Creation and Genesis
What should Christians consider when thinking about
Creation and Evolution in the light of Genesis?
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Introduction
Why is this Important?
Darwin's theory contrasts with the Bible. As part of a healthy analysis, it is incumbent on Christians to consider what God has to say about the origins. If the church does not give the creation account air-time, then generations will grow up without hearing the case for how and why God created the world. We will consider this topic, not in a vacuum, but in a methodical and sensible manner. The purpose of this module is to present the Biblical account of our origins and address questions raised about the Genesis record. Many Christians within the church believe that God used some form of evolution in the creation process. This interpretation is not something to lightly dismiss or divide fellowship over. A belief in 24 hour days is not a prerequisite to salvation. Our redemption is solely through Jesus blood plus nothing. However, our belief about our origins has implications for our theological framework. For some people, a failure to consistently reconcile perceived discrepancies between faith and science will result in them deconstructing and leaving their faith in Jesus. For others, a failure to answer these questions is a roadblock to them coming to faith in the first place. For that reason we present this case for deeper consideration. We aim to build confidence in God's Word. If we have doubts about the first chapters of Scripture, then we subtly undermine our confidence in the rest of Scripture which references those first chapters as fact. Moses, Paul and Jesus all quoted Genesis 1-11 and understood it as history. We cover this topic out of a desire to grow disciples who have a clear, consistent and confident understanding of God and their faith in Him.
In 1859, Charles Darwin published his paper entitled "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life". Darwin's work popularised the notion of evolutionary biology as the explanation for the source and meaning of life. For decades, Australia's national curriculum and its institutions have exclusively taught his theory of evolution as settled scientific fact. But is Darwin's theory true, partly true or untrue? There are implications for blindly accepting any idea.
"He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that."
John Stuart Mill
The Biblical Account
Genesis as History
The Genesis Account
No part of Genesis is a myth. Rather all of Genesis claims to be historical as recorded in Hebrew by Moses under the infallible inspiration of God. A historical interpretation does not erase the poetic patterns of the created order echoed throughout Scripture or eliminate metaphorical extensions. There is a poetic beauty to read the first words of the Old Testament as 'In the beginning God created' and then the first words of John's gospel as 'In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God'. As Christians' we believe that Jesus is God and was active in both the creation of the world and the redemption of the world. Both events are recorded accurately, so that we may have a confident faith. Some Christians say that God could have used an evolution process to create world. It is true that God is big and powerful enough to create the world over billions of years. He is also big and powerful enough to create the world in 6 seconds. But the reason for believing God created the world in 6 days is because He chose to tell us that in His Word. The natural interpretation of Genesis 1 is that each creation day was marked by a single morning and evening. Genesis says that God created the world in 6 days and rested on the 7th day. Some people ask 'How long were those days?' It is true that in Scripture the word 'day' is sometime used to refer to a period of time. The text seems to anticipate that question by saying each creation day was marked by a morning and an evening. It repeats those timeframe definitions for each creation day. Furthermore, throughout the rest of Scripture, wherever the word 'day' is preceded by a number (e.g. the 3rd day), it is always referring to a 24 hour period. After each creation day, God describes His work as good. He describes His creation of humans in His image as very good. In the garden, there was no pain or death. God is not a monster. He desired to keep Adam and Eve from pain and death by warning them about the forbidden fruit. However, Adam and Eve ignored God and ate it. Their sin caused the Fall which curses the world today with suffering and death. This distinction is important as it answers the charge of 'How can a loving God allow suffering?' Death was not God's plan. In each creation day, God created the visible and invisible things by the act of speaking. God not only created flora and fauna, but also all science systems including mathematics, chemistry, biology etc. God's Word brings life, in contrast with an evolutionary process predicated on millions of years of death. God further uses His Word to instruct His creation to be fruitful, to work, and to reproduce familes after their own kind. God sets a created order of male and female to partner together in their unique roles. It should not surprise us that Genesis is under attack. The devil's first attack was also on God's Word when he subtly tempted Eve with the phrase 'Has God Really Said?' Unlike other creation myths which are verbally passed down, God has preserved His Word in written format, so that we can read it for ourselves and know for certain what God has really said. No humans of any philosophical persuasion were present in the beginning to observe our origins. So we unashamedly believe God's Word by faith, just as we accept His gift of salvation by faith.
External Accounts
The rest of Scripture also affirms Genesis' historical claims, their connection to the rest of the gospel, and their applicability to our lives today. Here are 5 non-Genesis examples that verify the Genesis Account. Example 1 is found in Exodus 20:8,11 - "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day." Exodus tells us that the creation pattern of a 7 day week is the model for how we are to live. As our Creator, God knew that for our spiritual health, humans need one day per week to rest physically and mentally from their work and enjoy Him. This is the basis for why God's people gather weekly in a church community. Example 2 is found in Matthew 19:4-6 - "Haven’t you read,” Jesus replied, “that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Jesus confirms that God established the gender and relationship order in the very first chapter of the Bible and that those parameters are still applicable today. Jesus also shows that the family structure is God ordained as should be considered sacred because He has made it to be that way. Example 3 is found in Romans 5:12, 14 - "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come." Romans confirms that Adam was a real person whose decision to sin impacts all of us today. If Adam were a concept then we would not be under the consequences of original sin. Furthermore, Jesus, the second Adam, would not have needed to die for the sins of the world, if the first Adam was just a morality tale. Example 4 is found in Colossians 1:16-17 - "For in him [Jesus] all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." God created tangible things and also all systems of knowledge and power. There is no leader or nation which does not fall under Jesus' control or authority. Furthermore, God did not simply create and then walk away (theistic deism), but He continues to sustain the world. This is a great comfort as God is living and active. Example 5 is found in Hebrews 11:3 - "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." Hebrews tells us that God is an intelligent designer who deliberately created the world by speaking. God did not simply step in and improve on existing simple life forms, but he spoke the very first life form into existence (ex nihilo). We will not find future life forms that exist outside of God's creative act.
