LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2019, Page 250

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250

II. THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS­­—COMMISSION ON THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS
However, it is possible to point to scientific data which, combined with reasonable philosophical
assumptions, provides good evidence for God’s involvement in the natural world. One example
of this is the fine-tuning of the laws of nature for complex, intelligent life. Our solar system,
especially the Earth, is fine-tuned to permit life. Another example is found in DNA, which
contains detailed instructions for assembling living creatures and maintaining living systems.
Former atheist Anthony Flew renounced his atheism “in large part because ‘the findings of more
than fifty years of DNA research have provided materials for a new and enormously powerful
argument to design’” (42).

“But we are all priests before God if we are Christians. For since we have been laid on the
Stone who is the Chief Priest before God, we also have everything He has. It would please me
very much if this word ‘priest’ were used as commonly as the term ‘Christian’ is applied to us.
For priests, the baptized, and Christians are all one and the same.” 13
“A cobbler, a smith, a peasant—each has the work and office of his trade, and yet they are all
alike consecrated priests and bishops. Further, everyone must benefit and serve every other by
means of his own work or office so that in this way many kinds of work may be done for the
bodily and spiritual welfare of the community, just as all the members of the body serve one
another [1 Cor. 12:14–26].” 14

Image of God theology and Christian anthropology
(In Christ, page 43)

Professional standards of scientific conduct say nothing about God’s call to be a steward of His
creation, or about our obligation to love and serve our neighbor in all that we do. Without
understanding their vocation as a calling from God, Christian scientists may benefit from their
faith in private but see no meaningful way to relate their faith to their scientific career. Both auto
mechanics and quantum mechanics are ways of glorifying God by unveiling the ordering
principles God built into nature. Both vocations serve our neighbor through discovering nature’s
secrets and developing beneficial technology.
Read 1 Peter 2:9–12. What is the purpose of our priesthood, our royal calling? Read Colossians
3:17–24 and 2 Thessalonians 3:6–12. What do these passages tell us about our daily work?

A Christocentric approach to creation
(In Christ, page 35)
Many well-meaning attempts to understand science in Christian terms are deistic. According to
Deism, God created the universe and governs it through laws, but otherwise He has no ongoing
involvement in His creation. The apostle Paul, however, “tells us not merely that ‘all things were
created’ by Christ, but also that they were created ‘for him,’ and that ‘in him all things hold
together’ (Col. 1:16–17) … Christ is still personally present as the unifying thread throughout
the fabric of creation” (35).
We cannot fully understand what something is except in its relation to God. For example, a
scientific analysis of a human being as systems and cells does not reveal that a person is made in
the image of God. Modern science speaks of nature as governed by laws—laws that suggest a
personal lawgiver—but science cannot detect the purposes of God, who shapes all things to work
together for good for those who love Him (Rom. 8:28).

“What difference does it make to think that human beings are specially made in the image of
God and still retain important remnants of that image? For one thing, it is clear that God provides
us with special gifts so that we can serve as stewards of the rest of the world. This includes the
intellectual and moral gifts required to practice science within God-pleasing boundaries, as we
cannot steward nature effectively if we do not know how it works and what purpose it serves”
(44).
Read Proverbs 30:24–33. What created wonders are considered by the author of this chapter of
Proverbs? What advice does he offer concerning human pride? Read Psalm 148. How does the
psalmist use created things to shape his praise? Read Job 38:1–18. How does God challenge
Job’s pride?
“The godlike scope of human thought can tempt some people, including scientists, to believe that
they can completely understand and control reality by themselves: the lure of Babel remains
strong (Gen. 11:1–9). But Scripture reminds us that although in some ways our capacity for
thought is godlike, we are not God, and our thoughts can never ascend to His heights” (45).
Human beings are called to a “middle road,” between confidence and humility. In confident
trust, we remember that we were created in the image of God, an image restored in Christ. In
grateful humility, we remember that our Creator appointed us as stewards, care-takers, of His
creation (Gen. 1:28; Ps. 115:16).
Read Isaiah 55:8–13. How does the prophet use created things in his declaration of God’s
power? What do these verses say about God’s thoughts and ours? Read Psalm 8. Although this
psalm speaks of the promised Messiah (Heb. 2:5–9), what does it say about our human
knowledge and abilities?

Martin Luther, “Sermons on the First Epistle of St. Peter,” in Luther’s Works, vol. 30, ed. Jaroslav Pelikan (St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1967), 63.
Martin Luther, “To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation Concerning the Reform of the Christian Estate,”
in Luther’s Works, vol. 44, ed. James Atkinson (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1966), 130.
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In Session 3, Historical Context, we will examine the historical developments that led to the loss
of certain ideas about God and creation. How did we lose the idea that nature is God’s world or
the understanding that God gave us the intelligence necessary to understand the world He
created? What new philosophies arose that viewed God as unnecessary?

The theological underpinnings of modern science
(In Christ, page 48)
“The rise of science required a worldview that posited a world that is orderly and will reward
rational investigation. That worldview arose from faith in an all-powerful rational God. In
‘Chemical Evolution,’ the Nobel Prize-winning biochemist Melvin Calvin said, ‘This
monotheistic view seems to be the historical foundation for modern science.’” 15
Nature can be investigated, an idea that assumes nature makes coherent sense and that there are
rules or laws that explain its operation. Christian belief in an orderly Creator made the
development of science, which looks for order in the natural world, possible. The Christian idea
that nature is a book inscribed with a logos by a single Author encouraged earlier scientists to
believe that there were universal laws of nature. Galileo wrote that science “is written in this
grand book, the universe … in the language of mathematics” (48). Our Creator gave us a sense
of curiosity and wonder that leads us to seek answers to the mysteries surrounding us. “Science
is inherently worthwhile because God created the world good: the world is full of things worth
knowing about. Science is also a way of glorifying God, by showing His marvelous handiwork
… But above all, science is a vehicle of thought through which human beings are enabled to love
and serve their neighbor” (50).

Responsive Reading of Psalm 148

Through science, we develop products to improve our quality of life. Imagine a world without
vacuum cleaners, refrigerators, furnaces, air conditioners, washing machines, telephones,
televisions, and computers! Science cannot heal the infection of sin, but scientific discoveries are
able to lessen human suffering. As God’s creatures, we are dependent on one another. Without
the scientist, the farmer might have a poorer yield. But without the farmer, the scientist would
most likely starve. The Christian scientist should see his or her work as an important, Godpleasing opportunity to contribute to an interdependent community of many other workers.
How does the following comment by Francis Collins reflect the idea that science is a way to
glorify God?
Well, as a scientist who's also a believer, the chance to uncover the incredible intricacies of
God's creation is an occasion of worship. To be able to look, for the first time in human history,
at all three billion letters of the human DNA—which I think of as God's language—it gives us
just a tiny glimpse into the amazing creative power of his mind. Every discovery that we now
make in science [is], for me, a chance to worship him in a broader sense, to appreciate just in a
small bit the amazing grandeur of his creation. It also helps me appreciate though that as a
scientist, there are limits to the kinds of questions that science can answer. And that's where I
have to turn to God and seek his answers. 16

15
John Ortberg, “Questions that Faith Asks Science,” in When God and Science Meet (Washington, D.C.: National
Association of Evangelicals, 2015), 28 at http://nae.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/When-God-and-ScienceMeet_bw.pdf.
16
Francis Collins at http://www.beliefnet.com/News/Science-Religion/2006/08/God-Is-Not-Threatened-By-OurScientific-Adventures.aspx?p=2.

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2019 Convention Workbook

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