The Biblical Worldview Is the Only Answer for Induction

Before we move on, I need to make an important clarification. Typically, when I’m discussing this topic with skeptics of the Bible, they will accuse me of merely exploiting the problem and “inserting God into the equation” to solve it, and thus not really answering anything at all. Of course, this is a fair point, to which I agree, that would be unacceptable. But that’s not what I’m doing. What I’m arguing—along with every other Christian apologist who has ever addressed this topic—is that while induction is a problem that exists in secular worldviews,2 it is not a problem within the context of a truly biblical worldview. In fact, from a Christian standpoint—starting with the Word of God as the foundation—the uniformity of nature is something that Christians should expect to find! That is, Christianity provides the necessary preconditions for induction, and thus for science and everyday life. (If you glossed over that part and don’t quite grasp what I’m saying, don’t worry, it’ll make sense by the end!)

So now, returning to our original question: “How do you know the sun will rise tomorrow?” If you’re a Christian, what would be your answer? Would you be able to provide a justification for why the future will be like the past? It’s actually quite straightforward, but sadly, many of the Christians I chat with today do not know how to properly answer this question. Why? I believe it’s because they spend so little time reading their Bible! So as Christians, if we want to know why we can trust things in the future to happen (like the sun rising tomorrow), we must start our thinking on the authoritative Word of God—the true source of all knowledge and wisdom (Proverbs 1:7, 9:10; Colossians 2:3).

Of course, it’s fitting to begin with the very first verse of the Bible: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). This verse encompasses not only the creation of the physical universe but also the establishment of the laws of nature because the universe had to function from the very start. For instance, gravity was essential to keep all the planets and moons created on day four of creation week (Genesis 1:14–19) in orbit, while electromagnetic radiation was necessary for the light created on day one (Genesis 1:3). More importantly, this indicates that the laws of nature do not replace God’s power—rather, they exemplify it. (We often attribute names to the ways God sustains his creation, such as gravity and the strong and weak nuclear forces.)

Remember, the principle of induction means that the universe consistently operates according to established laws. In other words, the universe must reliably adhere to mathematical principles for us to do not only science but to do anything at all in life. From launching rockets into orbit to baking cookies in the oven, repeatability—and hence predictability—is required so that we can expect similar results under similar conditions. (Imagine putting cookies in the oven at 350oF, and instead of them baking golden brown, they come out frozen solid!)

Let me illustrate with an example: Let’s say there’s a scientist who, on a Monday, makes a new discovery by mixing chemicals together in a specific way. But then, throughout the week, he gets different results when he repeats the same experiment! (See cartoon image below.)

Clearly, trying to do science in a universe where the laws of nature could change over time would make science impossible, right? We would have to reinvent physics every time that occurred! Think about it: In a universe that is always changing, why wouldn’t the laws of nature change over time as well? So don’t overlook this critical concept: The same experiment, under the same conditions, must produce the same result—without this assurance, science would be impossible!

How Does the Bible Provide This Assurance?

Specifically, how does the Bible provide a basis for the universe being logical and orderly? Before we proceed, let’s remember that the Bible is not a science textbook (e.g., you won’t find vector calculus or thermodynamics in it). And that’s a good thing! Scientific theories, based on human ideas, can change, but God’s Word remains eternally true. Nevertheless, the Bible—our ultimate authority—does provide a solid foundation for science and the uniformity of nature.

I also need to briefly clarify here that when we’re discussing the biblical/Christian worldview and the ultimate authority of Scripture, it’s important to remember that this authority must start with the very character of God. The Bible is the final authority not because of the text itself but ultimately because of who it comes from—it is the Word of God! He is the true source of the Bible’s authority. So when we’re talking about biblical authority, we’re really talking about God’s authority as the ultimate standard. Therefore, if we want to properly understand how the biblical worldview provides the preconditions for the uniformity of nature, we must know about God’s character.3

Our God, who has revealed himself to us4—through his Word—says he is a God of order (1 Corinthians 14:33) who created all things in the universe (John 1:3), which means we can expect order in nature as a reflection of God’s nature. This makes sense only if our Creator is logical and imposed order on creation—which also means laws of logic are actually a reflection of the way God thinks. Because God is consistent (Numbers 23:19), unchanging (Psalm 102:27), infinite (Revelation 1:8), timeless (Psalm 90:2), and omnipresent (Psalm 139), we can expect logic, order, and the laws of nature to operate uniformly across time and space.

