The debate between various aspects of faith and science continues to be a dominant theme in the mainstream media and across the internet.

Within that debate, however, one vital topic is conspicuous by its absence. That is, the relationship between the discoveries of modern physics and biblical truth. The subject is addressed in a few academic and theological forums, but up until now there has been very little information shared in a more accessible and practical way.

This is a surprising – if not shocking – omission because it concerns a wealth of information that belongs to everyone, and especially to Christians. Information that has the potential to make a significant difference to our worship, our thinking, and to the effectiveness of our prayers and meditations.

In essence, the relationship between science and biblical truth can be encapsulated in the word “oneness”. This is a relatively new discovery, however, because scientific knowledge and biblical truth were at variance until about 100 years ago. Prior to that, the accepted (classical) physics model had seen the universe and everything in it as consisting of separate bits of matter. Nevertheless, New Testament scriptures have always declared the opposite – they reveal unity and oneness (Eph. 4:4-6; Eph. 4:10).

In recent decades, however, scientific knowledge about the nature of the universe has been catching up rapidly with New Testament truth, expressing the same spiritual revelation but in factual terms. Science is now giving us fact-based “handles”, so to speak, with which to comprehend the universe; these provide valuable insights into passages of the Bible that previously were often seen as simply metaphor.

It was Albert Einstein, in the early 1900s, who made the ground-breaking discovery that matter is not made up of separated elements, and that matter and energy are in fact one and the same. Einstein’s work paved the way for later discoveries that revealed a very complex but wonderful unity existing throughout the entire universe.

They showed that the universe is made up of immense swirls, or fields, of vibrating energy. In turn, those fields of energy constitute one vast, universal field of energy which, as helpful shorthand, we can call the “quantum field” for the purposes of this article. Quantum originally means “how much”, relating to size and amount, and has since come to mean the smallest amount you can have. So “quantum field” refers to the seamless fabric which fills the universe, forming and comprising its smallest, most fundamental components.

Biblical truth reveals that God is the author and creator of the entire universe. The quantum field, then, is the “fabric”, or “clay” which God created and from which He sculpted His three-dimensional creation into existence. It is the basic substance of everything that exists in the universe, including human beings. It is the invisible essence that pervades, connects and interconnects us all.

The implications of these discoveries for Christians are nothing less than astounding. They have the potential for significant impact on key areas of Christian life and faith:

• Supremely, they expand our awareness of the majesty and power of God as we follow the biblical instruction to study the works of His creation (Ps. 111:2).
• They give profound insight into our own identity because our position as Christians is always “in Christ”, and the Spirit of that same Christ fills the quantum field (Eph. 1:23; Eph. 4:6 and 10). The scientific discoveries also shed remarkable light upon scriptural truths such as: “for in him [Christ] all things were created … He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Col. 1:16-17). And we can go further and link these verses in with the awesome understanding that Christ was the singularity at the point of the creation of the universe – which is generally known scientifically as the Big Bang.
• Science tells us of the hyper-sensitivity of the quantum field with regards to human thoughts, intentions, words and actions. At the quantum level (the level of invisible energy), the simple act of observing or focusing on something can affect the object of focus and change it in some way. Words and actions have an even greater impact.
• If we translate this principle to our prayers and meditations, we can see the potential for harnessing and directing them in a very positive way. This is especially true if we meditate upon, pray and articulate the Word of God, which is “living and powerful” (Heb. 4:12). Spoken in the name of Jesus and empowered through faith by the Holy Spirit, God’s Word courses through the quantum field with absolutely unlimited potential for healing and transformation.
• Last but not least, if we take time to contemplate these insights, put them into action and begin to see them bearing fruit, our faith in Christ can be greatly encouraged and strengthened.

We have a responsibility to take seriously the spiritual significance of modern scientific discoveries. The message of omnipresence and oneness that they announce is not simply a theory or a metaphor. It is practical, and given to us by God in order that we may grow stronger in our worship and in our identity in Christ, that we may pray more effectively in His name, and do the works that He has appointed for us to do (Eph. 2:10). Those works can be manifold – prayer-based, relational, community-based – but the love of Christ within them all is our constant and unfailing guiding star.