The possibility of life beyond the Earth in no way challenges my biblical faith. I hold to a robust biblical cosmology. That does not mean that I must embrace an ancient mythical cosmology of a flat earth with four corners. The Psalmist has cried out that the heavens declare the glory of God (Ps 19:1). Likewise, the apostle Paul declared that God‘s invisible attributes are revealed in creation (Romans 1:20). Another way of saying this is that God is revealed in science. All truth comes from God.
I do not believe that the Earth has been visited by alien life. If indeed alien life beyond the Earth does exist, the distance between the galaxies makes it highly unlikely that we will ever encounter alien life. So what are the implications for biblical faith?
I believe God created the heavens and the Earth, and all life everywhere throughout the cosmos. I believe that the Earth is the theological center of the Cosmos. Paul tells us that the entire cosmos was corrupted by the sin of the first humans on this planet. Likewise, God became incarnate in Christ on this planet. Just as human sin corrupted the entire cosmos, the incarnation of Jesus Christ redeems the entire cosmos. God called the small insignificant nation of Israel to be a priestly people through whom all the peoples of the Earth could be blessed. Likewise, God has elected a single, insignificant planet, our Earth, to be a priestly planet through which all the cosmos might be blessed.
As the apostles carried the gospel throughout the Earth, they encountered various peoples with diverse cultures. Likewise, should we ever encounter beings from another planet, we may confidently proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the way the truth and the life, the only way to the Father. That remains true in every universe.