Furthermore, Hebrews 1:3 and Colossians 1:17 affirm that God upholds and sustains everything in the universe by the “word of his power.” So we can expect the universe to function in a lawlike manner, relying on the laws of nature to remain constant over time. This means laws of nature serve as descriptions of how God upholds everything in the universe, which only makes sense if a Lawgiver created it and consistently upholds it. Hence, under a given set of conditions, we can expect the same outcome every time, as God upholds the entire universe consistently. (Again, without this uniformity, scientific experimentation would be pointless!)

The Bible also teaches that the universe obeys physical laws: “the fixed order of heaven and earth” (Jeremiah 33:25). This is why we can expect the universe (heaven and earth) not to be chaotic or arbitrary but to conform to logical, mathematical relationships established by the Creator. For example, consider the clockwork precision of the planets orbiting the sun. Because of their strict obedience to God’s ordinances, they never fail to appear at the proper place and time in their orbits. We can predict—with high certainty—the orbital position of every planet at any given time.

Our God is not bound by space or time and guarantees that there will be uniformity in the future.

Finally, Genesis 8:22 states, “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” This assures us that we can rely on God for things in the future! For example, we can expect fundamental laws like gravity to function every day of the week without suddenly changing. Our God is not bound by space or time and guarantees that there will be uniformity in the future. God is also faithful and just (Deuteronomy 32:4), so we can bank on those promises. So yes, that means you are completely dependent on the God of the Bible! Every single day, when you get out of bed and put your feet on the floor, you can be assured that you won’t float up to the ceiling because of God’s providence.

But what about miracles? Of course, in rare cases, God may use supernatural means to accomplish his will—hence the term miracle! In other words, God does not arbitrarily alter, change, or suspend the laws of nature—he does so only for special purposes and occasions to accomplish his will.5 This is not a problem for an all-powerful God who is omnipresent (existing everywhere) and beyond time (eternal). After all, God is not bound by natural laws—he is the one who created them! Or simply put, the Creator has power over his creation.

Not to mention, the Bible also provides us a basis for being able to understand his creation! That is, we have minds capable of comprehending the physical world around us, and our senses are fundamentally reliable. Again, like the uniformity of nature, this is so basic that we often take this reliability for granted. Nonetheless, it’s crucial that we can trust our minds and senses to accurately interpret things in the universe. Scripture reveals that we are made in the image of our all-knowing, logical God and that we have dominion over his creation (Genesis 1:26–28). Because we’re made in the image of God—the Creator of our minds—and because God instilled in us the ability and desire to explore his creation as part of our dominion mandate, we can be certain of the reliability of our minds and senses. This means that our minds can comprehend the world around us, and we can depend on our senses (sight, smell, hear, taste, touch) as we fulfill our dominion mandate.

While the problem of induction continues to be a puzzling enigma for (secular) philosophers, the problem is answered when we understand it within the context of a Christian worldview. Our faithful, unchanging, all-powerful, sovereign God of order created the heavens and the earth in such a way that we can make reliable predictions about the future based on past regularity.

Here’s the takeaway: Within the Christian worldview, we can confidently trust that our inductive inferences are reliable; therefore, the “problem of induction” really isn’t a problem at all!

In fact, the Bible provides the foundation for things like knowledge, truth, logic, and order in the universe. God’s Word makes sense of these things and provides the basis to prove anything at all! Yet again, most of us take these things for granted—never pausing to consider why we can rely on them!

This Assurance Requires Standing on the Whole Bible!

So yes, the Bible provides the solid foundation needed for induction. But it’s crucial to note that we can only have this assurance if we’re standing on the whole Bible, not “cherry-picking” certain verses that we support. In fact, it’s completely arbitrary and irrational to just pick/choose the verses we like or don’t like. Either the whole Bible is true or none at all. Period. The Bible is a trustworthy revelation from the most reliable eyewitness—God. Only a truly biblical worldview, built on the solid rock of his entire authoritative Word, gives us a rational basis for induction—and for science itself!

