Does the Bible Contradict Science?

Does the Bible contradict science, or is the Bible confirmed by science? It depends what you accept as science.

Many people today hold to the misapprehension that the Bible contradicts scientific fact. The truth is that the Bible does not contradict true scientific fact. The Bible does contradict many unproven scientific theories (such as, the “Big Bang Theory” and the “Theory of Evolution”), but it does not contradict any proven, scientific facts. Does the Bible contradict science? No. As a matter of fact, the Bible offers some startling insights into science, which go well beyond what the ancients are known to have achieved.

In Isaiah 40:22, the text says, “It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the Earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in.” Written some 600 years before Christ, these words seem to suggest that, at a time when the rest of the world believed that the Earth was a flat, disc-shaped object, the Lord revealed to Isaiah that it is, in fact, a round, spherical object. About 100 years after Isaiah, Greek philosophers were the first to propose that the Earth is round, but it would not be until the Middle Ages that the idea would widely be accepted. Does the Bible contradict science? No. In fact, the Bible was ahead of time.

In Jeremiah 33:22, the text says, “As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister to me.” This reference is just one of many, which document the innumerability of the stars in the night sky (cf. Genesis 15:5; 22:17; 26:4). Ancient astronomers did try to count the stars, and they made some amazing astronomical observations with only their unaided eyes. Such accountings of the stars typically numbered a few thousand, but when the telescope was invented, in the 1600’s, scientists realized that the actual number of stars was far greater than that. To this day, it is not known exactly how many stars there are in our own galaxy, but estimates range from 200 to 400 billion. Furthermore, it is estimated that there are over 170 billion galaxies in the known universe, making the total number of stars in the sky impossible to accurately calculate. Does the Bible contradict science? No. Once again the Bible was ahead of its time.

In Job 28:25, the text says, “To make the weight of the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.” Today, it is known that the air in our atmosphere weighs 0.0807 pounds per cubic foot. That means, that in 13 cubic feet of space, there is about one pound of air. These scientific facts were not discovered until the 1500’s. Before that discovery was made, everyone thought that air had no weight at all. Does the Bible contradict science? No. God revealed that scientific fact to Job long before anyone else thought of it. Once again, the Bible was ahead of its time.

In Job 26:7, the text says, “He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the Earth upon nothing.” Today, it is known that the Earth orbits the sun, in a roughly circular fashion that takes one year to complete one circuit. But, the ancients did not know that. Some imagined that the Earth was carried on the backs of gigantic animals, or that a giant man carried it on his shoulders. While some Greek philosophers theorized that Earth orbits the sun, it was Copernicus who first proved it, in the early 1500’s. But, God revealed this scientific fact to Job long before the Greeks came up with the idea. Does the Bible contradict science? No. the was still Bible was ahead of its time.

In Leviticus 17:11, the text says, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.” This passage demonstrates the scientific principle that blood is essential to life and good health. But, as recently as the 1800’s doctors would routinely bleed patients, thinking that they were removing toxins from the body. It was not until science proved the worthlessness of bloodletting that procedures changed. Once again, the Bible was ahead of its time. Once again, does the Bible contradict science? No.

Finally, in Job 38:16, the text says, “Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? Or hast thou walked in the search of the depth?” Here, the Lord revealed to Job the presence of freshwater springs in the world’s oceans. It seems that no one even thought that such things might exist, until they were discovered in the early years of submarine travel. Freshwater springs on the ocean floor can cause submarines to lose their buoyancy and sink. Within the last decade, vast reserves of fresh water have been discovered beneath the ocean floor and some scientists think that they might one day be used as sources of drinking water for humanity. Does the Bible contradict science? No. Again and again, the Bible is shown to be ahead of its time and confirmed by true science.

These examples are some of the best evidence that there is to show that the Bible is precisely what it claims to be. If anything, the Bible is confirmed by true science. The only question that remains is, will you do what the Bible says you must do to be saved?

Salvation:  Hear - Believe - Repent - Confess - Be Baptized - Live Faithfully