Jesus used nature to nudge His followers toward spiritual understanding, suggesting they consider the grass of the field, the solidity of rock, the shrewdness of snakes, the innocence of doves, the humility of a child, the technique of hens gathering their chicks, the germination of wheat kernels, the way the wind blows, the constancy of the sun, and the indiscriminate nature of rain. On first reading, many of these nature references could be taken as mere figures of speech, but, if Jesus really is the one through whom all things were made, perhaps there is also a deeper meaning. When Jesus told His followers to “learn this lesson from the fig tree” (Matt. 24:32), was He cognizant of all the biological wisdom that went into conceiving that tree in the first place? In the gospel of John, we read that Jesus clearly knew where He came from (John 13:3). At one point He prayed, “Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed” (John 17:5 ESV). Later He prayed, “Father, I want those you have given Me to be with Me where I am, and to see My glory, the glory You have given Me because You loved Me before the creation of the world” (John 17:24). Jesus clearly recalled the pre-creation glory He shared with the Father. His miracles imply an ongoing connection to His pre-incarnate power. If Jesus could recall His pre-creation glory in these ways, could He also recall all that He knew about the nature of a world that was made through Him? Was Jesus aware of the particle/wave nature of light when He said He was the light of the world? Since Jesus knew that creation was made through Him, He would have known that “light” was made through Him, which gives His words a deeper meaning. Beyond being a good analogy, light is a good part of God’s creation, made to operate in a certain way, and reflective of God’s thinking and being. Of all created things, Jesus equated Himself with light. The Father, who knows Jesus best, has a full knowledge of creation. For us to know more about Jesus, we need to know more about creation. Science helps us get there. The Spirit who turns people’s faces to God is the same Spirit who hovered over the face of the unformed cosmos. The Spirit who inspired the Bible is the same Spirit who brought light to the universe. If we want to know the mind of Christ, we need to gain a deeper understanding of the physical nature of light (and of all creation). We need to read biblical creation references with the Author’s omniscience and original intent in mind. To do that, we need science. Take Action Christ speaks through the parable of creation so that, through everything, we can attend to Him and hear His voice (if we have eyes, ears, and hearts to see). The question is – do you want this? Do you want to know God in this kind of creation-attentive way? This question is crucial because a more fulsome experience of God can only come about through a more fulsome commitment on your part. And where do you find the heart for that? You ask for it. The next time a scientific truth catches your attention—via the news, through your work, or in your studies—stop and take note of how it makes you feel. Write that feeling down and ask how it makes you feel more yourself. If God made you to become more yourself (as you come to know God), then revelation through creation should help you know yourself more. As you begin to articulate the self-understanding that comes with this particular scientific truth, take note of any Bible passages or theological truths that come to mind. As they come to mind, let them shine a light on the creational truth you’re engaging (and vice versa). As the co-illuminating conversation unfolds, continue to take note of how you’re becoming more yourself.