Sadly, many Christians today do not stand on the whole Bible but instead try to reinterpret God’s Word, starting in Genesis, which plainly states that God created everything in six literal (24-hour) days (Genesis 1). Most notably, Christians are trying to compromise Genesis to accommodate humanistic beliefs like the big bang, evolution, and “millions of years” (these are religious ideas based on man, who was not there, rather than God, who was there). But here’s the problem: If we compromise Genesis—such as treating it as symbolic or allegorical—we undermine the trustworthiness of the Bible as a whole, including its promises about the uniformity of nature.

How? A few ways people try to compromise God’s Word include the gap theory (suggesting a “long gap” of time exists between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2), day-age theory (stretching millions of years over the six days of creation), and theistic evolution (completely discarding Genesis 1–11 as history and simply picking up with Genesis 12). Other compromised views exist, of course, but it’s important to note that all these positions are forms of humanism. This blending of religions (humanistic beliefs with Christianity) is known as syncretism, which is not something God approves.

Regardless of the compromised view, one common factor emerges: All compromised views reject the plain reading of Scripture, believing God created the world over “millions of years.” However, if Genesis is not really true—if it’s just an allegorical story—then there’s no reason to believe verses like Genesis 8:22 are really true and no reason to trust God’s promises about the future. Simply put, Christians who compromise God’s Word with humanistic beliefs (like “millions of years”) cannot depend on God’s promises of uniformity in the future with any certainty whatsoever.

So here’s the bottom line: As Christians, we have the basis to confidently rely on God’s promises, trusting that the future will be like the past, but only if we’re standing on all of Scripture.

Objection—Atheists Can Still Do Science!

A person does not have to believe the Bible is true to do science, but science is only possible because the Bible is true.

Right after I finish explaining all of this to an unbeliever/skeptic, I almost always hear this objection: “Okay, so if science requires biblical principles like uniformity, how can atheists still do science?” Essentially, what the person is wondering is why we can’t simply assume the uniformity of nature without appealing to God’s Word. Of course, this is a very common objection since many scientists who are not Christians still do great science. The answer is quite simple: A person does not have to believe the Bible is true to do science, but science is only possible because the Bible is true. Without the God of the Bible, the uniformity of nature—the very foundation of science—becomes unjustifiable. So the issue is about justification, not the ability to do science.

In other words, atheists can do science only because they’re inconsistent with their own worldview. They accept biblical principles (such as logic, order, the uniformity of nature, etc.) while denying God’s Word. This essentially makes the atheist a “walking bundle” of contradictions—claiming the universe is not designed yet doing science as if it were! In reality, atheists borrow capital from the biblical worldview (whether they realize it or not).

However, because every person is made in God’s image and lives in God’s creation, they inevitably have faith in these basic principles. It’s inescapable! So when an atheist does science, relying on the uniformity of nature, he must actually rely on blind faith. In fact, from an atheistic perspective, it would be a miracle for the future to be like the past. Ironically, for an atheist to even do science—within his own worldview—he must continually depend on miracles! So ultimately, the objection that “science is impossible without atheism” ends up backfiring on the atheist.

This is especially amusing because many atheists claim that science would be impossible if miracles could occur. In other words, they claim that scientific experimentation would be pointless if there were a “god” who constantly intervened, causing different results each time. In case you’re wondering where this belief comes from, it mainly stems from the religion of naturalism/materialism, which tries to explain everything purely through natural laws (i.e., the result of time, chance, and the laws of nature acting on matter).6 In fact, many scientists—sadly, even some Christians—equate “science” with this religion and conclude that scientific experimentation requires naturalism.7

For example, an atheist once asked me, “How would we ever learn about gravity if God randomly made things float? We’d never know if we were learning something new or witnessing a miracle?” Of course, this would only be a reasonable objection if the “god” in question were haphazard or erratic. But as we’ve established, that’s not the God of the Bible. The biblical God doesn’t arbitrarily suspend the natural laws he created. In fact, the consistent operation of these laws is God’s normative way of working—which makes scientific experimentation even possible.

Simply put, the atheistic worldview lacks a rational foundation for the uniformity of nature. This basic assumption becomes arbitrary and unjustifiable because it is not grounded in anything beyond human expectation or past experience (which is circular reasoning). To illustrate, the atheist is like a child who is afraid of the “monster” in the closet. My youngest child sometimes believes there’s a scary dinosaur hiding in his dark closet. My child truly believes this, but there’s no rational justification for that belief. It’s the same with atheists—acting on beliefs that they cannot justify.

