The Genesis Site - Science and Faith

Genesis 7

Face the following situation:

two men are walking through the mountains. Both are welleducated scholars. Both have their credits on geology.
Suddenly they have an unexpected good view on geological strata.
"Ah," says dr. A., "here I see the evidence of evolution!"
"Ah," says dr. B., "here I see the evidence of the worldwide flood!"
Who is right? Dr. A., or dr. B.?

What we are facing in the example above is the relation between science and faith. Ever since evolutionism became popular scholars did try to deny any relation between them. Science and biblical subjects had to be separated.
So science had to become "objective" and was telling the truth, not longer influenced by irrelevant doctrines. Instead of the Bible science became the new standard.

I do not doubt the objectivity of scientific "truth". As long as this truth is the result of scientific experiments - tested and re-tested, checked up and verified - then there is nothing wrong with it. However, science cannot say anything about God. There is no scientific experiment that shows the existence or non-existence of God. (Neither is there any experiment that proofs the existence or non-existence of free will.) There is another question: if human life today is the result of natural selection, based on surviving (the survival of the fittest), then how can men be sure his thinking can say something about truth? If "survival of the fittest" did take place, then our mind is formed this way that it will make conclusions that will lead to succes in the struggle for life. "Surviving" is the truth, and not things as wisdom, good or justice.[1]

How objective can science be in matters of the past? Let's take a look at the geological layers again. What are they telling us? Well, nothing in fact! Perhaps they tell us some kind of accident took place once, when they were formed. Or perhaps they were laid down layer by layer through the ages by rising and falling seawaterlevel. Perhaps they were clotted together when the earth was formed and still was a protoplanet.
Perhaps they were laid down this style by creation because the Creator wanted to give us something to argue about. Perhaps they are the debris of Lemuria that might have been destroyed once by enormous volcanic eruptions before it sunk into the sea, causing disastrous worldwide tidalwaves.

So, while the rocks themselves don't speak, we are going to interpret. We build a theory on how it became possible that we see what we see. We are going to build a model of the past. Or we fall back on an existing model. Or we are going to read old stories of cataclysms. Or we just accept what we learn at school. It is easy to accept what others have accepted, without thinking of any foundation.

While the rocks don't speak, they cannot proof anything. And that's where faith jumps in. How do we know what the rocks are telling? Exactly: because our faith tells us so. Our interpretations of things we do not know (in the example: the history of the past) are based on our faith. That is true as well for the creationist as for the evolutionist. Only faith gives us the evidence we are looking for. That's just what Hebrews 11:1 is telling us:

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

To make this verse more understandable I do like to give you two more translations:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the sign that the things not seen are true.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

The word "assurance" or "substance" is a translation of the Greek word "hu'postasis". It means something that is placed below: the substructure, the foundation. Or steadfastness.
The word "conviction" or "evidence" is translated from the Greek word "'elegchos". It is derived from the word "e'legcho", meaning "to convince" or "to expose". It goes even further than just "to convict". It includes a sense of shame on the person who is convicted or reproved. Think a moment about this! In fact it says that the person who feels ashamed could have known better: there is no excuse! It's just what Paul said in Romans 1:20:

For from the creation of the world the invisible things of Him are clearly seen, being understood through the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.

So faith is the evidence of the things that are not seen. We have not seen the past and we only can interpret what might have happened. We can only interpret the results of scientific research. So we conclude science here is subject to faith. But faith itself is not a standard too. Faith is a gift (see Romans 12:3) and in this way subject to the one from who we receive it. That is why we have to face such divergent versions of our past: not everybody is receiving his faith from the same God.

Faith is a gift, but we have to choose who is giving us this gift. So it's time to make up our mind. While Jesus said: I am the way, and the truth, and the life (John 14:6) we might consider the relevance of this words.
As we accept Him as our Lord we might even be able to see what the geological strata are really telling us about our past.
 
[1] Professor David F. Horrobin, Science is God. (in Dutch: De moderne god heet wetenschap.)

Used Strong numbers:
1650 - evidence, reproof
1651 - convince, convict, reprove, expose
5287 - substructure, foundation, steadfastness

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