The Lie: Evolution (6 page)

Chapter 5

CRUMBLING FOUNDATIONS

Evolution has been popularized and presented as scientific truth, and many Christians have added evolutionary belief to their biblical belief in God as Creator. Thus, while many Christians acknowledge that God created, they believe He used the process of evolution to bring all things into being. This is usually called "theistic evolution." Widespread confusion has resulted, causing many to question the plain statements of the Bible. Christians are no longer sure of what is truth and what is not. Too many Christians have not realized the foundational importance of the creation/evolution issue.

As already indicated, there is a connection between origins and issues affecting society such as marriage, clothing, abortion, sexual deviancy, parental authority, etc. How do we know what our beliefs should be in relation to these matters? Christians need to look deeply into the reasons why they believe as they do.

To begin to understand this, we must first consider the relevance of creation in Genesis. In John 5:46–47 we read of Jesus’ word, "For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed Me: for he wrote of Me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe My words?" Then in Luke, Jesus, speaking in a parable, quotes Abraham as saying, "If they hear not Moses and the prophets neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead" (Luke 16:31).

Both references underline the paramount importance placed on the writings of Moses, beginning with Genesis. In Luke 24:44 Jesus referred to the "Law of Moses" in an obvious reference to the five books of the Law (the Pentateuch), which includes Genesis, accepting Moses as author. In Acts 28:23, we read that Paul, in Rome, preached unto them Jesus from Moses and the prophets. These are all references to the writings of Moses. And, there is one book of Moses that is referred to more often in the rest of the Bible than any other book. That book is Genesis. But in theological and Bible colleges, in Christian and non-Christian circles, which book of the Bible is the most attacked, mocked, scoffed at, thrown out, allegorized and mythologized? The Book of
Genesis
! The very writings that are quoted from more than any other are the ones most attacked, disbelieved, or ignored. Why is that so?

FOUNDATIONS UNDER ATTACK

Psalm 11:3 asks, "If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?"

It is important to understand the relationship that the Psalmist is making. Society depends on moral foundations. By a mutual agreement which has sometimes been called a "social contract," man, in an ordered and civilized society, sets limits to his own conduct. However, when such obligations are repudiated and the law collapses along with the order it brings, what option has the man who seeks peace? The Psalmist is looking at the fact that whenever the foundations of society are undermined, then what have good and righteous men done to prevent its impending collapse?

Some quite correctly quoted Scriptures in saying that Jesus Christ is the foundation and He cannot be destroyed. In the context in which this verse from Psalm 11 is used, we are talking about the foundational knowledge upon which our moral framework is built. The foundational knowledge of Jesus Christ as Creator can be removed in people’s thinking, whether they are from Australia, America, England, or any other society. This action does not mean that Jesus Christ is not Creator, nor does it mean that He has been dethroned. However, it does mean that in those nations that abandon this foundational basis, the whole fabric of society will suffer the consequences.

If you destroy the foundations of anything, the structure will collapse. If you want to destroy any building, you are guaranteed early success if you destroy the foundations.

Likewise, if one wants to destroy Christianity, then destroy the foundations established in the Book of Genesis. Is it any wonder that Satan is attacking Genesis more than any other book?

The biblical doctrine of origins, as contained in the Book of Genesis, is foundational to all other doctrines of Scripture. Refute or undermine in any way the biblical doctrine of origins, and the rest of the Bible is compromised.
Every single biblical doctrine of theology, directly or indirectly, ultimately has its basis in the Book of Genesis.

Therefore, if you do not have a believing understanding of that book, you cannot hope to attain full comprehension of what Christianity is all about. If we want to understand the meaning of anything, we must understand its origins — its basis.

Genesis is the only book that provides an account of the origin of all the basic entities of life and the universe: the origin of life, of man, of government, of marriage, of culture, of nations, of death, of the chosen people, of sin, of diet and clothes, of the solar system …the list is almost endless. The meaning of all these things is dependent on their origin. In the same way, the meaning and purpose of the Christian gospel depends on the origin of the problem for which the Saviour’s death was, and is, the solution.

How would you answer the following questions? Imagine someone coming up to you and saying, "Hey, Christian, do you believe in marriage? Do you believe it means one man for one woman for life? If so, why?" Now, the average Christian would say that he or she believes in marriage because it is somewhere in the Bible, Paul said something about it, that adultery is sin and there are some laws laid down about it.

