Exploring Psalm 119 from a scientist’s perspective: introduction part 5 

Peter Gray-Read BSc MSc
 

SCIENCE AND REVELATION

These two arenas are the twin towers of our intellectual life.  The secular forces have done their best to demolish the tower of ‘Revelation’, through propaganda, legislation, pressure groups and so called ‘free speech’.  The destructive nature of some so-called revelations and their ‘radicalising effects’ has also added to the distrust and possibly fear of religious structures.  Science/technology has made amazing advances: nevertheless there are very significant questions remaining which often get portrayed as trivial

The BIG question for biological science of course is: how did the sequence information get into the genome? 

For physics the question is: what makes up 80% of the ‘dark’ matter / energy of the cosmos and probably linked to it  …why are the (6) physical constants so exactly balanced for us to exist?

I would like to briefly open up the genome question and the inheritance of ‘life’, before turning to the Spiritual parallels.  The information in the genome contains much more than just amino acid sequences – like beads on a string.  If we are talking about ourselves for example the layers of information and the questions are almost endless:

How do cells know where and how to differentiate into nerve / muscle / skin / blood / bone etc.?
How do organs know when they are the correct size?
How does the body know the shape it should grow into?
How does the skeleton take the correct shape / size to make the 206 or so bones and joints?
How are instincts coded and expressed e.g. spiders building intricate webs?
How does consciousness arise and memory become stored?

All this information has to be available – there must be many more types of code than the basic three letter nucleic acid à amino acid code

In another scientific breakthrough which demolished a false conception the great French scientist and Christian Louis Pasteur showed in a landmark experiment that there is no such thing as ‘Spontaneous Generation’ but only LIFE BEGETS LIFE.  So to for Spiritual Life it has to be initiated by its author and then passed on by the ‘living word’ either delivered by preaching or reading the ‘word’ as the wind of the Spirit gives life.  Only God can beget spiritual life.  So 1 John 5:12 says:

He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life

We are born with physical life, but people can choose to abuse, neglect or develop their spiritual life.  However having made the choice, we are not free to choose the consequences so it is something that has to be made with great care. It is an onerous responsibility for parents, educators and leaders to give the next generation the information and opportunity to make an informed choice.  There are many stories in the Bible of people being presented with this choice – God even tells us what to choose:

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: Deuteronomy 30:19

A farmer is free to choose how to use his land but having planted potatoes he can’t choose to harvest grapes.  We must each take heed how we sow and what we sow

Hosea 10:12:  Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you

The Bible shows us that we do have a purpose and God is not an absentee landlord but one who expects a good harvest from the seed he has sown.  We will be held accountable 

 
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