Science & the Scriptures
Thesis Scripture must hold a superior position to creation in our lives because only scripture provides the interpretive framework necessary to rightly understand the natural world and our place within it.
The shape of the argument
7 units across exposition, application, illustration, theological claim, and conclusion. The pastor's argument is built from these moving parts.
- The Stampio Officio Stamp personal story · unit #2 — Oswald tells the story of a missionary in Zambia who used a fake Latin stamp to bypass corrupt bureaucracy, illustrating how authority symbols can be used deceptively to manipulate people.
- Science is currently being abused as an authority label to manipulate people into accepting ideas that harm human flourishing, just as ecclesiastical authority was abused before the Reformation. unit #3
- God has written two books: creation and scripture. unit #6
Full transcript
0 · Oswald introduces the sermon's theme—the Psalms and science—and frames Psalm 19 with C
If you'll open your Bibles this morning to the book of Psalms, we're in Psalm 19 this morning. Psalm 19. C.S. Lewis considered this to be the greatest poem in the Psalter and one of the greatest lyrics ever written in the world. Today we are going to spend some time thinking about a particular theme, and that is the Psalms and science. The Psalms and science.
1 · Oswald anticipates the congregation's objection to a sermon on science when they came needing practical encouragement, but insists on the topic's necessity
Now you may have come here this morning with marriage burdens or health burdens or financial burdens, or you may have come here just needing a pep in your step and more faith in the Lord. And so you might hear, we're talking about science today, Chris. Like, could we do something a little less esoteric? I'm just a guy who needs to be encouraged for another week at work. Well, no, we can't. We're doing this, first of all.
2 · Oswald tells the story of a missionary in Zambia who used a fake Latin stamp to bypass corrupt bureaucracy, illustrating how authority symbols can be used deceptively to manipulate people
Back in Africa, I knew a missionary. You know, when you meet these longtime missionaries in Sub-Saharan Africa, they've all lost their minds just a little bit. You know, after a few decades of malaria, you know, various things eating away at your brain and parasites and so forth, they're all a little crazy. And so I knew a couple there that he, this is one of the ways that I thought he was crazy. He would have his kids, he's from Texas, and he would have his kids mail him VHS tapes of the Cowboys games after, you know, after the season. So he could watch the Cowboys games sitting, you know, in Zambia, yelling at his TV, you know. One of the things that this guy did that was pretty funny, he was probably, actually he was probably 70 by the time I met him. He would have to go, when you're in Sub-Saharan Africa, it's a lot of bureaucracy. It's almost always corrupt and just massive delays and, you know, Byzantine processes and so forth. Anyway, so he got really sick of just all the corruption, all the bribe-taking and so forth. And this half-crazy Christian missionary had this idea. He ordered a rubber stamp and the rubber stamp had a seal and the words in the stamp said, stampio officio. Just made up a phrase that sounded kind of Latin and kind of important. Stampio officio. And what he would do is he would stamp all of his documents before he would go into the Zambian DMV. Yes, there is a Zambian DMV. Before he'd go into all these places, he would stamp them, stampio officio. So then when the corrupt bureaucrats saw the stamp, they assumed that he had paid someone above them to get things done. And so he wound up using this stamp to basically cut through everything. And as soon as he would walk into his space, he's the stampio officio guy. And he just changed his whole paperwork life. His visas got done faster and so on and so forth. So he, you know, the half-crazy malaria-ridden missionary was kind of lying, right? Fair enough.
3 · Oswald argues that contemporary culture misuses the label "science" as an epistemological bludgeon in the same way the pre-Reformation Catholic Church misused ecclesiastical authority—to silence dissent and impose foolishness on the public
But I want to suggest to you that it's important to talk about science because the world currently, the culture currently, is essentially trying to pull one over on you every other day by stamping something science. The most ludicrous and foolish ideas, the ideas most antithetical to human flourishing, ideas that don't even pass the basic smell test. If we just put a stamp on there that says science or studies show. So, this has become an epistemological shortcut. To get a bunch of people to just do what we want, we'll just tell them it's because of the science. Truth is, is we're in a moment where, very similar to the Catholic Church prior to the Reformation, people talk about the church needing to be reformed. I would agree with that. But I think that actually science is in desperate need of a Reformation. What was true prior to Luther's day was that you had a high priesthood people who were exceptionally educated and spoke in a language no one understood, and they used their authority to bully and lord over others and essentially assert their dominance and make their money in a way that made everyone else feel stupid and incapable of responding to their assertions. And so today, the high priestly class is not in the church. It's in science. And you need to be aware of this. This is not me painting all science with a broad anti-science fundamentalist brush or anything like that. You just need to be understanding that for the last, you know, X number of years, a bunch of the worst things that have happened to our society have been imported under the stamp of science.
