Did the Universe Have a Beginning?

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1

There is a whole field of science that studies the universe. This scientific field is known as cosmology. Cosmologists use telescopes to look at the world and answer questions such as, “Did the universe have a beginning?”

However, we also have the Bible that already answers that question. It says that God created the heavens and the earth in the beginning. In other words, the universe not only has a beginning, but we know how it got here.

So, why is this even a question, you might ask?

Well, too many people believe that God and science are not compatible. So, when cosmologists say something different from what the Bible says, it creates confusion and debate.

As a result, some ask whether the universe had a beginning.

So, let’s consider what we know and what we don’t know. And the role of faith.   

Did the Universe Have a Beginning?

Theists and atheists generally agree that the universe did indeed have a beginning. For example, Stephen Hawking (atheist), and J. Warner Wallace (theist), have both looked at the evidence and reached the same conclusion: the universe has not existed forever and, therefore, must have a beginning. However, the similarity ends there. When and how it came into being is still highly debated.

Stephen Hawking vs. J. Warner Wallace

Stephen Hawking is an atheist, theoretical physicist, and cosmologist. In his The Beginning of Time lecture, Hawking says:

The conclusion of this lecture is that the universe has not existed forever. Rather, the universe, and time itself, had a beginning in the Big Bang, about 15 billion years ago.

J. Warner Wallace is a cold-case homicide detective and Christian apologist. In his book God’s Crime Scene, 37, Wallace says:

Given the quantity and diversity of this evidence, it is reasonable to infer the universe had a beginning; it is not infinitely old.

The Similarity Ends There

Agreeing that the universe has a beginning in no way explains when it happened or what it looked like. There are still numerous questions:

• Did God create the world in six literal days about 6000 years ago, or did it begin with a Big Bang?  
• Are we just one of many multiverses, each having its own beginning but, as a whole, infinite?
• If there was a big bang, was it God or nature that first caused it?
• If nature was the first cause, what was nature’s first cause?
• Does Genesis 1:3, “let there be light,” mean “let there be a big bang?”
• Did God create the world over billions of years, or does the flood answer the question as to why the world looks so old?

These questions are just a sampling. 

And the real question we should be asking is not if the universe had a beginning but how did it begin? Is it young or old? Is God or nature the first cause? Are we part of a multiverse, or is our universe unique?

It’s undoubtedly complicated unless you take the Bible literally and believe it is the unchanging word of God. In that case, the Bible clearly answers when and how it began.

On the other hand, science is constantly changing (except for the laws of nature). And naturalists or science-only proponents see change as a virtue.

However, it’s nearly impossible for a scientist to know if they have reached the right conclusion or if, months or years down the road, new discoveries will shed more light and change the answer entirely.

Additionally, faith in God (who never changes) as the Creator of the universe means He created science and the laws of nature. He can make them however He decides.

Therefore, it’s reasonable to at least consider that science and God can coexist.

No Conflict Between God and Science 

So, is how and when the universe began a debate between science and faith? It shouldn’t be. Science in itself does not deny the existence of God. 

Oxford Dictionary defines science as “the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.” 

Nowhere in this definition does it say that the physical and natural world is all there is. It says that science deals with the physical and natural world. 

Science uses the physical laws of nature but doesn’t tell us from where the laws came. Science observes what can be seen but doesn’t attempt to answer whether the unseen exists.

The Bible tells us that the heavens declare the glory of God (Ps 19:1). Through creation, His invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–are clearly seen so that everyone is without excuse. (Rom 1:20)

There does not have to be a conflict. Science deals with the physical world and not the spiritual world. But that doesn’t mean the spiritual realm doesn’t exist. 

The spiritual world is where God is. If He created the physical universe, then he created science and the laws of nature. And He is in both realms.

RELATED > > > > > How Long is Eternity?

The Heavens Declare the Glories of God

Final Thoughts

As you can see, the general consensus is that the universe had a beginning. Most theists and atheists agree it did.

But when and how it happened is still up for debate.

Nothing is proven, and pretty much everything about the universe’s beginning is theory and therefore requires faith.

Each says the other side has not proven their theory, so they must be wrong.

One side says the evidence is still out there, and science will find the answers in time. And the other side says the Bible has already given us the answers, but it requires reasonable faith instead of proof.

Or you could say that both sides require faith. One has faith that science will eventually find the answers, and the other that the Bible is true.

However, it doesn’t mean there is a conflict between science and God. There is room for both.

What do you think?