The Days of Creation
What Happened on Each Day?
Some claim that Genesis chapters 1 and 2 contain contradictory creation accounts. However, this is not true. Genesis 1:1-2:3 is the creation account over 7 days. Genesis 2:4-25 is a deeper look at the events of day 6. Genesis 2:5-6 describe the earth in which man would be created. It was an uncultivated land with the day 3 flora, but the fields were not yet producing crops as man was needed to till the ground. Verse 7 describes the creation of Adam, formed from the dust of the ground, not primates. Verses 8-20 describe the earth's resources and animals being placed under Adam's dominion. Verse 21-25 describe the creation of Eve, formed from Adam's rib, not primates. All the Genesis 2:4-25 events occurred on day 6.
What about Science?
Christians are Scientists too
It is hard to unlearn something that we have been taught to believe - particularly from people whom we respect. We often respect teachers and scientists who've dedicated years investing in us or researching technologies that can improve our lives. However, we must draw a distinction between science and scientism. Science is making hypotheses based on observable and repeatable processes. Scientism is developing an unchallengeable belief system about the past or the future. Christians have no conflict with and nothing to fear from science. We embrace science as a way to magnify the Creator of science. It has taught us much about the world in which we live. Science has debunked false notions like the flat earth theory by the repeatable observations and use of astronomy and aeronautics.
However, unlike science, Scientism is a belief system which cannot be observed in the present. For that reason it falls into the realm of religion. Therefore, we present the following resources of Christian scientists who can help us parse these concepts.
Timestamps:
1 - Changing Our Perspective 0:00
2 - What do the Rocks Tell us? 3:59
3 - A Question of Paradigms 13:49
4 - What Does the Text Say? 17:55
5 - How do you Measure Time? 23:32
6 - A Brief History of the World 34:13
7 - The Origin of Fossils 42:26
8 - When Dinosaurs Walked the Earth 50:14
9 - Soft Tissue in Dinosaur Bones 55:51
10 - The Genius of Design 1:02:58
11 - The Potential of Created Kinds 1:12:34
12 - The Purpose of the Stars 1:21:22
13 - Where was Babel? 1:28:03
14 - Genesis and Our Culture 1:33:19
The Bible is the History Book of the Universe (2:40)
Dr Andrew Snelling
Bachelor of Science in Geology - UNSW
Seven Theses of the Age of the Earth - Doug Wilson
Implications
Contrasting Worldviews
Some things are more important than gaining respect from the secular academic community. Yet, ironically, even atheists express a level of respect for a consistent Christian worldview. The implications of our origins flow into holding a values and morality framework consistent with our faith in Jesus. Christian doctrines find their origin in Genesis. Consider the following logical outworking of a belief in a loving intelligent designer vs. a theory that say humans are the product of random chance formed through the mutative reproduction of primates.
(0:58) Well known atheist, Richard Dawkins, says Evangelical Christians have it right and that theistic evolution is deluded.
GOD'S CREATION
Heavenly Father
Human Dignity
New Life (birth)
Male and Female
Marriage = 1 man + 1 woman
Dominion and Creation Care
Pro-humanity
Work is God Ordained
Sin Leads to Mortality
Jesus Christ saves
EVOLUTIONARY THEORY
Mother Nature
You are a means to an end
Death (depopulation)
Gender Confusion
LGBTQI+
Shutdowns and Climate Worship
Anti-humanity
Life is Meaningless
Science Leads to Immortality
We must save ourselves
Hot topics such as racism, abortion, euthanasia, marriage, sexual fidelity, transgenderism, trans-humanism, personal responsibility, and eternal salvation all find their origins in our understanding of creation and the Creator. Genesis even addresses the fear of catastrophic climate change causing the end of the world. God's rainbow reminds us of the promises that He made to Noah.
We aim to build confidence that the Genesis creation account was recorded accurately, and thereby build confidence in other miracles including Jesus' physical resurrection from the dead on after three days. Understanding Genesis builds a foundation for the gospel. Jesus linked belief in Moses' writings with His own teachings when He said.
If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”
John 5:46-47
Having a confident view of the creation account, builds confidence in the coming New Creation. Genesis contains the first gospel proclamation of Jesus Christ - describing Him as the promised offspring Redeemer in Genesis 3:15. Our hope as believers in the promises of God, renews our mind and bring joy and comfort as we live in today. We recognise there may be more questions, so we provide the following resources for you to consider.
Books, Videos and Blogs
AC Contributors recommend books, review videos and write blogs that help us to study and digest these topics well.