Many unbelievers claim that faith in God and belief in the Bible are incompatible with science.
Conversely, some reborn believers contend that the Biblical descriptions of creation nullify the need for scientific theories about how and when the world came to be.
Both sides are basing their arguments on incomplete data.
Scientists have yet to discover and fully understand the science God built into the natural world.
The Bible describes the creation events in simple terms, with few details about how, when, or why they occurred.
Bible And Science Harmony
Only God knows how he created the world and its inhabitants. He alone understands how species propagated, both at creation and after the Big Flood. Only he knows how long it took for the world to reach its current state.
The God who created the universe and brought forth life is the same person who inspired the Bible writers. His internal consistency prevents him from revealing one version of world history through Scripture and a conflicting version through science.
We can, therefore, conclude that the Bible and science are ultimately harmonious.
Simplicity Suited God’s Purpose
God knew the Bible would be read for thousands of years by disparate people groups with varying degrees of scientific knowledge. Technical details about the creation events would have overwhelmed most readers, even today.
God’s primary purpose for the Bible was to reveal himself, present his salvation plan, explain the state of the world, and map out the future. Simple descriptions of the creation events were sufficient for this purpose.
Simple But Accurate
The Bible describes many aspects of the natural world in simple terms. These descriptions are common knowledge today, thanks to modern science and space exploration, but their accuracy was unknown for millennia.
Here are a few examples of these natural facts and the corresponding Bible verses.
- The earth and the human body share standard building blocks. Genesis 2:7. the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground
- The earth floats in space. Job 26:7. He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing.
- The earth is a sphere. Isaiah 40:22. He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth
- The universe is expanding. Zechariah 12:1 The LORD, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the human spirit within a person
- Individual stars are unique. 1 Corinthians 15:41. The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor
We can infer from these examples that the Biblical descriptions of the creation events are also accurate despite their simplicity.
Sufficient Information For Faith
We will understand the complete compatibility of the Bible and science once we enter heaven.
Until then, God has deemed the Biblical descriptions of creation sufficient to justify our faith in him, which is his top priority.
He would have disclosed more details about the creation events if he knew we needed them to trust him.
Read How God Relates To The Scientific Creation Theories
God’s participation is implicit in the major scientific theories concerning creation—the Big Bang, the age of the earth, and the evolution of plants and animal species within kinds. The Bible indicates that humans are not products of evolution. God directly and uniquely created us. DNA affirms that he is the source of life.
