A Christian response to the possibility of alien life

A Christian response to the possibility of alien life

The U.S. government recently admitted that they have commissioning studies about the existence of UFO’s and alien life. The U.S. military have studied first-hand reports from Navy pilots and seen the videos. They admit that the flying objects are a mystery.

The cable TV channels continually produce shows about the possibility of alien life. There are popular conferences about Area 51, the existence of Bigfoot, and conspiracies involving major historical events

People are fascinated with the unexplainable.

I confess that I enjoy gazing up into the stars at night and wonder at God’s creation. When I use my phone to track satellites and space stations as they pass by in the night sky, I wonder at the advancement of technology. And since our God is a big, mysterious God that goes well beyond our comprehension, I wonder about all that he has created that remains undiscovered.

How would the possibility of alien life affect a Christian worldview? How does the possibility of UFO’s square with a person’s faith in Christ?

With the advent of technology that allows us to gaze at the wonderment of the ever-expanding universe and the billions of stars throughout our galaxy…. is it okay for Christians to ponder the possibility of alien life on another planet?

This question was posed recently in an interesting blog post entitled “Are we Ready for Life on Mars?” by James Emery White.  https://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/dr-james-emery-white/are-we-ready-for-life-on-mars.html

Many people dismiss the possibility of UFO’s and alien life as a hoax. They are convinced that most of what is deemed unexplainable always will have some type of explanation. And they could be right.

Miracles are also unexplainable.

Bible skeptics question the historicity of Jesus’ resurrection. They dismiss the miraculous accounts of Christ along with the rest of the Old Testament miracles as legends.

Think about it. If you happened to go missing for three days after an afternoon at the beach, then suddenly emerge from the seashore with a wild story. You tell people that you were swallowed by a large fish then coughed up on shore. How would people respond? You could be an internet sensation. Your face could appear on the front page of several tabloids trying to make a buck. But most of us would be skeptical of your story.

The miraculous accounts in the Bible are unexplainable, but that’s not the point. God’s Word was not inspired and preserved so that we can believe that God parted the Red Sea during the time of Moses. The miracles declare that God is God and we are not.

The Bible answers the most fundamental questions that we need to be most concerned about – our relationship with him, our eternal life, our believe in Christ’s completed work on our behalf.

Faith is a miracle that can only be delivered by God’s hand through the power of his Word. This includes accepting certain questions where answers remain silent.

There are mysteries on earth that science has not been able to answer yet — including the possibility of life on other planets

Borrowing from James Emery White’s article, here are three theological truths that can help believers capture the essence of our faith in response to the unknowns in the universe.

• God is bigger than we think.

When it comes to life on other planets and future scientific discoveries, remembering the size of God will always keep us humble and slow to jump to conclusions. Science is a process and a constant testing and proving of theories. Those who believe in Christ can celebrate every scientific discovery and marvel with awe at what God has designed.

• All life is from God.

God is the Creator of the heavens and earth. Our human minds are not able to fully grasp what he has created on earth let alone what he has created in the heavens.  We can’t begin to capture the mind of God and what he has designed in the universe. There could be many dimensions and realities throughout the universe that God has created that has yet to be revealed. And perhaps it might be a bit arrogant for us to think that life on earth is the extent of his creativity. We don’t know. But God does. And we can accept that.

If it were important for us to know about the possibility of alien life during our brief stay on earth, then God will reveal it. In the meantime, we can hold on to what we do know that has already been revealed to us. And that’s a miracle in of itself. The incarnate God came to this earth. He lived, died, and rose again.

• All of creation matters to God.

With all scientific discoveries, it is like peeling away billions of layers of an onion one piece at a time. A Christian can enjoy and not be threatened in its discoveries.

As Scriptures state, we can marvel at the earth and declare, “Look at what God has created!”

We can marvel at the heavens around us and declare, “Look at what God has created!”

And as the scientific community may be preparing to discover some type of life on other planets, we can anticipate the same discovery.

If scientists discover some type of life on another planet, we can rejoice by saying, “Wow. Look at what God created! God loves the earth and the universe!”

I confess that I’m skeptical about UFOs, the existence of Bigfoot, and alien life on other planets. I don’t buy into conspiracy theories. But I’m willing to be surprised by God if they are ever discovered.

While gazing up into the stars at night and an alien spaceship lands in my backyard, I look forward to finding out if they know Jesus Christ or not. What a discovery that will be!