ODJ: Faith and Mystery

January 28, 2018 

READ: Hebrews 11:1-6 

Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see (v.1).

Much of human knowledge rests on realities we cannot see. Most people understand this when it comes to faith in God, who “no one has ever seen” (John 1:18). But did you know this is just as true in the realm of science?

We might suppose science doesn’t require faith because so much of it explores concrete facts and the solid realities of our world, but that’s just at the surface level. Vernon Smith, a Nobel Prize winner who has explored such issues, explains that when scientists examine what material things are made of, they discover “there isn’t anything material there at all”. That’s because atoms, the ultimate building blocks of the physical world, sometimes behave like particles and sometimes like waves. Scientists don’t understand how both can be true, but both work mathematically. Because atoms are too small to be directly observed, scientists are limited to making mathematical descriptions, equations that seem to describe realities they cannot see.

So it turns out science and seeking to know God have a great deal in common; both are dependent on faith in “things we cannot see”. And one of the things we understand through faith is that, although we didn’t see God form it, “the entire universe was formed at [His] command . . . what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen” (Hebrews 11:1,3).

So when you feel overwhelmed by the call to faith (Does God really expect me to believe what I cannot see?), remember that faith isn’t unique to seeking God. You already believe in the atoms that comprise your life, even though they’re mysterious and invisible. And you can confidently believe in and trust the God who made them.

—Mike Wittmer

365-day plan: Genesis 44:1-34