If you are not a Christian, consider these questions: Are you married? Why? Why not just live with someone without bothering to marry? Do you believe marriage is one man for one woman for life? Why not six wives? Or six husbands?

What happens if your son comes home and says, "Dad, I am going to marry Bill tomorrow."

Would you say, "You can’t do that, son! It’s just not done!"

What if your son replied, "Yes it is, Dad. There are even churches that will marry us." If you are not a Christian, what will you say to your son? Can you have any basis, any justification, for insisting that he should not have a homosexual lifestyle if he wants to?

When attempting to justify why they do or do not have a particular belief, many people today often have many
opinions
rather than
reasons
. It is sometimes interesting to watch interviews on television news programs. I recall one program on Australian television in which people were interviewed and asked to express their opinions concerning a government department’s ruling to grant homosexual couples benefits similar to those received by married heterosexual couples. Many of the opinions expressed went like this: "It’s not right." "It goes against my grain." "It’s wrong." "It’s not normal." "It’s bad." "It shouldn’t happen." "It’s not good." It shouldn’t be allowed." "Why shouldn’t they?" "People can do what they like!" And many other similar expressions were stated.

After I had spoken on creation at one public school, a student said to me, " I want to write my own rules about life and decide what I want to do."

I said, "You can do that if you like, son, but in that case, why can’t I shoot you?"

He replied, "You can’t do that!"

"Why not?"

"Because it’s not right," he said.

I said to him, "Why is it not right?"

"Because it is wrong."

"Why is it wrong?"

He looked perplexed and said to me, "Because it is not right!"

This student had a problem. On what basis could he decide that something was right or wrong? He had started the conversation by indicating that he wanted to write his own rules. He was told that if he wanted to write his own rules, then surely I could write my rules. He certainly agreed with this. If that was so, and I could convince enough people to agree with me that characters like him were dangerous, then why should we not eliminate him from society? He then started to say to me again, "It’s not right — it’s wrong — it’s not right." If he had no basis in an absolute authority that sets the rules, it was really a battle of his opinion versus my opinion. Perhaps the strongest or the cleverest would win. He got the point.

Many people have the opinion that a homosexual lifestyle is wrong. However, if it is just an opinion, then surely the view that homosexuality is acceptable is just as valid as any other view. The point is, it is not a matter of one’s opinion. It is really a matter of what does the One who is Creator, who owns us, give us as a basis for the principles governing this area of life? What does God say in His Word concerning this issue?

Christians have standards of right and wrong because they accept that there is a Creator, and as Creator, He has direct ownership over His creation. He owns us not only because He created us but because as the Scriptures say, "Know ye not that …ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price" (1 Cor. 6:19–20). God created everything; therefore, He has absolute authority. Because humans are created beings, they are under total obligation to the One who has absolute authority over them. Our absolute authority has a right to set the rules. It is in our own best interest to obey because He is Creator. Thus, what is right and what is wrong is not a matter of anyone’s opinion, but must be in accord with the principles found in the Word of God, who has authority over us. Just as a car designer provides a manual for correct maintenance of what he has designed and made, so too does our Creator supply His creation with all the instructions that are necessary to live a full, free, and abundant life. God has provided His set of instructions, not out of some spiteful or killjoy design, but because He loves us and knows what is best for us.

We often hear comments from parents that their children have rebelled against the Christian ethic, asking why they should obey their parents’ rules. One major reason for this is that many Christian parents have not instructed their children from foundational perspectives concerning what they should or should not do. If children see rules as no more than parents’ opinions, then why should they obey them? It does make an enormous difference when children are taught from the earliest age that God is Creator and that He has determined what is right and wrong. The rules come from God and, therefore, they must be obeyed. It is impossible to build any structure without a foundation, but that is what many parents are trying to do in the training of their children. The results of such attempts are all around us — a generation with increasing numbers rejecting God and the absolutes of Christianity.

At one church, a very sad father came to me and said, "My sons rebelled against Christianity. I remember their coming to me and saying, ‘Why should we obey
your
rules?’ I had never thought to tell them that they weren’t my rules. I only realized this morning how I should have given them the foundations of God as Creator and explained that He sets the rules. I have the responsibility before Him as head of my house to see that they are carried through. They only saw the Christian doctrines I was conveying to them as my opinions, or the church’s opinions. Now they won’t have anything to do with the church. They are doing what is right in their own eyes — not God’s."