Thursday August 9, 2012

Read Genesis 4-5

 

But remaining resolutely undeterred, many pro-evolutionist Christians tell us confidently that the Bible tells us ‘Why’ and not ‘How’ God created the cosmos. The Bible is not a science book and does not give us any information about the science, the how, of creation.

 

Before we even look at the Bible one needs to realise that ‘real’ science or experimental science can only comment with authority on issues that are measurable and repeatable. Science can measure the force of gravity, the freezing point of water or the density of different substances, just to name a few examples. Science can measure the speed of sound and so on because these events are measurable and repeatable. But as soon as we go back into history, into events that cannot be repeated nor measured, science cannot speak with any authority simply because it can neither measure nor repeat these events. Historical science deduces and induces theories to account for these non measurable, non repeatable events. If for example, I saw a one-off bright flash of triangular light in the sky, science could neither measure nor repeat the event so theories would be deduced as to what I saw and how it happened.  The start of the universe and the start of life was a one off, non-repeatable, non-measurable event that is explained by theories. There are scientific theories, religious theories and a host of other theories. Given that no humans were present as eyewitnesses, all these theories are as plausible as each other. There is one exception, though. The God of Creation was present and is an eyewitness to the creation events. If He tells us about these events then perhaps this source is more credible than any man made theory.

 

One leading evangelical likened the Bible’s version of creation to the Prime Minister giving orders to build a grand, complex structure. He spoke and hundreds of servants and engineers obeyed his command. While this may seem a plausible attempt to carry creation and evolution in harmony, it is wrought with difficulties. It only goes to prove that many so called Bible believing Christians are happy to see evolution as the agent of God’s creation. God said it and evolution did it, is the hidden premise.

 

One, perhaps two, slight problems emerge as one actually reads the text of Genesis 1-3. We are actually told ‘how’ God created in several instances. Secondly, evolution contradicts Genesis 1-3 in many instances – so many, in fact, that we are drawn to believe one or the other but not both.

 

So how did God create the known universe? In Genesis 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24 we read that ‘…God said’. God created by speaking. After God spoke, we read a concluding statement ‘And it was so’. The teaching is clear – God spoke and it happened. There is no mention of interim activity or evolutionary processes whatsoever.  Psalm 33, Hebrews 11:3 and several other passages confirm our suspicions of the old Creation ex nihilo theory  - ‘By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.’  (Heb 11:3 NIV). Such a verse flatly denies evolution because evolution postulates that all things were made from what was visible and existent!

 

But clearly God didn’t create all things ex nihilo. The land produced vegetation and animals. Genesis 1:11, 2:9, 1:24, 2:19 shows that God used existing matter in this aspect of creation. Evolution, on the contrary, does not teach that animals and plants were created from the ground. Animals for example, according to evolution, were created from lesser evolved animals and eventually all things came from a primordial soup that had ‘something’ injected to create life.  Ultimately the source of all life was some watery soup containing the necessary proteins. The Bible and evolution are clearly at odds at this point.

 

Mankind forms another example. Genesis 2:7 clearly states how God created man.

(Gen 2:7 NIV)  …the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

 

Evolution holds that mankind is the product of billions of years of natural selection processes. Man is formed from ‘lower’ animals through a series of random and unpredictable mutations. Mankind came from apes and monkeys which in turn came from lesser evolved animals which in turn came from lesser evolved animals… right back to the initial soup.  But according to God, mankind was made from the ground as a man. According to evolution, mankind was formed from other animals, largely by chance and circumstance. The two are simply mutually exclusive. We have to choose to believe one or the other.

 

Theologically, the Biblical account of the creation of mankind is meaningless and absolutely ridiculous if God used evolution. If I choose to believe evolution then God did not create mankind. He did not form him from the ground and he certainly did not breathe life into the first man’s nostrils. The first ape-human was born alive and well, breathing of his own accord!  We are brought to a point of decision – Do I believe the Word of God or mankind’s own theory?

 

The Creation of woman is as problematic as the creation of man. Genesis 2:21-22 plainly states,

‘So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, He took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib He had taken out of the man, and He brought her to the man.’ (Gen 2:21-22 NIV).

 

According to evolution femininity evolved way back in the family tree well before humanity was on the scene. Unfortunately for the Biblical evolutionists latter parts of the Bible look back to this passage and assume it’s fundamentally and fully true. 1 Cor 11:8, 12, 1 Tim 2:13-14 are but two passages that accept Genesis as literal history. Jesus also assumed that woman and man were created in the beginning, not millions of years after the beginning.

 

The why not how argument is a blatant lie.  It’s a smoke screen to allow Christians the freedom to avoid grappling with the truth. Clearly God doesn’t tell us every minute detail of how He created all things. We don’t know for instance, how God made the vegetation grow on the first day of its creation. One would assume the trees bore mature and ripe fruit so that the man and woman could actually feed themselves. But we are told enough of the ‘how’ to know that evolution is completely contradictory to the Scriptural truth.

 

Prayer:

¨ Spend time asking God to show you and every one in your congregation just how true the Word of God is. Pray against any areas of doubt you may have.

¨ Pray that this weekend’s sermon will powerfully impact the lives of non believers and bring many of them into the truth, that they would be granted repentance by faith and that they would be great exponents and preachers of the Word.