What About Origins? (CreationPoints)

by Dr A J Monty White

  But what Richard Dawkins is actually doing is assuming that evolution has taken place and that, as a result, it has produced what he refers to as ‘design’. He then concludes that design cannot come before evolution. Yet he assumed in the first place that evolution produced ‘design’ in order to prove that design came after evolution! This is not science—it is speculation based on Dawkins’ belief system.

  Furthermore, that evolution is speculation and that it has not been subjected to scientific method is aptly illustrated by the following quote from Edwin G. Conklin, a former Professor of Biology at Princeton University: ‘The concept of organic evolution is very highly prized by biologists, for many of whom it is an object of genuinely religious devotion, because they regard it as a supreme integrative principle. This is probably the reason why severe methodological criticism employed in other departments of biology has not yet been brought to bear on evolutionary speculation.’6

  Evolutionists also believe that natural processes operating over eons have been responsible for producing all the life forms that are alive on our planet today, as well as those that we find fossilized in the sedimentary rocks. Charles Darwin was fully aware of the time factor when he wrote in On the Origin of Species that anyone who ‘does not admit how incomprehensibly vast have been the past periods of time may at once close this volume’.7 It seems that the enormous time periods that are proposed by evolutionists (4,600 million years for the age of the earth, for example) deaden the mind and cause people to believe the unbelievable—‘goo-to-you-via-the-zoo’, as a comical definition of evolution puts it. The faith that evolutionists have in natural processes operating over vast periods of time has been formulated by Dr John Whitcomb into the Evolutionists’ Version of Hebrews 11:3: ‘By faith, we evolutionists understand that the worlds were framed not by the word of any personal God, but were brought into existence through endless ages of time by purely natural processes, from simple to complex, without any miracles at all, so that things which are seen were indeed made of previously existing, visible, simpler, physical entities.’8

  Later, we will be considering the non-existence of transitional forms (the so-called ‘missing links’) in the fossil record. At this point, however, it is worth revealing that in a letter to the prestigious journal Science in 1973, E. C. Lucas pointed out that ‘evolutionists have to have faith in the original existence of the missing transitional forms’.9 And so they do! The evolutionists’ faith could be defined as the fossils hoped for, the evidence of missing links not seen.

  It is worth noting that it is not just creationists who talk about the evolutionists’ faith—so, too, do the evolutionists themselves! The late L. T. More, who was Professor of Physics at the University of Cincinnati, penned the following remarkable confession: ‘Our faith in the idea of evolution depends upon our reluctance to accept the antagonistic doctrine of special creation’ (emphasis added).10

  Evolutionists therefore prefer to have faith in extrapolation, natural processes operating over vast periods of time, speculation, and missing links, rather in the God of the Bible. Given evolution’s need for faith, it has, naturally enough, many of the characteristics of a religion.11 The evolutionists’ belief in evolution, whether they realize it or not, affects their whole way of life—their unbelief in a personal God who is the Creator of the heavens and the earth; their unbelief in the Bible as the authoritative Word of God; their unbelief in Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God; their unbelief in salvation by the atoning death of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary; their unbelief in a duty towards God and their fellow humans; their unbelief in an absolute moral code of conduct; and so on. Interestingly, in response to the question ‘Is atheism the logical extension of believing evolution?’, the famous atheistic evolutionist Richard Dawkins replied, ‘My personal feeling is that understanding evolution led me to atheism.’12 Furthermore, the plain fact that, if you do not believe in evolution you are treated as a heretic by evolutionists, is proof enough that evolution is a religion.

  Christians should therefore find it untenable to believe in evolution— they should only believe in creation. Christians who reject that God is the Creator are denying one of the fundamental truths of Christianity. By doing so, they are actually denying the authority of Scripture. Christians who are confronted with the question ‘Evolution or creation?’ need to think very carefully about how to answer. If they answer ‘Evolution’, they need to be aware of exactly what they are denying and where they are putting their trust and faith. It is significant to note, for example, that in an interview, Sir Julian Huxley declared that he was an atheist and that Darwin’s real achievement was to remove the whole idea of God as the Creator of organisms from the sphere of rational discussion.13

  The sovereignty of God in creation

  That God is the Creator of all things is stated clearly in Genesis 1:

  ‘… God created the heavens and the earth’ (v. 1)

  ‘Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament’ (v. 7)

  ‘Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night’ (v. 16)

  ‘He [God] made the stars also’ (v. 16)

  ‘So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind’ (v. 21)

  ‘And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind’ (v. 25)

  ‘So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them’ (v. 27).

