It Is Very Good

by

John D. McArthur, Jr.

What has caused the theory of evolution to evolve beyond theory and become blindly accepted as fact? And why hasn't the church boldly challenged this false and deceptive theology of creation?

Of all people, an evolutionist, writing in American Atheist Magazine has said,

...the whole justification of Jesus' life and death is predicated on the existence of Adam and the forbidden fruit he and Eve ate. Without the original sin, who needs to be redeemed? Without Adam's fall into a life of constant sin, terminated by death, what purpose is there to Christianity? None.

The account of creation in Genesis 1 & 2 is the most basic fact of our faith. In these two chapters, the scene is set for all that has happened since.

Now, it is easy to get side-tracked onto other issues in Genesis 1 & 2. Are the days in chapter 1 literal or symbolic of a period of time? Does the account allow room for evolution? Exactly how old is the earth? And, what about dinosaurs?

These are important topics that Christians need to have an understanding of and a solid Biblical concept for. However, they are not the primary issues Genesis 1 & 2 addresses.

Sadly, many people do not even consider the Bible's simple explanation of "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth," as adequate or worth discussing. This rejection of Genesis 1 & 2 has to do with the nature or meaning of creation.

There is no question in reading these two chapters that God is in charge. He is the ultimate authority. All the beauty and wonder of our universe began simply because God told it to. Beyond the doubts that anyone can create something out of nothing by simply speaking is the realization that if God did create all this, we have no choice but to fall on our face and worship him. If we believe Genesis 1 and 2, it means we must obey his commands and follow his teachings.

So, the rejection of the creation of the universe as described in the first two chapters of the Bible is really a rejection of God. Belief in theories or speculation about the origin of things without a consideration of the Biblical account is a deliberate act of defiance to the authority and power of God and is nothing more than sin.

Romans 1:18 and following warn us of "the wrath of God" coming because of our "godlessness and wickedness." Paul wrote that we should not be surprised that men and women turn from the Creator and worship created things.

But this is not what God had in mind for us. Three words, repeated in Genesis 1 verses 3, 6, 9, 14, 20 and 24, are the key to understanding what God really wants from us. The words are "And God said.

You pick the geographic location, you choose the planet or star, you locate the living creature and it was God that created it out of nothing.

When scientists discover a previously unknown star that we could not see before, when they understand a little more about the intricacies and detail of each little organism we should rejoice as Christians because what they are discovering is the extent of the power to God's creation. These discoveries should make us "ooh" and "aahh" at the wonders of God's creative mind.

When environmentalists talk about the eco-system or the quality of air and balance of nature we can praise God. After all, who put it all in order and designed it all in the first place?

A proper understanding of God, of mankind, of our environment, of our place in this world begins with a proper understanding of where we came from. God created man and woman. The Bible cannot be any clearer than that. And only the one who made us has any right to tell us what we must do and set absolute standards, rules and morals.

That is important because we are not just animals evolving out of time and chance. We are created beings made by the ultimate creator for a specific purpose.

Think about it: in the balance of nature, there is a purpose for each animal and plant life. If a community gets rid of all the snakes for instance, they might discover they will soon have a rat problem. That's the balance of nature.

By the same token, God did not create us as an afterthought or with no particular purpose in mind. We have been created for a purpose. And part of our job is to be the caretaker of this planet as Genesis 2:15 tells us. We are also made to worship and praise the creator.

In our sinful, rebellious state, we do not want a Creator because we do not want anybody telling us what to do. However, there is no place in this world, or in this universe we can go and escape the presence of the Creator. Everything around us proclaims that he is Lord.

In 1 Chronicles 16, David wrote a psalm of praise for the Creator. Perhaps Jesus was thinking about this psalm when he was told by the Pharisees in Luke 16 to keep his disciples quiet and he answered, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."

There is no getting around the creation. It forces us to wonder who or what did all this? How did it all begin? Was it mere chance or is there a force behind it all?

The creation of man is different than all the rest of creation. Genesis 1:26 indicates the human race was to be that which took care of and ruled over the earth. And while everything else in creation was formed by the word of God, man's creation is given more detail and description.

Genesis 2:7 - "the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being."

Ken Ham has written, "The view that man is simply an evolved animal has led to a lack of moral standards. It has produced an increase in abortions, racism, lawlessness, communism, divorce, suicides, pornography, promiscuity, etc." (You pick the sin.)

That may seem like a radical statement but think about it for a moment. If we are nothing more than the result of evolution, if there is no creator and no ultimate authority, life is nothing and we might as well live for ourselves.

Instead of acting like God's people, human beings with the breath of life from God flowing through us, we act like wild animals. That is why Romans 1:22 says: "Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

Sin is not what God has in mind for our lives. We are created in his image for the purpose of establishing and building a personal relationship with him. This is the theme God began in Genesis 1 and it is the theme that is developed and fulfilled throughout the whole Bible.

Being made in the image of God tells us many things. It tells us of our responsibility to care for this planet (1:26), it gives us the authority to rule and dominate this world (2:19 and 20), and it tells us of our relationship with God (2:7).

Before man was created on day six, God had everything in the universe in place for us. The planets were spinning in their right orbit, the atmosphere of earth was just right, the trees and plants were perfect, and the climate was able to sustain us. There was a perfect balance in all of creation: and then man was created and placed in paradise.

God still provides for our needs today. But beyond any physical or material needs, God provides for our spiritual needs.

The gospel of John ties the creation story from Genesis with the salvation story of Jesus. John 1:1-4:

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. In him was life, and that life was the light of men.

Sin, all sin and every sin, separates us from fellowship with God. Just like Genesis 3 vividly illustrates, when we sin we are cast out of the presence of God.

But even when we slap God in the face and mock his creation with sin, he provides for our needs. By all rights, he should take this sinful creation and crush it like a potter smashes the clay when it turns out wrong. Instead, he provides us with forgiveness of our sins through the blood of Jesus.

The story of creation is a story of hope. There is a creator who made us and he has revealed himself to us in scripture. And it is very good.