What does the God-of-the-gaps argument propose?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The “God-of-the-gaps” argument is often used to discredit belief in God by claiming that He is merely a stand-in for human ignorance. As science advances, these “gaps” supposedly shrink, leaving less and less room for God. But the God of the Bible is not limited to mysteries—He is Lord over both the known and the unknown. Scripture never presents God as a last resort explanation. Instead, He is the Origin, Sustainer, and end of all things. The Bible affirms natural processes, yet insists they are governed by God’s providential hand.

Additionally, God invites investigation, not blind superstition. He commands His people to meditate on His works and praises those who grow in wisdom from them. The issue is not whether we can understand how something works—but whether we acknowledge who gave it its order and purpose.

Faith in God is not threatened by scientific discovery. Rather, science reveals the consistency, creativity, and beauty of God’s handiwork. The God-of-the-gaps defenders worry that we are over-attributing to God. However, the danger is the opposite: we are reducing Him to a mere explanation for what we have not yet figured out.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• The Bible asserts that God is the source of the answers that scientists are seeking to find. For example, Genesis 1:1 declares, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” This statement declares a foundational truth: the universe and everything in it came into being because God created it.
• Job was afflicted by Satan with the permission of God (Job 1–2). Job complains to God, but rather than explain every mystery to Job, God overwhelms Job with a vision of creation’s complexity: the movement of stars (Job 38:31–33), the behavior of animals (Job 39:1–30), and the regulation of weather (Job 38:22–30). God does not appeal to ignorance to fill in the gaps—He appeals to His authority as Creator. The more Job learns, the more he learns to humble himself before the Creator.
• Psalm 104:24 does not attribute God’s work to gaps in the author’s knowledge—it attributes them to the comprehensive wisdom of God in sustaining ecosystems, creatures, and natural processes.
• Even with all of our scientific achievements, the spark of life during conception is still a puzzling mystery for humanity (Ecclesiastes 11:5). Human knowledge is limited, but that does not diminish God’s activity. It is not the same thing as claiming a “gap” to acknowledge the unsearchable greatness of God.
• Scientists are regularly taken aback when telescopes provide new data about the immense scale of the universe. The Bible says that creation is a small thing to God. He creates and names every star. Even what we can observe and name points beyond itself to the wisdom and power of the Creator, who upholds the universe (Isaiah 40:26).

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• John wrote that “the Word” (Jesus) was God, by whom all things came into being (John 1:1). Everything from the most mundane to the most mysterious is made through Him. The Bible doesn’t make God the answer for a shrinking set of mysteries. Instead, it proclaims Him as the source of everything.
• Paul said that “all things were created through [Jesus] and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16–17). Christ’s sustaining power is not a fallback explanation—it is taught as the explanation for the continuity of all creation, not just the parts we haven’t yet worked out the right math formula to explain.
• The author of Hebrews said that Jesus “upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3). Physics may describe how forces interact, but Scripture insists those forces persist because Christ sustains them. This is not in conflict with science but transcends it.
• Paul highlighted the problem for those making a God-of-the-gaps argument: they refuse to acknowledge God’s existence. God has made Himself known in creation (Romans 1:20). The problem isn’t a lack of evidence that God exists but human refusal to acknowledge the Creator behind the order.
• Skeptics and philosophers have always existed, as seen in Athens where people constantly sought new ideas (Acts 17:21). In response, Paul pointed to the Creator God, who gives life to all and needs nothing, using the existence of life as evidence of God's self-existence (Acts 17:24–25).

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

The God-of-the-gaps argument misrepresents biblical faith. It imagines that believers insert God only where they lack "real" explanations. But biblical Christianity teaches that God is not just the answer to mysteries—He is the foundation of all reality. He made what we do not understand, and He also made what we do understand. He upholds what we don’t understand, and He upholds what we do.

This means that we should never be afraid of scientific discovery. The more we learn about creation, the more we see the intricacy, consistency, and wisdom of the One who designed it. True science does not erase God—it reveals the depth of His handiwork.

However, while we can pursue scientific endeavors, we should not confuse the scientific method with “philosophical naturalism.” The former is a tool that helps us to probe deeply into God’s creation. The latter is a worldview that denies God exists even before it starts to probe. Christians should embrace scientific inquiry while rejecting assumptions that everything is explainable without God. Rather, we must start with the assumption that things exist because God exists.

That leads us to faith. Our faith should not be grounded in what science says or concludes about creation. Instead, we must ground it in what God has said, even when it contradicts science. That is because God is not only the source of creation but also the only source of infallible wisdom.

In the end, the problem with the God-of-the-gaps view is theological. It shrinks God down to a mere placeholder that fills in the gaps until we know the “real” answer. The God of Scripture is not a placeholder. He is the source of all and the Lord of all.

UNDERSTAND

• The God-of-the-gaps argument wrongly claims that God is only used to explain what science has not yet figured out.
• The Bible teaches that God is the Creator and Sustainer of everything—both what we understand and what we don’t.
• True faith recognizes God as the foundation of all reality, not just a fallback for human ignorance.

REFLECT

• How do you respond when science explains something you once attributed directly to God—does it deepen or challenge your faith?
• In what areas of life do you tend to rely on God only when you don’t have answers, rather than trusting Him as the foundation of everything?
• How does your view of God influence the way you think about learning, discovery, and the natural world?

ENGAGE

• How can we help each other avoid reducing God to a “gap-filler” in areas where we lack understanding?
• What are the differences between science being a tool to help us understand the world God created versus science or naturalism as a worldview?
• How can the church foster a view of God that encourages scientific curiosity without compromising biblical faith?