Science has explained the universe — there’s no need for ‘God did it.
The Devotional Answer
The devotional truth is that science and God are not competing explanations for the same things. Science is the study of God’s creation—it describes the how of the universe (the processes, the laws, the mechanisms). God is the Ultimate Cause—He answers the why of existence (the source, the purpose, the meaning).
When a scientist discovers a new law of physics, they are not displacing God; they are simply charting another region of God’s ordered mind. If God is the architect of a beautiful building, the scientist is simply the inspector who discovers and marvels at the blueprints.
Your faith assures you that the more you learn about the complexity and fine-tuning of the cosmos, the more profound your worship of the intelligent Creator should become.
The Simple Answer
The statement confuses a description of process with an explanation of origin.
Science Explains the Secondary Causes (The "How"): It can explain how gravity works, how stars burn, and how a cell divides. This is its strength.
Theology Explains the Primary Cause (The "Why"): Science cannot answer the fundamental question: Why is there something rather than nothing? Who created the laws of physics? Where did the energy and matter for the Big Bang come from?
The Christian faith does not use God to fill the gaps in our current knowledge (the "God of the Gaps"); rather, we believe God is the necessary foundation for all knowledge and existence, including the laws that science studies.
The Deeper Dive
The most profound scientific discoveries, like the Big Bang and the fine-tuning of the universe, actually point away from the idea that the universe is just a random, eternal accident.
1. The Need for a Prime Mover
The Law of Causality states that everything that begins to exist must have a cause. Since science now largely agrees that the universe is not eternal but had a distinct beginning (the Big Bang):
The Universe Requires a Cause: Whatever caused the universe must be outside of space, time, and matter—it must be transcendent.
Science is Limited: No scientific law within the universe can explain the origin of the universe itself.
This "Uncaused Cause" or Prime Mover is what Christians call God. It is a necessity of logic, not a convenience of religion.
2. The Fine-Tuning Problem
Science has revealed that the fundamental constants of the universe (like the strength of gravity, the mass of a proton, and the electromagnetic force) are finely tuned to an almost impossible degree.
If any of these constants were altered by a tiny fraction, stars would never form, carbon-based life would be impossible, and the universe would be dead.
This extreme fine-tuning points not to a random accident, but to an intelligent designer who set the rules precisely so life could exist.
3. Science as Discovery, Not Displacement
For the Christian, science is a tool for discovery of God's handiwork (Psalm 19:1), not a tool for God’s displacement. Many of the greatest founders of modern science (like Kepler, Newton, and Bacon) were devout believers who saw their work as studying the details of the Creator's master plan.
God's Assurance
God assures you that His power and intelligence are clearly visible through the very nature and order of the cosmos that science investigates.
"For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." — Romans 1:20 (NIV)
You are assured that the evidence for God is not hidden; it is written directly into the fabric of the universe you see every day.
Your Takeaway Thought
Do not fear scientific inquiry. See science and faith as two complementary ways of arriving at truth. When you read a scientific account of how the universe works, use it as a prompt to worship the omnipotent Creator who set those laws in motion. The scientific discovery of the mechanism only deepens the mystery and majesty of the ultimate source.
