How Jesus Is Necessary for Science, Sartre On Atheist Hopelessness, and a Question About Jesus’ Upholding the Wicked
AN IDEA FROM ME
In order to engage in science, we must presuppose that nature is uniform. That means that the future will be like the past. So you can take the experiment you did today, and do it tomorrow under the same conditions, and get the same results. It also means that the conclusions you come to today will still be true tomorrow! The future will be like the past.
It also means that unobserved cases will be similar to observed cases. What does this mean? It means you don't have to test every single instance of something. If you drop a bowling ball off the top of 10 buildings, and it falls downward every time, you can reasonably assume that, if you drop it off of 10 more buildings, it's still going to fall.
The Bible reveals all this. And yet, recall that the very same Bible also reveals that it is by Jesus Christ that God holds the world together and makes things happen the way he wants. In him all things consist (Col. 1:17). So Jesus Christ is the ontological "glue" that keeps the cosmos from breaking apart and turning to dust, Thanos-style.
Jesus, who holds the cosmos together, is the same one who earned the right to do so, by dying on the cross and conquering death. In doing this he perfectly obeyed his Father and became heir of the world (Heb. 1:2), possessing all authority in the heavens and on the earth (Matt. 28:18).
So here's the point: Uniformity in nature makes sense in the Christian worldview, with Jesus at the helm of the cosmos. Uniformity in nature is necessary for science. So science needs Jesus.
From The Think Institute’s guide, “Is There a Conflict Between Science and Christian Faith?” Get your free PDF download here.
A QUOTE FROM SOMEBODY ELSE
“If God does not exist… man is in consequence forlorn, for he cannot find anything to depend upon, either within or outside himself.”
—Jean-Paul Sartre, atheist existentialist(!)
ALERT: I found this quote while preparing for a debate this Monday alongside Alexx “Triple X Medeiros” on the question, “Is God Necessary for Knowledge?” The debate is scheduled for Monday, March 10, at 8:15 p.m. CST, and you can watch it on The Think Institute’s channel here.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
The Bible teaches that Jesus “upholds the universe by the word of his power” (He 1:3) and that “in him all things hold together” (Cl 1:17). The Bible also teaches that He “hates the wicked and the one who loves violence” (Ps 11:5). So why do you think Jesus allows the wicked to continue existing? Why not just “wipe out” all wicked people in an instant? What do you think?
Blessings,
Joel Settecase
President, The Think Institute
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