Welcome to Science, Scripture, and Salvation, a radio ministry of the Institute for Creation Research. In this program, we want to encourage you in your Christian faith by showing how scientific evidence supports the Bible, particularly the Genesis account. The book of Genesis lays the foundation for all matters addressed in the rest of the Bible. The nature of God, His sovereignty in creation, man's purpose, sin, marriage, family, and why we need a Savior are all introduced and explained in Genesis. When we see that the first and most foundational book of the Bible can be trusted in all matters, including science, it builds confidence in the rest of the inspired word all the way to Revelation.
Today's episode features Dr. Henry Morris III, CEO of the Institute for Creation Research. Here's Dr. Morris. Perhaps you will remember that little nursery rhyme.
Twinkle, twinkle little star. Remember it has the song to it and basically it's a I wonder about the stars. You're way up there so high, like a diamond in the sky. You remember the little rhyme, How I Wonder What You Are?
Now when you read the scientific literature, you get the impression that these scientists aren't wondering. They know what stars are. They have embraced this little glimmer of evidence in a vast black sea of mathematics, opine to one another, then pontificate to the rest of the world with firmly enunciated announcements written as though they were ex cathedra encyclical or something. speaking in scientific baby talk to the rest of us. One would confidently say such things like Since you see the billions of stars, the universe is billions of years old.
It's funny. No one has tested a star. No one has reproduced a star. Stars are not testable in the scientific sense of the word. The science of astronomy has certainly come a long way from the days of the naked eye, but we're still looking at stars and talking about stars.
We're not testing them. honesty would require an admission that the twinkle is still a wonder. Yeah, we've gotten pretty good at looking. Our telescopes are pretty good. Our mathematics are pretty good.
Even our sniffers are pretty good. But we're still not there. There's a number of scientific theories about the origin of the universe. A lot of different interests, of course. Nobody really knows how the universe began.
But there's a wide variety of ideas about the beginning none the less. Neither the most strict young earth creationist believer nor the most avid atheist knows how the universe came into being. All of these ideas are Extrapolations are concepts which are based on sets of data.
some that are observable, some that are measurable, some that are fanciful. Oh, you can find some big words. Parallax and light years and redshifts and pulsing variables and background radiation, trigonomic methods, and Einstein's theory of relativity. You can find all kinds of big words. But when it gets right down to it, you either have to believe something.
In the beginning God created, Or you have to believe the PhD, who says I know better. than the first verse of Genesis. One of ICR's main scientists, doctor Jason Lyle, has written a book called The Ultimate Proof of Creation. In it, he explores all the logic that's behind all of the great pronouncements of the scientific world. Number of interesting things that come out of this.
I'll try to put it in somewhat of a layman's term. We use specialized terms all the time, of course. It's really a favorite human trick. Plumbers use mysterious terms as well as scientists. Every profession has terminology that keeps the uninitiated out, The military loves its adjective laden verbs.
The government loves its acronyms. Technical description sometimes assumes a complete and comprehensive knowledge of the genre. My favorite is a computer manual. and the secret knowledge of the universe is certainly not confined to the mystics. I suppose you cannot eliminate all the specialized terms.
But it is possible to communicate without using language that only the specialized can understand. that is, unless one wants to show off or intimidate. In the theological world the tendency is to spout terms that only the theologians know. or to fall back on the grand old standard of the Bible languages. The effect is to dominate the conversation with a specialized awareness that.
forces the listener to give up or to acquiesced to the intellectual powers of the theologian. In the nether world of the conflict between science and theology, those who disagree with what the Bible says say quite plainly, One will often resort to Since I am a scientist argument. Yeah. Once again, this is the most prominent among those who call themselves progressive or philosophers. These books are loaded with technical terms.
But essentially one is faced with believing the writer of the book or the writer of The book. Faith and fancy are always in conflict, but true science always confirms the Word of God.
Now it's time for a short break. We'll hear more from Dr. Morris in a moment. The design of the human body inspires awe and fascination, and for good reason. It's made up of so many different parts and systems, all working together for a greater purpose.
Check out our book, Guide to the Human Body, to discover astonishing facts about the construction of the cell, the mechanics of hands and feet, and the incredible abilities of the brain. Published by the Institute for Creation Research, Guide to the Human Body will answer questions you didn't even know you had. How do our eyes give us sight? How does a baby take its first breath? What happens to the human body in outer space?
Guide to the Human Body's full-color images and easy-to-read format shows our amazing design points to the ultimate designer, God. Order your copy from the Institute for Creation Research by calling 800-628-7640 or visiting icr.org. That's 800-628-7640 or visiting ICR.org. Welcome back to Science, Scripture, and Salvation, a radio ministry of the Institute for Creation Research. Here's Dr.