Objection—What About Other Theistic Worldviews?

You might wonder about those who are not Christian but still claim that the Bible is true. Can religions such as Islam, Mormonism, and Jehovah’s Witnesses (and other similar cults) also provide this basis by appealing to the God of the Bible? While we won’t dive in too deeply, it’s important to note that these religions are counterfeits of Christianity. So although they may claim that the Bible is the Word of God, they do not worship the true God of the Bible and significantly deviate from its claims.

That is, each of these religions (including Judaism) reject how God has revealed himself—his Triune nature—and thus they reinterpret several clear New Testament passages on the deity of Christ (John 1; Colossians 1; Hebrews 1), believing that Jesus Christ was merely a created being rather than the eternal God.8 In effect, they believe in a “god” who doesn’t exist—an imaginary god who is powerless to uphold the universe. Consequently, they cannot logically depend on the uniformity of nature.

Moreover, these counterfeit religions also tack on some form of additional “revelation” to the Bible, for instance:

• Islam = Bible + Quran + Hadith
9
• Mormonism = Bible + Book of Mormon + Pearl of Great Price + Doctrine and Covenants
• Jehovah’s Witnesses = Bible + Watchtower writings

In these cases, they aim to diminish the authority of the Bible’s teachings in favor of their “new” deviant teachings, altering the biblical text or claiming that Scripture has been changed (without any textual support whatsoever). However, God’s Word instructs us to judge any “new revelation” with previous revelation. This means that any new revelation cannot contradict or be inconsistent with what has already been revealed in the Bible.10

Plus, if you just briefly examine some of the key claims made by their so-called prophets (like Muhammad for Islam, Joseph Smith for Mormonism, and Charles Taze Russell for Jehovah’s Witnesses), it becomes evident that their teachings contradict and are inconsistent with the Bible.11 In short, these men were false prophets, which ultimately means their writings cannot be considered the Word of God and must be ignored/disregarded. In the end, these other theistic worldviews are incoherent, internally inconsistent, and therefore, fail to provide the necessary preconditions for uniformity.12

Does It Really Matter? (Chris and Bob: A Tale of Two Worldviews)

Before we wrap up this article, you might still be wondering why all this stuff even matters. Well, this matters because it’s more than just a philosophical curiosity—it has real-world implications! Not only does it matter for science and everyday life, but this also has worldview implications, affecting how we view the world around us.

To help drive this key point home, let me illustrate this by telling you a tale of two twin brothers, Chris and Bob. As twins, they like to do everything together in the exact same manner and have the exact same morning routine. Every morning, they both wake up at the same time, open the curtains to let sunshine in, put on their slippers, and walk to the kitchen. Chris and Bob are usually very thirsty first thing in the morning, so they both fill a glass of water from the sink to quench their thirst. Then they both proceed to cook breakfast, boil water for coffee, brush their teeth, get dressed, and leave the house for work at the same time. Their daily lives look identical on the outside. But on the inside, they’re direct opposites in their beliefs. Chris is a Christian (stands on the Word of God) who believes there is a sovereign God who carries this universe along to its intended destination, is in control of all things, and holds the universe together. Bob is an atheist (does not stand on the Word of God) who believes the universe is nothing more than time and chance acting on matter, and that everything is just “matter in motion” with no ultimate guidance, governance, or purpose. Then one morning, while cooking eggs for breakfast, they both happen to accidentally touch the hot stove and burn one of their hands. Realizing the pain, they decide to be more careful in the future.

Let’s stop here and ask the question: Given their two opposing worldviews, which one has the rational justification not to touch the hot stove again? Obviously, both have learned their lesson, but who has the worldview that actually provides the basis to learn from past experience? Chris does! His worldview is grounded in God’s consistent character, he believes in a faithful God who upholds the universe, so he has the assurance the hot stove will behave the same in the future as it did in the past. On the other hand (pun intended), given Bob’s atheistic worldview and no rational basis for uniformity, Bob has no real assurance about anything in the future—anything can happen! In a random-chance, meaningless universe, Bob has no guarantee that the stove will behave in the same way it did yesterday. So if Bob wants to be consistent with his worldview, rather than being extra cautious the next morning around the stove, he should embrace the possibility that touching the stove could do nothing at all to his hand. In fact, he ought to be open to the chance that putting his hand on the hot stove could instead be the most enjoyable experience of his entire life! (Which I don’t recommend you try!)