  It is usually at this point that some will argue that there is a difference between the verbs ‘create’ and ‘make’ (the Hebrew words are barah and asah, respectively), and that it is incorrect to say that God created all things because there are some things which God ‘made’. That these two words are synonymous in Genesis 1, however, is seen clearly from verses 26 and 27; the word asah (to make) is used in verse 26 and barah (to create) is used in verse 27 to describe the same act. Let nothing therefore rob our perception of the full extent and supernatural nature of the work done by God’s initial creative acts.

  Additional teaching about creation is found in the New Testament. We are told by the writer of the book of Hebrews that the Father who planned creation accomplished this through his Son: ‘God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds’ (Heb. 1:1–2). And this is confirmed by the apostle John in his Gospel:

  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made … He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him … And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

  (John 1:1–3, 10, 14)

  Here we read about the Word—the logos—the Son of God who was not only ‘with God’ but also ‘was God’. This Word ‘became flesh’—that is, became a man in the form of the Lord Jesus Christ. This same Word created ‘all things’—that is, everything in the space–time continuum.

  That it was Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created all things is further confirmed by what the apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Colosse: ‘For by Him [God’s Son] all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things and in Him all things consist’ (Col. 1:16– 17). Furthermore, Scripture also teaches us that creation was accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit: ‘And the Sp
irit of God was hovering over the face of the waters’ (Gen. 1:2); ‘By His Spirit He adorned the heavens’ (Job 26:13).

  From these Scriptures and others (see, for example, Job 38:4–41 and Isaiah 40:12–31) we see that the creation was wholly of God. He needed neither human agency nor counsellor—and he certainly did not need a committee to advise him! Looking carefully at the Scriptures, we see that there is no scope for such theories as theistic evolution to water down God’s full and total involvement in the whole of creation, as though he were not able to undertake and finish the task of creating everything unaided.

  Not only is the creation of God, but the Bible teaches that it is also for him. He alone is responsible to no one. Of his own will he created, because he wanted to do so: ‘The LORD has made all for Himself’ (Prov. 16:4); ‘For by Him [God’s Son] all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him’ (Col. 1:16); ‘You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created’ (Rev. 4:11).

  When considering the doctrine of creation, then, there is no room for human self-assurance or self-centredness. As William Kethe, the hymnist, penned,

  The Lord, ye know, is God indeed;

  Without our aid He did us make.14

  A similar pattern is found when we consider salvation, for this, too, owes nothing to human initiative: ‘But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God’ (John 1:12–13); ‘Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures’ (James 1:18).

  Just as the physical creation was planned and accomplished without human aid, so it was with salvation—this, too, was planned and has been accomplished by God alone, as clearly taught in the Scriptures: ‘Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God”’ (John 3:5).

  But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

  (Titus 3:4–7)

  It may be seen plainly, then, that just as the original work of creation was wholly divine, being both of God and for him, so it was with the work of salvation. How all-embracing are the words of the apostle Paul in his letter addressed to the saints in Rome: ‘For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen’ (Rom. 11:36). No wonder the atheist is antagonistic towards the doctrine of special creation! This explains why atheists get so enraged when they are confronted with this doctrine. Their hatred is aroused by having to acknowledge their total inability to exist apart from God, in whom they don’t believe! How precious to atheists is the theory of evolution with which they endeavour to banish God, and any accountability to him, from their minds!

  The fall and restoration of the creation

  In Genesis 1:31 we read, ‘Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.’ This, however, is in stark contrast to what the apostle Paul wrote in his epistle to the Romans: ‘For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now’ (Rom. 8:22). What happened to bring about such a change—from such a perfect and good creation that even the angels shouted for joy when it was created (Job 38:7), to one that is likened to a woman who is groaning and travailing (as the King James Version puts it) in the pains of childbirth? The answer to this question is found in Genesis 2–3.

