Read Hebrews 11:1

We’ve all benefited from advances in science.

Give yourself just one minute, and I bet you could easily curate a long list of how science has contributed to the well-being and progress of society: health and healthcare, agriculture, technology, communication, transportation, exploration, manufacturing etc.

Think about how much science has contributed to our present understanding of the natural world, our solar system, and the universe.

And we keep learning more!

Britain’s Science Council defines science this way:

“Science is the pursuit of knowledge and understanding of the natural and social world following a systematic methodology based on evidence.”

If you Google it, you’ll find slight variations to this definition – some more detailed, others more general – but I think you’ll find that all of them agree on what science deals with: the natural and social world.

And science has a process which you learned about it in high school called the “scientific method”. It requires observation, developing a hypothesis, testing, gathering data, and revising your hypothesis as necessary based upon what you learn.

And we’ve gotten so good at this, that sometimes what we thought we knew, we didn’t know as well as we thought, because we discover new insights and new truths, which revise what we once thought. It’s all part of the process. And we welcome it! Because we’re learning.

But I digress. Let’s get back to what science deals with: the natural world and the social world.

And that’s where if falls short in terms of the human condition. Remember, we are not mere physical beings. We are both physical AND spiritual.

You can’t rely on science for the spiritual part. Science can’t address the longings of your heart (Proverbs 13:12, 19). It can’t assuage the guilt you feel because of our sin. It can’t clear your conscience. It doesn’t grant you forgiveness. It doesn’t provide you with hope. It’s not a source of love.

Why rely on religion in an age of science and knowledge? Because science doesn’t address the essence of who we are. It can explain some of the physical part (though imperfectly), but it doesn’t provide a remedy for the heart.

Faith in Jesus does. He is our confident hope and assurance.

Everything that science deals with will one day be no more. But you, my friend, have a soul that will live for eternity.

It’s been said similarly before, if our greatest need had been technology or an explanation about the physical world, God would have sent a scientist. But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior.

Have you ever struggled in your faith due to the relationship between science and faith? What new perspective has faith given you? What all has faith given you?

David Lawson