The Bible, as originally given, is the inspired and infallible Word of God. It is the supreme authority in all matters of belief and behaviour.
When it comes to knowing the truth about reality, what do we trust above everything else?
For many people in Western culture, the answer would be 'science'. During the Covid-19 pandemic, we were urged again and again to "follow the science". In moments of crisis, it's scientists who are wheeled out on national news broadcasts. You might say that our society has made science its supreme authority.
In contrast, followers of Jesus know that science is not the final word on what is true about reality.
As Christians, we can absolutely affirm that science is an authority on truth. As the aphorism goes, 'all truth is God's truth' - no matter its immediate source. God tells us that He has revealed Himself in creation: 'For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made' (Romans 1:20). Scripture encourages us to use our intellect to explore the natural world in search of wisdom (see 1 Kings 4:29-34, Psalm 111:2 and Prov 6:6 for a few examples!).
But science alone will not bring us to a complete knowledge of reality.
Finding wisdom
The twenty-eighth chapter of Job illustrates this beautifully. It's well worth reading the whole chapter, but this snippet captures its essence:
'People assault the flinty rock with their hands
and lay bare the roots of the mountains.
They tunnel through the rock;
their eyes see all its treasures.
They search the sources of the rivers
and bring hidden things to light.
But where can wisdom be found?
Where does understanding dwell?
No mortal comprehends its worth;
it cannot be found in the land of the living.'
Job 28:9-13
No matter how much we uncover the hidden things of creation via scientific exploration, ultimate wisdom will still elude us. Especially in a world that is 'subject to frustration' because of the effects of sin, just looking at nature won't lead you to correct diagnosis of the nature of reality as created but fallen, nor to a restored relationship with God.
We might think of it like this: imagine you want to get to know an artist. You might spend hours poring over their paintings, considering the emotion behind the brushstrokes and the artist's choice of colour. But no amount of study will help you get to know them so much as sitting down with the artist over coffee will.
That doesn't mean looking at their artwork isn't valuable - it is! But if you really want to know them, the best way is to form a friendship with the artist first, then examine their artwork in light of who you know them to be.
If God is ultimate reality (see point one of the Doctrinal Basis), then to know ultimate reality is to know Him. The Bible, God's inspired and infallible Word, is His divinely ordained means by which we can come to know Him as He speaks to us through it. To open Scripture is like going for coffee with God. It's the basis for our friendship with Him.
The knowledge of God that we come to through His Word gives us the lens that we use to look at everything else - including science. That's what it means for the Bible to be our 'supreme authority'. It's not to say it's the only thing that tells us anything true - personal experience, empirical science, and inherited traditions all make important contributions to our understanding of the world. God has given us these various tools so that we would use them! But it's the Bible that sets our overarching picture for all of reality. It's through the lens of Scripture that we interpret everything else.
Words and pictures
Psalm 19 is an excellent model for scientists who want to live by the supreme authority of Scripture. (Why not pause here and read the Psalm?) The psalmist, David, pays close attention to, and delights in, how God reveals himself in both the natural world and the written Word.
But notice the differences in how nature and Scripture are described: the 'heavens declare the glory of God', but 'the law of the LORD is perfect.' Why the difference? As David reminds us, when the skies speak they 'use no words'. Creation displays God's glory in pictorial form.
Of course, you can communicate a lot through a picture - often with an emotional power that words lack - but non-verbal communication is by nature more ambiguous. Words are the most precise form of communication we have.
This explains David's joy when he turns to reflect on God's written word. In God's law, he finds the clearest and most comprehensive revelation of God. Scripture is 'infallible' because in it God has communicated who He is without error or ambiguity. It's this clear, verbal revelation of God which teaches David how to read God's glory in the heavens.
To return to our art metaphor, creation is the series of illustrations accompanying the book of God's Word. Or, the Bible is the artist's caption that instructs us how we are to interpret creation. The psalmist can rejoice in what he sees of God in creation precisely because he has already come to know God through his perfect Word. As scientists, we can read creation rightly when we come through the lens of Scripture. Only then will we have eyes for the treasures that God would reveal to us in his creation.
Putting it into practice
Before we conclude, let's apply this to a worked example. What would it look like to treat the Bible as our supreme authority when it comes to thinking about creation and the origins of the universe?
There are at least two wrong approaches we could take.
The first would be to take Scripture as the only authority, assuming science has nothing to say on the matter. You could construct a timeline based solely on your reading of Genesis, and simply ignore any challenges to that view that science might pose.
The second would be to take science as your authority over Scripture. You could form your beliefs about origins solely from the currently accepted scientific model, and write off the Bible as wrong or outdated when it speaks about creation.
A better approach begins with Scripture as our supreme authority. First, we establish a biblical lens through which to look at the issue. What has God made clear in the Bible? What is central to the gospel and not up for debate? The UCCF Doctrinal Basis might be a good starting place for this!
Next, we use that lens to look at the scientific data. What does current science show? How might God be revealing truth to us through this? How have scientists interpreted this data? Is there anything that seems incompatible with God's Word?
Now we come back to the Bible. What new questions are opened up for us? This back and forth movement between science and Scripture keeps repeating - but is ultimately governed by our biblical lens on reality.
As you can see, holding Scripture as our supreme authority requires more nuance than either of the other approaches. It will take more careful consideration. But ultimately, it calls us into a deeper and truer understandingly of reality with God at the centre - which is where true wisdom is to be found.
