Same Facts – Two Radically Different Interpretations

For the one who follows Christ, the Bible becomes the lens through which he or she sees life. The word often associated with this concept is worldview. For the believer then, his or her worldview flows through the way he or she understands the Bible. Let’s consider the three examples above.

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For further study: To understand better the biblical definition of worldview click here

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A Baby Forming in the Womb –

When a follower of Christ sees a precious photo of a baby in the womb, his or her heart rejoices in life, in God, and in God’s grace. The Bible expresses the beauty and value of this child by terms like image of God and gifts. We do not discuss clumps of cells; instead, we see a living baby still forming in the womb under the care of a providential God.

¹³ Certainly you made my mind and heart;
you wove me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I will give you thanks because your deeds are awesome and amazing.
You knew me thoroughly;
¹⁵ my bones were not hidden from you,
when I was made in secret
and sewed together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw me when I was inside the womb.
All the days ordained for me
were recorded in your scroll
before one of them came into existence.
¹⁷ How difficult it is for me to fathom your thoughts about me, O God!
How vast is their sum total. (Psalm 139:13-17)

This is not simply a picture of a fetus waiting for his or her mom to determine what she wants to do with her body; instead, from the moment of conception, this picture represents a baby in the womb loved by God and under God’s care. The mother functions as God’s instrument of care for this baby; as such, the baby deserves all the rights afforded every human.

Grand Canyon –

Have you ever visited the Grand Canyon? What did you see when you were there?

Did you see a canyon carved out from the ground over millions of years by what now is known as the Colorado River or did you see evidence of a world-wide flood with sediment layers clearly marked on the walls in specific patterns?

Forty years ago, the most accepted theory determined the Grand Canyon to be 70 million years old. However, over the past forty years, evidence and new dating methods changed the date where now many estimate parts of the canyon as old as 17 million years and other parts 6 million.

However, the Bible helps us understand what took place. One author writes in a fascinating article related to the formation of the Canyon:

If Noah’s Flood laid down the layers rapidly, one on top of another as was observed at Mount St. Helens, the boundaries between the layers would be flat and smooth, just as they are so magnificently displayed in the Grand Canyon. And the Channeled Scablands present a clear example of how the layers of the Grand Canyon could have easily been eroded catastrophically, possibly in a matter of just a few days.[1]

Related to God’s power and the world in which we live, we are reminded of the words of the psalmist:

⁶ The watery deep covered it like a garment;
the waters reached above the mountains.
⁷ Your shout made the waters retreat;
at the sound of your thunderous voice they hurried off—
⁸ as the mountains rose up,
and the valleys went down—
to the place you appointed for them.
⁹ You set up a boundary for them that they could not cross,
so that they would not cover the earth again. (Psalm 104:6-9) 

Milky Way –

Have you ever looked up when you are away from the city into the Milky Way?

As a Christ-followers, the view of the Milky Way sinks deeply into the soul and rejoices our hearts as we notice the creative hand of God. We marvel at the creative work of God. He divided the dark and light while providing a light for the day and a smaller light for the night. He then added so many more smaller lights by which we can navigate, understand the seasons, and provide other means of help. The Bible describes this process as the fourth day of creation.

¹⁴ God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them be signs to indicate seasons and days and years, ¹⁵ and let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” (Genesis 1:14-15)

What is the other interpretation coming from most universities? They teach that stars formed from collapsing clouds of hydrogen gas billions of years ago and that stars continue to form today.[2]

Yet, the Bible teaches us that every star maintains its own unique differences. God created them. They serve us and make our universe diverse.

⁴¹ There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon and another glory of the stars, for star differs from star in glory. (1 Corinthians 15:41)