When Covid-19 struck, we all became willing to take whatever precautions we could to prevent contracting and spreading the virus to our friends and families.
Immediately, people began buying sanitary masks in bulk. Soon, the CDC told us to stop buying them. The masks cannot prevent you from getting the virus. They said, “trust the science!” A few weeks later, the CDC changed their stance. Now, we need to wear masks everywhere we go. “Trust the science!” they said. The next year, the vaccine was rolled out. We were told that if we didn’t get the vaccine, we were putting people’s lives in danger. Again, they said, “trust the science!” Now, it is unclear how effective, if at all, the vaccine is.
The truth is you can’t always trust science. Science is always changing because what is known changes so long as new evidence is discovered. We are finite beings, so no matter how much we learn, we cannot know everything. If we knew it all, then we would be omniscient. This is the absolute knowledge of all things. The only being capable of omniscience is God. Strong defines this in his Systematic Theology. “By this we mean God’s perfect and eternal knowledge of all things which are objects of knowledge, whether they be actual or possible, past, present, or future.”
God truly knows everything. Nothing can be hidden from Him (Heb. 4:13). His understanding cannot be measured (Psa. 147:5). He sees everything (Prov. 15:3). He knows the smallest of details about each of us individually, including the hairs on our heads (Matt. 10:30). He even knows what is in our hearts (Psa. 139:4). God has a full grasp of everything into eternity. And, His knowledge does not change. Therefore, truth resides in God. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6).
“The science” changes. Man’s best efforts to understand the world around him will always come up short. There will always be a better theory or a new conclusion as we gather more data. But God holds all the variables. He has always known every conclusion.
So, when we look to determine how we ought to live, why do we go to the world for answers? The world is still trying to figure it out. If you ask ten people what is right and wrong, you will likely get ten different answers. God, on the other hand, has known and decided in eternity. The God of truth continued in John 14:16, “No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Righteousness is only found in Jesus Christ. That is the truth, and we can trust the truth because the all-knowing God revealed it to us. We cannot always trust “the science,” but God can always be trusted.