Also consider both Chris and Bob are normally dehydrated first thing in the morning, causing their desire to drink a glass of water to hydrate themselves. But how do they know that drinking water is what’s needed for hydration? Because of the uniformity of nature! They project what they’ve learned in past experience (that drinking water is hydrating) to the future—which, again, only Chris can justify. However, Bob’s worldview provides him with no such assurance that water will hydrate him. And so, because of his worldview, he really has no guarantee that water will behave in the same way that it did yesterday—it’s even possible that the water he drinks in the morning could suddenly become lethal and melt through his insides like acid. That means if Bob wants to act consistent, he ought to think twice before drinking that glass of water, wondering: “Hey, this is a random-chance universe, so maybe I shouldn’t risk drinking water today because it might do something horrible to my body like melt my stomach!”

But here’s the real crux of the matter: Which brother should even have the confidence to do any of their normal morning routines at all, trusting that the laws of nature (such as gravity and thermodynamics) will still work? Given their worldviews, who can rationally justify what they’re doing after getting out of bed each morning? (I hope the answer is obvious by now!) Only Chris can have a meaningful justification for not freaking out after waking up! Not panicking whether he might float through the ceiling or drop through the floor while walking to the kitchen, nor fearing that water no longer boils when heated, and so on. Only he can have true assurance that the future will be like the past!

I know, this seems a bit over-the-top, but here’s the point: The Christian worldview is glorious! As a Christian, it is absolutely amazing to realize that we depend on God for such simple things like drinking water to hydrate us and learning not to put our hands on hot stoves. By trusting in him, Christians have confidence in everyday realities from the rising of the sun to the boiling of water—everything in life—depending on our faithful God who sustains his creation.

Yes, God Makes Our Everyday Life Possible

To recap, the universe was created, designed, and is consistently upheld by our unchanging, all-powerful God, providing the foundation for why it consistently follows the laws of nature. As a result, the Christian has an objective faith—a true basis for trusting the uniformity of nature—not only having the right to expect certain outcomes (and a mind capable of understanding them) but also possessing confident assurance in God’s promises.

That is, the Christian worldview solves the “problem of induction” by grounding the uniformity of nature in the character of God.

So the answer to the so-called problem of induction doesn’t require sophisticated philosophical jargon. Simply put, there’s only one way we can trust that the future will be like the past—by revelation from one who is beyond time. God has promised us through his Word that he will uphold the universe in a consistent way, so we can have true, justified belief that the future will be like the past. That is, the Christian worldview solves the “problem of induction” by grounding the uniformity of nature in the character of God. That’s it, folks! That’s the simple, objective faith of the Christian!

Hebrews 11:1 states, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Christians can trust—by faith—that God created the universe out of nothing. In the same way, Christians can trust that God continues to uphold the universe in a consistent manner, not because of what we’ve seen but because he has promised it in his Word. The Christian faith, therefore, is a confident one that can make proper sense of the world.

By the way, that’s why it’s essential for Christians to get back to looking at the world with the right worldview, one built on the foundation of God’s Word, and grounding our understanding in his Word. The Bible, the inspired Word of God and the true history book of the universe, is not just a guidebook for life (a lamp to our feet, Psalm 119:105)—but the foundation for every area of life and reality!13

So the next time you wake up, step out of bed, plant your feet firmly on the ground, and watch the sunrise through the window, take a moment to thank God for his sustaining power. From the rotation of the earth to the force that keeps your feet on the ground, every single detail of creation points to the incredible wisdom and faithfulness of the Creator. As Christians, we can rest in the truth that our Lord—Jesus Christ—faithfully governs all things, making science possible and our lives meaningful.

But more importantly, if you’re not a Christian (haven’t turned to Jesus Christ in repentance and faith), then I encourage you to do so today. The “right time” is now! Today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). Turn from your sins and trust completely in the finished work of Jesus Christ, who is not only the Creator and Sustainer but also the Savior of the world (John 1:29). Believe in him for forgiveness and do not trust in your own works to make you right with God. Instead, “Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, [and] you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).14