4 · Oswald applies the sermon's relevance to parents: because they are responsible for their children's education, they must understand science biblically to guide their children properly
So yeah, I think it's important we talk about this. There's another reason why I think it's important. We at Providence believe that the Bible teaches that parents are fundamentally responsible for the education of their children. And whatever lane you take to accomplish that education, the buck stops with you. And you need, you are responsible for how your children are educated. And as such, you need to have an understanding of science as God would have you understand it so that when your kids learn to do the sciences, you have some clarity about what God is calling your kids to do. So yeah, we're going to talk about science today. It's a natural extension of Psalm 19, as you'll see in a moment.
5 · Oswald transitions into the sermon's first major section by introducing the theological concept of God's two books
But let me begin with our first point by saying this. Historically, theologians have thought that, thought of God writing two books.
Recent preaching context
The three sermons immediately preceding this one in the preaching schedule.
Discuss · apply · pray
Prayer for Wisdom in Reading God's Two Books
Father, we come before You in awe of Your twofold revelation—the heavens that declare Your glory and the Scripture that interprets all things (Psalm 19:1). We praise You that in Your sovereign wisdom You have given us both creation and Your Word, two books that together manifest Your character and design. Yet we confess that we are easily deceived, prone to elevating human opinion above Your revealed truth, and slow to recognize when earthly authorities—even those draped in the language of science—contradict the wisdom You have entrusted to us. We have allowed fear and cultural pressure to silence our discernment, and we have failed to guard the spiritual formation of those in our care.
We rejoice that in the gospel we have been freed from the tyranny of human manipulation and restored to our rightful position as those who read creation in light of Scripture (Romans 1:19–20). Christ, the Word made flesh, is Himself the perfect fusion of both books, reconciling all things and granting us eyes to see truth clearly. In Him we find both the courage to think carefully and the humility to submit our reason to Your Word.
Grant us wisdom, we pray, to teach our children and those we influence that true science serves the glory of Your creation, never contradicts Your Word. Give us discernment to expose foolishness masquerading as authority, and grant us the pastoral courage to shepherd those entrusted to our care toward a vision of human flourishing rooted in Scripture's supremacy. May we demonstrate that honoring Your two books means honoring Scripture as the interpretive lens through which we rightly understand all things. To this end, work in us by Your Spirit, that we may glorify You in truth and witness faithfully to a world desperate for wisdom.
6 questions for your group this week
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In Psalm 19:1-4, David describes creation as declaring God's glory without words or language. What does it mean that creation speaks so powerfully, and what are some ways you've personally experienced God's character revealed through the natural world?Psalm 19:1-4→ How might our experience of creation's testimony differ from what scientists today claim it demonstrates?
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The sermon presents Scripture and creation as two books God has written. Why does the preacher argue that Scripture must hold the superior position in interpreting creation rather than the reverse?
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Chris mentioned that today's culture abuses the label 'science' as an authority to bully people into accepting ideas—much like the pre-Reformation church abused ecclesiastical authority. What's the danger when any institution (whether religious or scientific) demands unquestioning submission to its interpretations?→ Can you think of a current example where you've felt pressure to accept a claim simply because it was labeled 'scientific' without room for genuine questioning?
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Psalm 19:7-11 describes Scripture as perfect, trustworthy, and able to make the simple wise and give joy to the heart. How does this description of God's Word contrast with the way many people today view the Bible—and what does that contrast reveal about our fallen condition?Psalm 19:7-11→ What would it look like for us to return to valuing Scripture with the kind of confidence David expresses here?
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The sermon emphasizes that Jesus Christ is 'the perfect fusion of both books'—the Word made flesh who reconciles all things. How does understanding Christ as the interpretive center of both creation and Scripture change the way you read the natural world and God's Word?
