What is Science?

 

Have you ever thrown a ball up in the air and watched it come right back down? Or planted a seed and waited to see it grow? Why does the sun rise every single morning, and why do the seasons keep changing year after year?

These everyday wonders are part of the amazing world God made. Science is one of the best tools He has given us for exploring that world and learning how it works.

 

Subject 1: The Scientific Method?

Science is the careful study of the natural world. It means looking closely at things, asking good questions, making careful guesses, testing those guesses, and paying attention to what happens.

Here’s how it usually works:

1. Observe – Look carefully at something (a plant, a magnet, the weather).
2. Ask a question – Why does this happen? What would happen if…?
3. Make a guess – Scientists call this a hypothesis. It’s your best idea based on what you’ve seen so far.
4. Test it – Try an experiment. Change one thing and see what happens.
5. Look at the results – Did your guess match what really happened? What did you learn?

For example, you might wonder whether a plant grows better in bright sunlight or in the shade. You could plant two seeds, put one in the sun and one in the shade, water them the same amount, and watch what happens. That’s science!

Science has helped people invent helpful things like medicines, electricity, cars, and phones. It works best when we study things we can actually watch and test right now.

Watch this video from our friends at Teacher's Pet on youTube

Think about it;

How do you use the scientific method every day without even knowing you're doing it?

What are ways you could use this method to make your life more efficient?

Come up with a hypothesis that you can test out using the scientific method to experiment for a yes or no answer. Keep all your info about it in a journal or notebook. You might learn something especially when your hypothesis turns out to be wrong. It's a win, win.

Subject 2: Science Needs Some Starting Ideas

Before a scientist even starts an experiment, he or she already trusts some big ideas. We call these ideas "Metaphysical Assumptions." It's a big word, but a pretty simple concept. If Science was a house, these ideas are like the foundation of the house. Science itself cannot prove them; they are the things science stands on so it can exist.

Here are four important examples:

1. The world is real. The things we see, touch, and hear are actually there. They are not just a dream or a trick.
2. Nature follows rules that stay the same. What happens today will happen the same way tomorrow, next week, and next year. The laws of nature are consistent and reliable.
3. Our senses and minds work well enough. Our eyes, ears, and brains can help us learn true things about the world.
4. Logic works. Something can’t be both true and false at the same time in the same way. Causes have effects.

Think of it like walking. You don’t stop to prove the ground will still be there every time you take a step; you just trust it so you can keep moving. Science works the same way. Scientists trust these big ideas so they can explore and discover. Because science is based on these assumptions they can't be proved through the scientific method. Watch Dr. William Lane Craig lay out what science can never prove.

Think about what this means for our scientific understanding.

Subject 3: Where Do These Starting Ideas Come From?

These ideas fit perfectly with what the Bible tells us about God and the world He made.

God made a real world.
In the very beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Every time He spoke, the Bible says “and it was so” (Genesis 1). The sun, moon, plants, animals, and people are real. God made a solid, physical world we can study.

God made an orderly, reliable world.
After the great Flood, God made a special promise to Noah. He said that as long as the earth remains, “seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22). Day will keep following night. Seasons will keep changing. Plants will keep growing in their time. God is faithful, and He keeps the world running in an orderly way. That’s why scientists can do the same experiment over and over and expect the same results.

God made people who can understand His world.
God created people in His image (Genesis 1:26–28). That means we can think, reason, speak, and learn. He also told people to fill the earth and take care of it. Exploring and studying creation is part of that special job God gave us.

Many of the people who helped start modern science believed in the God of the Bible. They expected the world to be orderly because they believed in an orderly Creator. One famous scientist named Johannes Kepler said he wanted to “think God’s thoughts after Him.” He believed studying the stars and planets was a way of learning about the wisdom of the One who made them. Watch this video from our brothers and sisters at Disciples of YHWH in Christ.

Subject 4: Why This Matters

Science works so well because the world really is the way the Bible describes: real, orderly, and understandable by people made in God’s image.

When we do science, we are exploring God’s creation. The Bible says, “The heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1). Looking carefully at what God has made can help us see how wise and powerful He is (Romans 1:20).

Science is a wonderful gift. It helps us invent useful things, take better care of people and the earth, and learn more about the world God made and keeps running every day.

The Bible gives us the true story of where everything came from and why the world is the way it is. Science studies the present world God created and sustains. Together, they help us understand more about His amazing work. Watch this video of Dr. Hugh Ross and Dr. James Tour explaining the fine tuning of our ordered universe.

Keep Exploring!

Science is exciting because it lets us discover more about the amazing world God made. Keep asking questions. Try multiple experiments to gain understanding. Write it down. Notice the patterns and beauty all around you; the seasons, the way plants grow, the way stars shine at night. You're exploring God's creation to get to know Him better. The more I've learned the more I've learned to rely on Him. 

Thank God for a world that can be studied and for minds that can understand it.

Think About It:
What is one thing in nature you want to explore more? How does it show that God made an orderly world?