Coming back to my home in Asia after nearly 5 years back in the States has been a mixed bag of emotions. There have been struggles to readjust and struggles to leave the Stateside memories that COVID afforded us; yet there have also been huge blessings in being reunited with family and friends in Asia after returning what had been for 6 years our “normal life.”

Part of these blessings has been coming back to my long-forgotten library! Mostly this library consists of Asian-themed books, theology works, and nature field guides. With all these old books back in my life, I’m trying something new:

Read 5 books at once
—one chapter per book at a time—
attempting to finish them all within a week or two

It’s a unique twist on my normal reading habits, but I’ve found that by trying to read at least one chapter from each book  daily, I never once have lost the desire to continue—with any of them! That’s quite a feat, and I’ve enjoyed the process so much, I’ve already got my next stack ready to read.

About M.R. DeHaan, M.D. and This Book

This book is the first I’ve read from M.R. DeHaan, though I’ve been long familiar with Radio Bible Class (RBC) and the “Our Daily Bread” devotionals. My church back home still puts those out each month.

This book is a collection of radio sermons Dr. DeHaan gave as a medical-professional-turned-preacher on the science or “chemistry” of nine biblical topics. For the sake of this review, I’ll mention all nine below with comments in most.

The Chemistry of … Nine Biblical Concepts

Chapter 1: The Chemistry of the Blood

Dr. DeHaan opens by telling his readers/listeners that blood is the only mobile, unfixed element of the body—connecting, feeding, and cleaning every cell in the body. He hints at many possible applications for this in the Christian life, but most importantly that this is akin to the work of Christ Jesus in His own body—connecting all of us scattered believers, feeding us, cleaning us, and protecting us.

Also, like with the blood’s antibodies, Jesus doesn’t keep us from infections (from sin, like a lamb falling into a mud hole) but from consistent and repeated infections of the same kinds (from living in sin, like a pig diving again and again into a slime pit).

The Bible teaches repeatedly that “the life is in the blood,” but thanks to Adam, so too is death. Thus, God sent His Son, the seed of the woman, detached from Adam’s line and without his deadly, sinful blood.

Chapter 2: The Chemistry of the Conscience

DeHaan includes in this chapter a fascinating description of Moses’ early “lie detector” in Numbers 5, that seemingly strange passage about adding bitter herbs that will make the guilty suffer yet prove harmless to the innocent. He shows how this ancient practice wasn’t hocus-pocus but rather legitimate science, for after a women is told every grave detail—and then made to repeat it—her strained conscience will produce chemicals that will react physiologically with the unknown herb and end in pain, while the clean-conscience woman will suffer no harm.

This whole foray into science to prove a biblical point reminds me so much of Dr. Paul Brand’s books, particularly Fearfully and Wonderfully Made (1980). Both authors mix intriguing scientific facts with Scripture to provoke our thoughts and fascinate us besides.

Chapter 3: The Chemistry of Calvary

Chapter 4: The Chemistry of Light

DeHaan opens this chapter with the truth that God has always had the same glory from eternity past, and there is nothing we can do to increase or decrease it. He created everything that exists so that His own glory could be made manifest. This is the point of all those wonderful passages about giving God glory—we’re not giving Him something He lacks but reflecting back exactly what He deserves. The following, favorite verses come to mind:

• Psalm 34:3 – “Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!”
• 1Corinthians 10:31 – “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
• Matthew 5:16 – “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

DeHaan then takes his scientific turn and describes various aspects of light. One interesting concept was finding the following trinitarian application in light:

• There is some light which can be neither seen nor felt (UV light), a picture of God the Father
• There is light which can be seen but not felt (the colors of our prism), a picture of God the Son
• There is light which can be felt but not seen (infrared light), a picture of God the Holy Spirit

Although it might not be scientifically precise, it’s definitely an interesting and memorable analogy! He also mentions how light can only be seen by what reflects it, which reminded me of the song “Be the Moon” by Chris Tomlin. It also prompted me to create a whole playlist of songs about light, which you can find in my article, “20 Songs about Light”!

Chapter 5: The Chemistry of the Book

I loved this chapter! DeHaan spends quality time describing how everything in Scripture depends on those first 4 words, “In the beginning God.” He then relates this to the Bible as a whole as it relates to science:

True science, therefore, can never be in conflict with the Bible. Wherever science and the Bible seem to conflict, it is either because our scientific deductions are incorrect or our interpretation of Scripture is incorrect.… True science deals with proved facts, and whereas today a great many things are called scientific, they are nothing of the kind. Any theory which is later proved to be false proves that it was unscientific. True science rests on unalterable and eternally established facts. Hence, when scientists have finally reached absolute truth, they will not be in conflict with the Bible, which itself is absolute truth. (75)

Chapter 6: The Chemistry of Prayer

DeHaan makes a bold claim in this chapter on prayer, suggesting that:

It is a pretty safe role that ‘The longer a man prays in public, the less he has prayed in private.’ (98)

I don’t know how much I agree with that judgment today, though it’s clear that we still have hypocrites in Christendom today who loved to be heard for their many words—and it gives me pause myself, because “writing” is just as communicative as “speaking,” meaning I need to be wary of falling into that same hypocritical trap myself!

This chapter also recounts the simple prayer in Matthew 6:9-13, where Jesus taught his disciples to pray. This was never to be memorized but rather exemplified. “The Disciples’ Prayer” involves communion (upward), petition (inward), and intercession (outward). (101) I love this description DeHaan gives of prayer:

Prayer leaps over all barriers, stops at no distances and baulks at no obstacles because it is in touch with the infinite resources of heaven. By prayer, I can get on my knees and visit the missionaries in Africa, China and the North Pole in a flash of time. When I lay hold of the line of prayer, I can move heaven and remove mountains. (113)

Chapter 7: The Chemistry of Matter

Chapter 8: The Chemistry of Tears

Prayer is not telling God how much you found out about him, but a consciousness that he already knows all about you. (146)

Chapter 9: The Chemistry of Man

In this final chapter, DeHaan explains why he sides with human trichotomy over dichotomy, that humans created in God’s image consist of body, soul, and spirit. (150-152) When man sinned, his spirit immediately died (“in the day you eat of it, you shall die”), and his body and soul were cut off from the Source of Life Himself, destined to die eventually. DeHaan illustrates this as a rose cut off at the stem, cut from its life-source. Although it still contains apparent life, it is in fact dead and will soon wither. (155-156)

This chapter was helpful in clarifying some of my own struggles with the concept of “death” in Scripture. Of particular importance is the attempt to spiritualize God’s command in Genesis that “God meant that Adam would begin to die.” No! If God meant that, He would have said that! Instead, Adam died that day: he died spiritually, even though his body and soul continued to live another 900 years. Understanding this distinction is important for us to understand the rest of Scripture—particularly 1Corinthians 15 and the book of Revelation.

Conclusion

I could go on and on about this issues of death in Scripture, but I’ll spare you. Suffice it to say this book got me thinking on many different levels about important theological issues.

It’s definitely a dated book in some places, but it still offers a logical look at the true science behind some essential biblical topics. If the rest of his books are like this, I’ll keep my eyes peeled for more books by M.R. DeHaan, M.D. for sure!

©2025 E.T.