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Parents were challenged to take responsibility for their children's education and develop a truly biblical understanding of science. As a small group, what would it look like for us to help one another think Christianly about scientific claims we encounter, rather than passively accepting or rejecting them?→ What's one specific way your family or our church could grow in this discernment together?
5-day reading plan
This week we walk through how Scripture's supreme authority shapes our understanding of creation, equips us to discern false claims masquerading as science, and calls us to shepherd our children's minds toward truth.
Paul declares that Scripture is divinely breathed and profitable for teaching, reproof, and training in righteousness—the tools we need to equip ourselves and those under our care for every good work. When we subordinate Scripture's authority to the claims of fallen human reasoning (however dressed in scientific language), we forfeit the very interpretive lens God has given us to see creation aright and live wisely within it.
Paul warns us not to be taken captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition and the elemental spirits of the world, rather than according to Christ. The current cultural moment mirrors this ancient temptation: ideas wrapped in the prestige of 'science' can seduce believers into abandoning Scripture's counsel on human nature, sexuality, identity, and purpose—precisely because we've been conditioned to treat scientific claims as beyond question.
Paul reveals that God's invisible attributes are plainly perceived in creation, yet sinful humanity suppresses this truth in unrighteousness and exchanges the glory of God for idols. Creation genuinely displays God's power and divinity, but our fallenness warps how we interpret what we observe; only Scripture corrects our vision and teaches us to read creation's testimony rightly, tracing it back to the Creator rather than away from Him.
Paul teaches that knowledge puffs up, but love builds up—and that anyone who loves God is known by Him. The abuse of 'science' as an unchallengeable authority often operates in the spirit of pride, demanding submission without question and scorning those who hesitate. But the mind formed by Scripture and the gospel pursues truth in humility, always asking whether a claim aligns with what we know of God's character and His design for human flourishing.
Moses charges parents to love God with all their heart and to teach their children God's commandments diligently, speaking of them constantly—in the home, on the road, at rest, and rising. As we steward our children's education, we cannot outsource the task of forming their minds to institutions or systems that do not ground knowledge in Scripture's authority; we must actively shape their vision so they learn to submit all learning—including what they encounter in science—to the rule of God's Word.
God's Two Books
This prompt invites your family to think concretely about how God speaks to us through creation and through Scripture. Listen for whether your children can identify that both matter, and gently help them see why the Bible helps us *understand* what creation shows us.
Pastor Chris talked about God writing two books: the book of creation—trees, stars, our bodies—and the book of Scripture. If you were trying to understand something amazing about God, which book would you start with, and why? (Think about a time you learned something true: did you learn it by looking at nature, or by hearing God's Word, or both?)
Two Books, One Author
- What part of Chris's message about Scripture interpreting creation most challenged or encouraged your own thinking about science and faith?
- As we consider raising our children or engaging the world's claims, where do we sense we're drifting toward trusting culture's authority over Scripture's voice—and how can we help each other resist that drift?
- What's one specific conviction about God's two books that you'd like to see grow in our marriage, and how can we pray for that together this week?
Psalm 19:7
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
Why this verse: This verse encapsulates the sermon's central claim that Scripture holds supreme authority in our lives because it alone perfectly interprets reality and grants wisdom to understand both creation and our place within it. It directly supports the thesis that Scripture must stand superior to creation in providing the interpretive framework for rightly reading God's two books.
About the church
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# Providence Community Church A church preaching expository sermons through the books of the Bible. ## Sermons - [The Steadfast Love of God (Psalm 107, 2025-06-29)](/ProvidenceLenexa/sermons/2025/06/the-steadfast-love-of-god) - [Political Power, Purity Spirals, and the Perfections of Christ (Psalm 72:1-20, 2025-07-06)](/ProvidenceLenexa/sermons/2025/07/political-power-purity-spirals-and-the) - [Asaph's Odyssey (Psalm 73:1-28, 2025-07-13)](/ProvidenceLenexa/sermons/2025/07/asaph-s-odyssey) - [Science & the Scriptures (Psalm 19:1-14, 2025-07-20)](/ProvidenceLenexa/sermons/2025/07/science-the-scriptures) ## About - [About the church](/about) - [Plan a visit](/visit)
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