  In Genesis 2 we read the account of the creation of Adam and Eve. This is not a different account of the creation of humans from that in Genesis 1—it is simply a fuller account. In Genesis 2:16–17, we read, ‘And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die [or: ‘dying you shall die’].”’

  In the next chapter, however, we read of Adam’s eating the forbidden fruit of this tree in complete disobedience to the word of God. Why did he do this? The Bible records that Satan, in the form of a serpent, deceived Eve by introducing an element of doubt into her mind, causing her to question God’s word by asking her, ‘Has God indeed said …?’ (3:1). He also lied to her, telling her that she would not die if she ate the forbidden fruit. Today, Satan is using the same tactics that he used in the Garden of Eden. He is still causing people to question and doubt what God has said in his Word. He still attempts to make people reject what is recorded in the Bible— especially in the early chapters of Genesis. No wonder these chapters come under such attack, for it is in them that we see not only the greatness of God, but also the subtlety of Satan.

  Eve ate the forbidden fruit and gave it to her husband, and he also ate it. Adam’s sin—eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (note that the Bible does not say it was an apple15)—is referred to as ‘the Fall’. This resulted in many changes to God’s creation: Adam and Eve knew immediately that they were naked and they tried to hide themselves from God; women’s conception was increased; women would experience pain when they gave birth to their children; the ground was cursed; thorns and thistles started to grow; and, most significantly, death was introduced.

  One of the most frequently asked questions is: Why is there death and suffering in the world? The answer is: Because of Adam’s sin. Ultimately, Adam is responsible. When God confronted Adam about his sin, Adam first blamed Eve and then tried to blame God, because it was God who had given Eve to him (Gen. 3:12). Nothing is new. People today try to blame God for all the sin, disease, suffering and death that is in the world, instead of blaming Adam and the fact that we all continue to follow Adam’s pattern by sinning.

  The point about the introduction of death into the world as a result of Adam’s sin is very interesting and has a number of consequences. The Bible teaches very clearly that death is the result of sin—Romans 6:23 states that death is the ‘wages’ of sin. Adam and Eve began to die physically from the moment that they ate the forbidden fruit—not because the fruit was intrinsically harmful, but because they had sinned against God by not obeying his command not to eat it. Eventually they died— according to Genesis 5:5, it took Adam 930 years to die. God is not slack concerning his promises; it may take years for God’s Word to come to pass, but come to pass it does!

  The introduction of physical death had far wider implications than the death of Adam, for it resulted in the deaths of all who have lived and will live on this planet, as the following two verses show:

  ‘For since by man [referring to Adam] came death …’ (1 Cor. 15:21)

  ‘Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned …’ (Rom. 5:12).

  Furthermore, far more is implied by the term ‘death’ than the mere fact of coming to an end of life instead of living for ever. Death also means the loss of that quality of life that God intended humans to have—a life in complete communion with him. Because of Adam’s sin, he (and consequently all his descendants) was cut off spiritually from God and became spiritually dead. The Bible refers to people as being ‘dead in trespasses and sins’ (Eph. 2:1) when in fact they are very much alive physically. It is only when a person is born again of the Spirit of God (John 3:5) that he or she is made alive spiritually—although in this life there can never be a complete restoration to that complete and perfect spiritual communion with God. This helps throw further light on the effects of the Fall.
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br />   We have already seen that physical death is a direct consequence of sin. A very well-known Bible verse sums this up concisely while at the same time hinting at how much more than mere physical decay was implied by death passing on to all people: ‘… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ (Rom. 3:23).

  Humans were originally made in ‘the image and glory of God’ (1 Cor. 11:7). Through sin, they lost not only that glory but also their relationship with God, so that they naturally became separated from the life of the Creator—this is known as spiritual death. Not only this, but ‘the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together’ (Rom. 8:22), suffering from the effects of the catastrophic loss. The loss to both the human race and to creation will only be restored when the work of God in redemption is complete: ‘For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God’ (Rom. 8:19–21).

  The reversal of the effects of the Fall and the restoration of humans to the glory of God is, then, the ultimate objective of our salvation:

  ‘For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified’ (Rom. 8:29–30)