Has science outmoded the Bible? Some people think so. But those who know both science and the scriptures know that the answer is obviously no. When properly understood, the Bible has never bowed to any discovery of science.
We must remember that the Bible is not a textbook of science. It is a book of God to show us how to be saved. The Bible does not propose to give the scientific but the religious and spiritual answers to our questions. The person who tries to make the Bible a scientific textbook misunderstands it. The Bible’s chief interest is not in explaining the process of nature but in proclaiming that behind all existence there is a supreme power on whom the whole universe, including all humanity, depends.
The Bible deals with the ultimate questions of life that are beyond the realm of science: Who are we? Why are we here? Where are we going? Why is there suffering on earth? Part of the predicament of modern times is that we have cut ourselves off from the wisdom of the ages. We think, “What could Moses say to us? He never traveled 500 miles an hour. What could Jesus possibly teach us? After all, he never attended a university or even saw a television set.” Yet we forget that a man can hate his wife at 500 miles per hour in a jet airplane as well as at five miles an hour on a camel. The achievements of science have not advanced humans beyond our hatred, lust, greed, and the like. Yet the Bible, which deals expertly with such matters, has not been outmoded. Science and the Bible are not in conflict. They are companions in the truth. So by all means, listen to what science has to say. But listen also to the psalmist and the prophet and most of all listen to Jesus Christ. They too speak the truth.