Morris. Been talking about the faith and the fancy of things. God's words insist we have to trust His words. Scientists insist that we have to trust their understanding of things. But what are we to do with what we have?
How can we formulate a sufficient approach to knowledge? That will incorporate both the Responsibility to subdue and control our world on the one hand, and the requirement to trust and obey the maker of the world on the other. Just what is the nature of things? There can really be no question that God formed things in such a way that we can understand much of His nature from that which has been created. Romans 1.20 is the classic verse.
Even his power and his Godhead are understood by the things that are made. But what place do these things hold in this understanding of truth? Are we to gain insight into the meaning of everything from the study of geology and biology and physics and astronomy, etc.? Or are we limited to five? function and process.
What kind of relationship does the touchable play with the untouchable? When does the language of the heavens shape the words of Scripture? Which is more specific? Do they contradict? Which carries more weight when they don't seem to fit?
Now these are valid questions. They're really timely questions. Their vital questions are their answers. Romans 1.20 is a critical foundation for such answers. This is the specific authority for the role of the things that are made.
What does God's Word say? Creation reveals God's invisible things. Whatever it implies, it's limited to the attributes of God. It cannot mean the operational processes are a function of the creation itself. It's the creation that reveals God's nature.
Not the other way around. Creation reveals God's eternal power. This is not speaking of the power of the creation. It is the creation that displays God's power. The creation does not yield the secrets of creation itself.
God has specifically stated that what we see is not the forces or processes that He used to create. What is revealed is God's power. Creation reveals God's Godhead or nature. This is a very unusual word, and it's only used this one time in the New Testament. Similar word structured as an adjective is used in Acts 17 and 2 Peter 1.
All of these references describe the nature, the unique attribute of this Creator God. we might be justified in thinking of this term as the Greek equivalent to Trinity Another major passage is that beautiful song recorded in Psalm nineteen. We're told that God has created our universe in such a way that it speaks a language that is universal and timeless. But what does it speak? Does the language of creation tell us how it was made?
Does it declare the function and processes of its origin? No, once again the revelation of God is quite specific. The heavens are making a declaration of the glory of God. The speech of the universe praises God for His wonderful works. The language tells us of man's insignificance by comparison.
The heavens do not brag and boast of their self-conception. They do not write stories about their eternality. They Show the absolutely stunning handiwork of an omnipotent and omniscient Creator. The line and the words that the heavens speak of, and the strength and the stability of the Creator, are shouted in the incredible diversity of the wonder of God's design. They do not reveal the details of the formation or the time of their origin they do tell us of their function and demonstrate a precision that is far beyond our comprehension.
What about the living creatures of Earth? What do they declare? Certainly not the miracle of nature. Rather, when the ancient friends of Job attempted to confront him with the awesomeness of God, they used the creatures of the earth as a speech or a language, a way to understand something of God's nature. When God was confronting Job with the reality of nature, The lesson was not that nature was supreme, but rather that the entirety of nature depended on the Creator for its existence.
How, then, should we interpret Scripture? Given all that God has done to convey who He is and what He wants us to know, How should we interpret His Word? How can we with our fallen minds understand this holy communication? What method can we use that would bring us to the most carefully before his written word? Is there such a process?
Can the mind of man privately decide? May I humbly suggest that the best process is the one with the least human involvement. Surely the God of our salvation knows our limits. Surely the one who has caused his revealed word to be recorded knows how to communicate. Are we trying to foist a system on that which God has inspired?
Do we by our scholarship filter out the life of the Word? Are we by our science polluting the pure milk of God's food? given what we know about ourselves and about our universe. Can we give more respect and honor to God's word than to let it say what it says? Perhaps the best interpretation is the least interpretation.
Thank you for joining us on Science, Scripture, and Salvation, a radio ministry of the Institute for Creation Research. That's all the time we have for our program today, but we would love to connect with you through our website at icr.org. For over 45 years, ICR has equipped believers with evidence of the Bible's accuracy and authority by showing how science supports the Genesis creation account. Our scientists research the evidence for creation and communicate their findings through books, articles, DVD series, and conferences. Please visit our website at icr.org for more information about the latest scientific discoveries, to subscribe to our free magazine and devotional, and to locate our next creation conference at a venue near you.
All of this and more at icr.org. If you've enjoyed this podcast, subscribe to Science, Scripture, and Salvation on iTunes. Also, do us a favor and rate and review the show so that more listeners can find us. Thanks for listening and God bless.
