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Section 1.3 Foundations

The God who reveals himself in Scripture and in Christ is the same God who created and sustains a physical universe that is laid "before our eyes like a beautiful book" giving witness to its maker. (Belgic Confession Article 2, Ps 19:1-2, 97:6, 104; Job 38ff; Rom 1:19-20, Heb 11:3, Acts 14:15-17)

What does this confession mean for a study of the Earth?

  • First, we recognize that meaningful knowledge can be gained through the study of the physical world. In other words, that scientific inquiry can reveal something about the creation.

  • Second, we recognize that God — as creator and sustainer of the universe — is the author of all truth, whether that truth is found in Scripture or Nature.

These perspectives have important important implications for how we approach scientific theories of origins: for example we reject belief systems that deny God's authorship of creation; yet at the same time we allow that scientific inquiry (as described by contemporary scientific theories) may actually reveal the way in which God created the world.

Another important consequence is that it may help prevent a tendency to separate natural phenomena into "spectacular" and "mundane" events; instead we recognize that God is immanent *throughout* creation and sustaining every part - and even where we might have a good scientific explanation for the observed phenomena (e.g., seasons).