The Lie: Evolution (15 page)

Appendix 1

20 REASONS WHY GENESIS AND EVOLUTION DO NOT MIX

Many people believe that they can add evolution to the Bible. They think that by doing this they can explain life coming about as a result of God’s use of evolutionary processes. This position is known as "theistic evolution."
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However, this is totally inconsistent with Scripture.

1. NO DEATH BEFORE ADAM’S FALL

Evolution teaches that for millions of years before man things have lived and died. They have fought and struggled, killed and been killed. It was a world without mercy — "nature red in tooth and claw." This history of evolution is a history of death. Death has been "from the beginning."

The Bible clearly teaches that death, particularly the physical and spiritual death of man, entered the world only after the first man, Adam, sinned.

In Romans 5:12 the apostle Paul wrote: "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." In 1 Corinthians 15:21–22, "For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." In Genesis 3:22–23 we read: "And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever: Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken." Adam was sent out of the garden so he could not live forever. In other words, he would have to die.

But what about the animals? Was death a part of the created animal world? There are a number of reasons why I believe animal death as well as human death did not occur before the Fall.

(a)
Could animals have died from old age?
Before the Fall animals could not have died of old age because Romans 8 reminds us that corruption and decay entered the world only with sin. Death by old age would have meant that animal bodies would have been wearing out and corruption would have existed. This would not fit with the description that before sin everything in God’s creation was "good." Isaiah 51:6 tells us that after sin "the earth shall wax old like a garment." In Romans 8:22 we read that because of sin "the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." Thus, it is obvious that the
whole
of creation, which must include all living creatures, has been subject to "the bondage of corruption" (Rom. 8:21) only as a result of the curse because of Adam’s sin. Death from old age, therefore, only began with the curse.

As we live in a world where everything wears out, it is difficult to understand how aging could not happen in the pre-Fall world. However, we are shown a glimpse of the solution in Deuteronomy 8:4. God reminded the Israelites that during their wanderings in the wilderness their "raiment waxed not old" upon them, "neither did thy foot swell these forty years." Clearly, this was an unusual, supernatural preservation provided by God for His people’s particular circumstances. We do not see this happening today. Our clothes wear out quickly. However, when God sustains something totally, this wearing out does not happen. It is obvious that before the Fall everything had been created "good," and nothing would have worn out.

(b)
Could animals have died when Adam or other animals ate them for food?
Again, the answer would be "No!" Not only animals, but man and woman were told they were to eat only plants (Gen. 1:29). Animals could not have died from eating each other; Genesis 1:30 tells us their food was also to be only plants. Also, as God created everything "good," animals could not have killed each other for the sake of killing. This would be opposite in meaning to "good." God, being a good God, would not create animals so that the stronger tried to eliminate the weak in a fight for survival. Also, as everything was created good, there could not have been disease to kill off animals or man. Diseases today contribute to our bodies’ wearing out, but this would not be consistent with what has been pointed out earlier.

(c)
Could animals have died accidentally?
Again, this would go against the concept of "good." Such a question overlooks the sovereignty and greatness of God. As we have seen, God can sustain things so that even clothes don’t wear out. Before sin came into the world, death wasn’t even a question — God had total control of the creation and sustained it 100 percent! There was no corruption and no decay. Hence, death wasn’t even a possibility. Adam was made in the image of the all-caring God, and the animals were in his charge. He cared for them. Death and bloodshed came into the world as a judgment from God for man’s rebellion. But at the same time, death was the very means by which man was to be redeemed. So bloodshed could not have existed before man’s fall.

There was no bloodshed before Adam sinned: everything was perfect and death was not a part of animal existence. However, Adam did sin; and God, in giving His covenant to Adam, had laid down the condition that death was to be the reward of disobedience. We then read that God himself was the first shedder of blood, because He gave Adam and Eve coats of skin to cover their nakedness (Gen. 3:21). There is no specific command recorded, but we do know that Abel "also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering" (Gen. 4:4). It is evident, then, that the requirement of an offering of blood was understood. The writer of Hebrews observes that "without shedding of blood is no remission" (Heb. 9:22). God fulfilled two undertakings after the Fall: (a) that man should die as the penalty for his sin; and (b) that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head, and the serpent should bruise his heel. So death and bloodshed are the consequences of sin; the penalty which Christ, the Last Adam, bore by His death and shedding of blood on the cross but triumphed over in His glorious resurrection for the redemption of man. If death and bloodshed existed before man sinned, the redemption message is nonsense.

Evolution teaches that death and bloodshed existed virtually from the beginning. Millions of years of animals fighting for survival — shedding blood and eating each other — is part of the mechanisms of evolution which brought man into existence. It is completely contrary to the biblical history of the world.

Evolution says death plus struggle brought man into existence; the Bible says man’s actions led to sin, which led to death. These two are totally contradictory. If evolution is true, then the reason Christ died on the cross has been destroyed.

