Does God Lie?

 . When God says that the universe was brought into being via His Word, can we Christians trust that?

. When the Bible describes forming and filling the earth in six days, can we Christians know what that means?

. When science says that the material cosmos is 14 billion years old – give or take - and that it came into being from literally nothing material, without a cause, can we trust that?
. When science says that matter, in some form, has always existed, can we trust that?
. When science says that matter created itself, can we trust that?
. When science says, almost as a statement of fact, that our universe is one of an infinite number of universes (for which there is zero evidence), can we trust that?

Bottom line, it's pretty hard to reconcile both the scientific and Biblical accounts of Creation. It doesn't appear that the findings of science are wrong regarding the age of the universe. Yet, as Francis Crick noted, and as scientists studying both the macro and micro universe are forced to concede, “We have to keep reminding ourselves that what we're seeing is not designed.”

The thing is, IF God is saying the universe is much younger than 14 billion years old, wouldn't that make God a liar? Science and a literal reading of the Bible can't both be right – can they?

Some have tried to accommodate these two conclusions by saying that just as God created Adam and Eve as mature individuals, He also created a mature universe. Light only appears to have been travelling for billions of years.

That's not impossible, but again, wouldn't THAT make God a liar, or at least deceptive in how He deals with us?

I suggest the latter. And I also suggest that there is nothing wrong with Him doing that. As Pascal said, “God has given us just enough evidence of His existence that those who are being drawn to Him will be able to find Him, AND He has given us just enough evidence so that those who are rejecting God will not be able to find Him accidentally.”

As many an atheist has truthfully told me, “I couldn't become a Christian even if I wanted to.”

We know from Scripture that God is going to send to His enemies “a great delusion.” Now, that particular verse is dealing specifically with the anti-Christ. But I think those who are fighting against God are experiencing a delusion on many, many levels. Jesus Himself says that many people can't understand His teaching because “their ears have been kept from hearing and their eyes have been kept from seeing.” He's talking about their inability to discern spiritual truths (2 Corinthians 4:4). It's what I”m talking about when I say atheists are spiritually dull of mind and slow of thought. It's like they're colour blind and can't see a little piece of red plastic lying in the green grass. Atheists just can't get it.

The thing about this is,

IF God created a universe that looks 14 billion years old when it isn't, it isn't a lie as long as He has also given us the actual truth, right there in His Word.

IF God has made it look like life came from non life, if it only looks as though humans are the end result of an impossibly complicated series of mutations over eons, it isn't a lie if He's given us the truth right there in His Word.

IF God has kept those who are going to reject Him from seeing or hearing the truth of what is right there before them, how can they blame Him? They don't want anything to do with Him anyway.

Like Chris Hitchens said, “For me to be in heaven would be hell.” So God gave him what he wanted. Is that wrong? Besides, there is nothing, literally nothing beside God Himself that can open our spiritual eyes so that any of us can believe in the reality of Creator God (John 6:44). Our corrupt nature precludes a decision that “In the beginning, God created the universe.”

As Jesus said to those who were rejecting Him, “Even if I rise from the dead, you won't believe.”