Creation vs Evolution
6/11/2023
John 1:1-3
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
Genesis 1:1-4
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
Genesis 2:23
And Adam said: ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.’
What does the Bible say about creation vs. evolution?
It is not the purpose of this lesson to present a scientific argument in the creation vs. evolution debate. The purpose of this lesson is to explain why, according to the Bible, the creation vs. evolution debate even exists in its present form. Romans 1:25 declares, “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.”
A key factor in the state of the creation vs. evolution debate is that the majority of scientists who believe in evolution are also atheists or agnostics. There are some who hold a form of theistic evolution. Others take a deistic view of God, believing He exists but is not involved in the world, and everything proceeds along an uninterrupted, natural course. Many genuinely and honestly look at the data and arrive at the conclusion that evolution better fits the data. However, the dominant narrative in this discussion is that evolution is, somehow, incompatible with both the Bible and faith in God.
It’s important to realize that some scientists who hold to belief in evolution also believe in God and the Bible without seeing one or the other as contradictory. However, the vast majority of evolutionary scientists hold that life evolved entirely without any intervention of a higher being. Modern theories of evolution, in practice, are almost entirely a naturalistic science.
There are spiritual drivers behind some of these positions. For atheism to be true, there must be an alternate explanation—other than a Creator—for how the universe and life came into existence. Although belief in some form of evolution predates Charles Darwin, he was the first to develop a plausible, natural source for the process of evolution: natural selection. Darwin once identified himself as a Christian, but, as a result of some tragedies that took place in his life, he later renounced the Christian faith and the existence of God.
Darwin’s goal was not to disprove God’s existence, nor did he see his theory as doing so. Unfortunately, that is how his ideas have been promoted by those looking to enable atheism. One reason many believers today resist modern evolutionary theory is that it so often comes packaged with a forced, atheistic worldview. Evolutionary scientists likely would not admit that their goal is to give an alternate explanation of the origins of life and thereby to give a foundation for atheism. And yet, according to the Bible, that is one reason the theory of evolution is approached in the way we see today.
The Bible tells us, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Psalm 14:1; 53:1). The Bible also proclaims that people are without excuse for not believing in a Creator God. “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). According to the Bible, anyone who denies the existence of God is a fool. Foolishness does not imply a lack of intelligence. By necessity, evolutionary scientists are brilliant intellectually. Foolishness indicates an inability to properly apply knowledge. Proverbs 1:7 tells us, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”
Atheists who support evolution frequently mock creation and/or intelligent design as unscientific and not worthy of scientific examination. In order for something to be considered a “science,” they argue, it must be “naturalistic.” Creation, by definition, is beyond the rules of the natural world. Since God cannot be tested, so the argument goes, creation and/or intelligent design cannot be considered science.
Strictly speaking, evolution cannot be observed or tested any more or less than intelligent design, but that does not seem to be an issue with non-believing evolutionists. As a result, all data is filtered through the preconceived, presupposed, and pre-accepted worldview of naturalism, without alternate explanations being considered.
Neither the origin of the universe nor the origin of life can be directly tested or observed. Both creation and evolution require a level of faith to be accepted. We cannot go back in time to observe the origin of the universe or of life in the universe. Those who adamantly reject creation do so on grounds that would logically force them to reject evolution as well.
If creation is true, then there is a Creator to whom we are accountable. Evolution, as often presented today, is an enabler for atheism. Evolution gives atheists a basis for explaining how life developed apart from a Creator God. As such, modern theories of evolution serve as a substitute “creation story” for the religion of atheism.
The Bible is clear: God is the Creator. Any interpretation of science that attempts to remove God from involvement with origins is incompatible with Scripture.
Why is biblical Creationism so important?
A clear view of origins is important for the same reason that a foundation is important to a building. Christianity is established in the book of Genesis chapter one, with “In the beginning God created . . . .” This one statement affirms creationism and opposes any view that embraces naturalism (the belief that the universe started without the intervention of God and/or proceeds without His involvement).
One’s views regarding creation reflect whether we believe the Word of God or call its truthfulness into question. As Christians, we must differentiate between creationism and naturalism; that is, how are they different? Which one is true? Is it possible to believe in both creationism and some form of evolution? These questions can be answered by defining what biblical creationism is and how it affects our fundamental belief system.
The importance of biblical creationism is that it answers the fundamental questions of human existence:
- How did we get here? Where did we come from?
- Why are we here? Do we have a purpose, and what is the cause of all or our problems? Are the issues of sin and salvation important?
- What happens to us when we die? Is there life after death? A person’s stance on origins is important because Genesis is the foundation for the rest of Scripture, in which these questions are answered. Genesis has been likened to the root of a tree in that it anchors Scripture. If you cut the root from a tree, the tree dies. If you discredit Genesis, you remove the authoritative value of all Scripture.
Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” This gives us three great truths foundational to biblical creationism and the Christian faith. First, God is one. This stands in contrast to the polytheism of the pagans and the dualism of modern humanist philosophy. Second, God is personal and exists outside of creation. This is in contrast to pantheism, which sees God as immanent but not transcendent. Last, God is omnipotent and eternal. This is in contrast to the idols that people worship. God was before, is now, and always will be—He created all that is out of nothing by His spoken word.
This answers our creation question of beginnings, but what about our second question: why are we here?
Biblical creationism answers the question of the condition of the human race. Genesis 3 deals with the fall of man but also gives us the hope of redemption. It is important that we understand we are unified in one man, Adam—a literal, real-life person. If Adam is not a literal person, then we have no plausible explanation for how sin entered into the world. If mankind, in Adam, did not fall from grace, then mankind cannot be saved by grace through Jesus Christ. First Corinthians 15:22 says, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive” (NJKV). This parallel—Adam is the head of the fallen race, and Christ is the head of a redeemed race—is important to our understanding of salvation. “Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:18–19, NKJV).
We must look to biblical creationism as the basis for our value system. The creation narrative must be factual and not just a myth, for, if it is fictional, then the values it imports are man-reasoned, subject to change as man “evolves,” and therefore invalid. The basis of the modern-day conflict between science and religion (especially Christianity) is the assumption that (atheistic) science is fact and religion is merely superstition and myth. If this were true, then our Christian values are just that—values for Christians with no relevance in the secular world.
The last basic question for mankind is what happens to us when we die? If man is merely part of an un-designed and accidental universe and simply changes from one kind of matter to another when he dies, it means we have no soul or spirit and this life is all there is. This belief leaves us with only one purpose in life: to follow the plan of evolution, which is survival of the fittest.
Christianity, on the other hand, presents us with a moral good established by a transcendent, supernatural Being. The moral nature of God sets an unchanging standard that not only promotes a better life for us personally but also teaches us how to love others and ultimately bring glory to our Creator. This standard is exemplified by Christ. It is through His life, death, and resurrection that we find purpose for this life and hope of a future life with God in heaven.
Biblical creationism is important because it is the only system that answers the basic questions of life and gives us significance greater than ourselves. It should be clear to all Christians that creationism and naturalism are mutually exclusive and stand in opposition to one another.