Essay: Biblical Science, a Scientific Bible?

“The Bible is not a science textbook.”

This phrase is often used to argue that God’s Word should not be used as a tool for making scientific discoveries. The argument is that the Bible’s purpose is not to answer every possible question, but to point us to Christ and give us all the answers we need for a life of faith in Him.

There is truth in that.

But another statement also needs to be emphasized:

Science is not biblical interpretation. It is not science’s role to determine the correct meaning of the terms, phrases, or claims found in the Holy Scriptures.

Yet this is not always clear. Sometimes there is an assumption that the biblical account of creation cannot be taken as a reference for creation itself, the age of the earth, the origin of humanity, and so on, because scientific discoveries—when applied to biblical “metaphors”—seem to point in another direction.

But that is not the right path.

The Bible must be interpreted by the Bible itself, using the tools the sacred text provides. These are the instruments Theology uses in its work with Scripture. Therefore, it is not through specific scientific tools that we decide whether “day” in Genesis represents an age, or whether chapter 2 offers only an “idea” of how humanity came into being.

The same applies to other texts: whether the sun truly stood still in Joshua, whether the Red Sea truly parted so that the people could cross on dry ground, whether Jesus Christ was indeed both God and man, or whether His body and blood are truly present in Holy Communion. The tools used to interpret these texts are different. And so are the tools by which they are received in faith.

Neither biblical science nor a scientific Bible. Science and the Word. Both have their own place within the reach of human faith.

Each area works within their field, dealing with hypotheses, ideas, and reasoning—whether or not these are rationally supported. Explanations are built with the tools available within each sphere of activity. Theologians and Christians, therefore, should not look to science either for flaws or for support for their interpretation of Scripture. And scientists cannot interpret the Bible using tools that are not theological and exegetical.

The purpose of the Bible is indeed to point to Christ and His work of love for humanity. In all its accounts, it directs our eyes to the cross as the symbol and centre of faith. At the same time, biblical interpretation may offer different understandings in other areas—and it does. Science does the same.

And at that point, faith comes into play in determining which direction they believe is most faithful and important to follow.