Science and faith are compatible in the sense that both are used to define and comprehend life. Many great scientists of the past were committed Christians, such as Nicholas Copernicus, Isaac Newton, Blaise Pascal, Robert Boyle, Michael Faraday, and James Clerk Maxwell. Copernicus even said: “It is my loving duty to seek the truth in all things, in so far as God has granted that to human reason.” Contemporary scientists who are also Christians include: Professor John Lennox (mathematics), William Dembski (mathematics), Dr. Michael Behe (biochemist), Dr. Hugh Ross (astrophysicist), Dr. Stephen C. Meyer (geophysicist and college professor), Dr. Titus Kennedy (archaeologist), and Dr. James Tour (chemist and nanotechnologist). These scientists and many more demonstrate that faith in the God of the Christian Bible is reasonable as well as remarkable, and is based on objective, historical, and archaeological evidence.

This is my favorite quote by Professor John Lennox: “Faith is not a leap in the dark; it’s the exact opposite. It’s a commitment based on evidence …. It is irrational to reduce all faith to blind faith and then subject it to ridicule. That provides a very anti-intellectual and convenient way of avoiding intelligent discussion.”

Believing in a supernatural dimension is not like believing in magic or fairy tales; it’s more like believing in something greater than myself that promotes concepts such as beauty, friendship, romantic love, courage, justice, and goodwill.

Was Jesus God or Just a Man?

When pondering the question of the deity of Jesus, a person may need to consider the possibility that another reality exists beyond the natural world. This is where faith comes in, reasonable, logical faith is not blind faith.

My faith is grounded in extra-Biblical evidence that Jesus Christ was a real person who existed during the first century. Tacitus and Suetonius were two Roman historians who wrote in 100 A.D. about a man named Jesus who lived in Palestine. Josephus was a Jewish historian who wrote extensively about the history of the Jewish people. He wrote that Jesus was known for working miracles, that Pilate had Him crucified, and that many people followed Him after his crucifixion.

When it comes to the choice of whether a person should believe in miracles, it would be helpful to realize that proof of them is not required. If someone could prove a miraculous event occurred, then it would not be a miracle! Even scientists rarely prove anything; instead, they assert hypotheses and perform experiments and observations to refute contradictions to their claims, and they provide supporting evidence for the validity of their claims. [1]

Consider the “Trilemma” argument for the deity of Jesus that atheist-turned-Christian author C.S. Lewis proposed in his book “Mere Christianity”. “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice.”

Lewis argues that if Jesus claimed He was God and knew He was not, then He was a Liar. Throughout His life on Earth, Jesus never exhibited any behavior that liars exhibit. Everything written about Him described Him as being a kind, good, loving, honest, and sacrificial person. Lewis puts forth the question: “Did Jesus only think He was God?”. Again, nothing written about Jesus suggests that He was insane. Instead, volumes have been written about His wisdom, love, authority, and compassion. These are not the qualities of an insane person. Finally, Lewis asks: “Is Jesus Christ Lord?” People must decide the question of the deity of Christ for themselves. Hopefully, after considering all the evidence of the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, they will be convinced that He is Lord of all! [2]

Another great author who is also a former atheist is J. Warner Wallace. In his book “Cold Case Christianity,” he presents evidence for the resurrection of Jesus using the same tactics that detectives use when investigating crimes that have “gone cold.” This book can give people confidence in the truth of the gospels. For a more in-depth explanation of this topic, please visit: Spiritual Beings.

References

1. Do Supernatural Events Exist?

2. Jesus — Liar, Lunatic, Lord