Science Tells Us About God’s Attributes – Part I

Last time we saw how the Theory of Relativity gave us powerful, verified, conclusive proof that all time, space, matter, and energy arose from nothing. It told us that these four are forever intertwined and must exist together. And “before” they existed, there was—nothing.

Now we’ll see how science tells us about God’s attributes and confirms the Bible.

The agnostic astronomer and Director of the Mt. Wilson Observatory, Robert Jastrow, wrote of this, “Astronomers now find they have painted themselves into a corner because they have proven, by their own methods, that the world began abruptly in an act of creation to which you can trace the seeds of every star, every planet, every living thing in this cosmos and on the earth. And they have found that all this happened as a product of forces they cannot hope to discover… That there are what I or anyone would call supernatural forces at work is now, I think, a scientifically proven fact.”

So relativity and the Big Bang support Genesis 1:1: “God created the heavens and the earth.”

But if we look closely at these conclusions, we learn something astonishing. We can now derive something of God’s nature. In our search for the meaning of life, it seems we have just stumbled across a description of the Creator, partial though it may be. Here are the attributes relativity predicts for God:

A. God is Eternal

Let us consider time alone. Physicist Stephen Hawking says time is inextricably bound with space and matter. One can’t exist without the other. Astronomer Hugh Ross explains that relativity requires a cause for the universe that is outside of and apart from all time space and matter. Now ponder the moment before all time, space, and matter came into being. What do we call a place without time, where there is no yesterday, today, or tomorrow? We call it eternity. Thus, science tells us God must be eternal.

And that’s exactly what the Bible says. From Revelation 1:8 (HCSB): “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘the One who is, who was, and who is coming, the Almighty.’” And from Psalm 90:2 (HCSB): “Before the mountains were born, before You gave birth to the earth and the world, from eternity to eternity, You are God.”

B. God is Infinite & Omnipresent

Now let’s look at space and matter, also inextricably linked. They too were created from a place outside of and apart from all time, space, and matter.

So what do we call a place with no length, width, or height—a place without boundaries? Where there are no atoms or molecules—a place with no limits on weight or form? We call such a place infinity. So science also tells us God must be infinite. From this it follows that a God who is infinite is also omnipresent—present everywhere at once.

The Bible agrees with both points. From Psalm 139:7-10 (HCSB): “Where can I go to escape Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol [Hell], You are there. If I live at the eastern horizon or settle at the western limits, even there Your hand will lead me; Your right hand will hold on to me.”

And from 1 Timothy 1:17 (HCSB): “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”

C. God is Immaterial.

We can now make a third conclusion. The First Cause that made the universe cannot have been matter, since it itself created matter. Thus the First Cause (God) must be immaterial. From the above passages we see that the Bible agrees God is immaterial. It says he is an invisible God and spirit. A God who is spirit is not material.

D. God is Omniscient

Note that if God sits outside of time and space—because he himself created these things—then he has the ability to view any section of time and any physical location. He can be anywhere and he knows the future. Thus relativity predicts that God will be omniscient.

And of course this is what the Bible says. From Isaiah 46:9-10 (NLT): “Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me. Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.”
And from 1 Corinthians 2:7 (NLT): “No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began.”

We’ll stop here for now. But we’re not done with what relativity predicts for the attributes of the Creator. Next time we’ll examine the rest.