Our Lord Jesus Christ told, while on earth, a story to a great multitude of people. That story had a moral which echoes throughout the annals of history. It concerned itself with two builders. One built a house on the sand near the shore of a stream, another built near the same stream, but dug deep so that its foundation was on the bed of rock far below. A storm arose and completely destroyed the house which was built on the sand, but the house built on the rock easily withstood the devastating blow. The moral obviously concerns itself with the question, on what do you build? What is your foundation?
This moral can be applied to various aspects of life. It can deal with a vocation, marriage, friendships, recreation, etc. In fact everything in life stands related to the question on what do you build? We always build. All our experiences are additions to the might structure of life. Basic is the foundation. We must build on something and everything we do contributes to our building. Thus the all important question, what then is your foundation?
We would relate this question to a specific aspect in this article. That aspect is the field of scientific ingenuity. We need not proceed to define for you what science is. We consider it in the common usage as pertaining to physics and chemistry, in fine all the skillful application of the laws God has placed in nature to the end that men produce great wonders e.g. medicines, electronics, yes even rockets and satellites.
Such science has a great place in the lives of men today. We cannot escape its impact. One reads it in the daily newspaper and magazines, hears it on the radio, sees it one television, discusses it at places of work, converses on the subject, and even not infrequently has to hear it from the pulpit. Men stay awake half the night to get a glimpse of Atlas, congressional committees interview leaders to see if we are gaining on Russia, children have directed their attention by some mysterious means from guns to rockets. So, the scientific craze has hit the U.S. Men stand in awe at the great power displayed.
We do not seek to be a prophet of doom. We care not to take a place with those who foretell great victory or defeat. Rather we are content to leave the future to our God. Nonetheless, there is a great danger lifting its vicious head above the laudable advances of science. That danger is inescapable. It always appears when great things happen. It is the danger of worshipping the creature. When Pharaoh’s magicians could reproduce the plagues, he trusted in them. Whenever a king could lead to victory, the nation would inevitably grow by leaps and bounds. People want to join the progressive. They want to associate themselves with achievement. During them idle ages and even today, if something great occurs in the life of some individual in the Roman Catholic church that individual is canonized, thereby becoming an object of worship. Great artists, authors, philosophers, inventors, and composers are all declared “heroes of men,” and if only one can be associated or connected in some way with them that is real living.
Today is no different. The “bandwagon” of 1959 is science. The aim of men today is to be associated with its advances. Science goes forth. It has the answers. It demonstrates its intellectual prowess. It will determine our future. If we advance fast enough, we will win over Russia, if not,?. Science literally is the god of the masses. Teach more science in our schools. Get children interested in its future. Train up a child in the way of science.
This is not true merely in the world of godless men. Sad to say that same spirit creeps into the church, and not merely modernistic churches, but also churches of Reformed persuasion. Science has done such wonders, has solved so many mysteries, accomplished such achievement, that science knows what it talks about, and in that way is worthy of great recognition. The danger is so real that men allow science to influence their interpretation of Holy Writ. That is obvious in the recent discussions on the length of creation days. Do we simply take the Bible, and in the light of its own interpretation, understanding that the Bible is the infallibly inspired Word of God, conclude that God created the world in six days? We must. Science says, no. Science has given its theory in evolution which teaches the gradual development of all things from a single living substance. Are we going to compromise now and say God created by means of evolution? God forbid. Men go to Scripture with the preconceived ideas of science and with the assurance that science knows what it is doing, interpret Scripture to harmonize with the findings of science.
That indeed is sad. What authority or power of existence has science, but that it derives it from the Word of God. Science as it exists in most schools today, completely isolates itself from that Word. As such it is foolishness. It bases itself on a weak foundation. It shall fall. Only science that subjects itself to the Word of God can ever endure in truth. In such a way, science has a place also in the lives of our young people. Never apart from, but under the authority of the infallibly inspired Word of God. You may ask, is the Bible then a textbook on which to base our knowledge of science? It is not a textbook, but all the fact of Scripture must determine the content of our conception in the scientific field. Scripture clearly indicates creation in 6 days, and such a fact brought to us by the power of the Holy Spirit, may never be denied no matter what science may say to the contrary. Science must harmonize with the Bible, not the Bible with science. The Bible is the only foundation for wisdom. The Bible is first and last, the sole authority of all truth.
Thus the application of Christ’s story. On which foundation do you build your life? Is the Word of God your only guild, or has the influence of modern science touched your life? The wise man builds his life and conception of truth on the Word of God which reveals Christ in all His glory; the fool rests confident in the laurels of science. The Word of God abideth forever, the foolishness of science apart from that Word shall come to naught. Be ye wise builders.

Originally Published in:
Vol. 19 No. 2 March 1959