A Scientist Said That?

Pithy perspectives from some of the brightest minds the world has ever known!

“Knowing God without knowing our own wretchedness makes for pride. Knowing our own wretchedness without knowing God makes for despair. Knowing Jesus Christ strikes the balance because he shows us both God and our own wretchedness.”

Do you have any idea which theologian gave us this gem? Or which seminary trained him? It was French scientist Blaise Pascal, who lived in the seventeenth century and, in fact, had no formal theological training!

Homeschooled like so many other great scientists, Pascal learned geometry by the age of 12 and, for the next couple decades, invented an early calculating machine and worked with Fermat on the Theory of Probability. This work on probability was the basis for numerous applications from insurance to quantum physics. Later, well-known scientists from Leibnitz to Newton would be influenced by Pascal because of the impact of his inventions and discoveries on geometry and physics. In the twentieth century, the unit of pressure equivalent to one Newton per square meter was named the Pascal (Pa) due to his understanding of atmospheric pressure as it related to weight.

Although Blaise Pascal will mostly be remembered for his contributions to science, he was also someone who passionately pursued his Creator. As a believer, he followed the Scriptural admonition to “study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). He published numerous religious writings that not only gave the world rich truths about God, but were considered by critics to mark the beginning of modern French prose. His book, Pensees, surveys several paradoxes including faith and reason, death and life, and meaning and vanity.

Our current generation has lost sight of the connection between science and God. Many have no idea that some of the greatest scientists who ever lived also revered God and His Creation. Those men and women understood that God made matter in such a way that its mysteries could be explored and discovered. And by employing our five senses, along with our intelligent inventions, we could probe both the micro and the macro worlds. But we must not stop there.

Like Pascal, we must look beyond our natural world. We must look both inward (micro) and upward (macro) to see who we really are. The way to do that is to examine ourselves – take an honest inventory of our own hearts. What we will discover is that the microscope of God’s law exposes us as sinners. We have broken His law and must face judgment. But the fantastic news is that the story doesn’t end there! We need only look to the Cross where our Savior died and believe that the Lord Jesus Christ rose again to forgive us of our sins. The Resurrection is the biggest, grandest, most important event in history. We simply cannot miss it!

 “I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” – Jesus Christ (John 14:6)

 Today, take a good, hard look at yourself, then take an even better and longer look at Jesus Christ, your Creator and Redeemer. Like Blaise Pascal, you, too, can experience true spiritual life!

 “Not only do we know God by Jesus Christ alone, but we know ourselves only by Jesus Christ. We know life and death only through Jesus Christ. Apart from Jesus Christ, we do not know what is our life, nor our death, nor God, nor ourselves.” – Blaise Pascal

– Guest Blogger David MacMillan, Creation Moments Board Member

 Portions of this content were adapted from a recent Christian heritage diversity event put on by scientists and engineers at a privately held large corporation in the USA. There is still hope for corporate America!

Photo: Portrait of Blaise Pascal by unknown artist. (PD) 124

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