2. ADAM DID NOT FALL "UPWARDS"

Christians talk about the fact that Adam "fell." The "fall of Adam" refers to the fact that when God made everything it was perfect. However, because of his action, Adam was responsible for something terrible happening to the whole of creation. Romans 8:22 says, "For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." Because of Adam’s sin, God cursed the whole of creation, including the stars, the ants, the elephants, and people.

In Genesis 3:14 we read, "Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field." And, "Cursed is the ground for thy sake" (Gen. 3:17). God placed a curse on the world because of Adam’s rebellion. Therefore, the creation went from a perfect state to a cursed state. As a result of the curse, the whole of creation has been running down ever since — groaning and travailing in pain.

In other words, things are getting worse, not better. The evolutionary belief tells us that things have been improving — life has been evolving into more and more complex forms. For those Christians who believe in evolution, man should be improving — not getting worse. In fact, if Adam was part of an evolutionary progression, how could he fall upwards? What is sin? Is sin an inherited animal characteristic, or is it due to the fall of man through disobedience?

As scientists come to understand more of what is going on in this world, they find that our whole genetic makeup is degenerating. Mistakes in our genes are causing our physiology to have more and more problems.

3. NEW HEAVEN AND NEW EARTH

In Acts 3:21 we read: "Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." The Bible speaks of a time when this creation will be restored — that is, put back to what it used to be. This itself indicates that something is dreadfully wrong with today’s world. For Christians who accept evolution, Paul’s words about the whole of creation groaning and travailing in pain are meaningless.

The same is true when one speaks of the new heaven and new earth in which, as Scripture tells us, "righteousness dwells." Why is there need of a new heaven and new earth unless there is something wrong with the old one? Isaiah 11:69 tells us what it will be like in the new heaven and the new earth:

The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

Here the description indicates that animals will not eat each other, but will eat plants (vegetarian) — and that there will be no violence or suffering. Revelation 22:3 tells us, "And there shall be no more curse." Revelations 21:4 states: "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

The description of what will happen in the restoration of all things can be summarized as follows: no death, no suffering, no bloodshed, no curse, vegetarian animals, no tears, no crying, no pain. This certainly is not a description of today’s world — yet it is a description of a restoration, of something that reflects its former state.

When we read Genesis chapters 1 and 2, we find a description of the original creation — no death, no violence, animals vegetarian. In other words, this present creation will be restored to what it used to be because there is something dreadfully wrong with it at the moment. If a person accepts evolution, then what is the restoration going to be? Death, struggle, and violence as we see today? Of course, this makes nonsense of the teachings of the new heaven and new earth given in Scripture.

4. ANIMALS WERE CREATED TO BE VEGETARIAN

When we observe today’s world, we notice that many animals eat other animals. Humans also eat the flesh of animals. The fact that we see violence among animals has been described by one poet as "nature red in tooth and claw." Evolutionists label the struggle as the "survival of the fittest." They see it as part of the evolutionary process. For theistic evolutionists, carnivorous (meat-eating) animals are just a part of this "creation" that God has supposedly used in the struggle towards man’s evolution.

However, Genesis 1:29–30 says: "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so."

Man and animals were created to be vegetarians. This, of course, fits with the fact that there was no death before Adam’s fall. But, because of the entrance of sin into the world, death resulted. Sin affected the world so much that God caused a flood to come upon the earth in judgment. Genesis 6:12–13 states: "And God looked upon the earth, and, behold it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth." Part of this violence could have been animals starting to kill each other and perhaps man, and vice versa. Actually, though, man was not given specific instructions from God that he could eat meat until after Noah’s flood. Genesis 9:3 tells us: "Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things."

Many people think that because animals have certain kinds of teeth they must have been created to be meat eaters. However, there are many animals living today that have sharp canine teeth that eat only plants. Originally the teeth of these animals were used to eat the plants which God had made for them. As a result of the Fall, some animals now eat meat. Also, the Bible does not exclude the possibility of direct action by God at the time of the Fall having a direct biological effect on the creatures in relation to feeding habits.

5. CREATION IS FINISHED

The Bible teaches clearly that God finished His work of creating and making things on the sixth day of creation. "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made" (Gen. 2:13). God’s work of creation finished at the end of the sixth day, when God completed all He had set out to do. However, because of man’s fall, God now works at reconciliation.

Those who believe that God used evolution must believe that the same processes God used in this supposed evolutionary "creation" are going on today. When the evolutionist looks at the world today, he observes mutations (mistakes or changes in genes) and natural selection (survival of the fittest) and sees these as part of the mechanisms of evolution. Given enough time, natural selection and mutations are said to enable organisms to change from one kind into another. What the evolutionist is doing, then, is using processes he observes today to extrapolate into the past. He believes these processes over millions of years are the basic mechanisms of evolution.