In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1, ESV).
Francis Schaeffer once said that if he had only an hour with an unbeliever, he would spend 55 minutes talking about Gods creation and 5 minutes talking about the Gospel. I understand his reasoning: Genesis 1:1 is foundational to the rest of the Scriptures. If we see that God is the creator and designer of all that is, then we can greater understand God has the creator and designer of our new nature (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Yet, in our time, evolution rules the day in our classrooms. Its taken for granted as true because it is scientific --- as opposed to creationism which is religious and based on faith. In the marketplace of ideas, that means automatic dismissal as a serious issue. Yet, Michael Ruse who is an evolutionist who testified in the 1980s in the McLean v. Arkansas trial battling creationism. He testified what was mentioned above: evolution is pure science, creation pure religion (read: fantasy). Ruse has since admitted that evolution is metaphysically based --- grounded on unproven beliefs that are no more scientific that are those of creationism. (See http://www.origins.org/real/ri9404/ruse.html .)
Yet millions of children all across our country believe it is fact. For those who do and dismiss creation (or at least fuse the two ideas), consider the implications in your Christian walk. Then go and read <I>Battle for the Beginning</I> by John MacArthur and <I>Darwin on Trial</I> by Phillip E. Johnson for more in-depth discussions. But for you believers, here are the implications.
<>1. With creation we see Gods Sovereign nature.
With evolution, we see no one in control.</b>
In Genesis 1:1 we read that God created the heavens and the earth. All that we see, all that is in heaven and earth was created by Him. Psalm 24:1 says The earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein. Thats an awesome thought. Everything that is --- even the things we make --- are ultimately made by God. Even the brains in our heads that allow us to think of these things are made by God.
But how? Did God have anything to work with to make all that we see? Before creation, there was no matter for God to work with. So how? Revelation 4:11 says as part of the 24-elders worshiping around the throne cry out, Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.
What were the tools God used? His own will. Everything works and moves and has its being solely because of the very will of God. Everything that is originated in the heart of God, happened by the will of God, and manifested itself through the word of God. Ten times in Genesis 1 do we see the phrase, And God said. And just as God hung the whole nation of Israel on Ten Words or Commandments (Deuteronomy 5, Exodus 20), so He hung all the world on the ten words we see in the And God said phrase.
With evolution, we see no one in control over creation at all. It just happened. Their entire system is based on the fact that time is eternal and has no beginning and that matter is billions and billions of years old. Things just happened by chance. Their mathematical equation for how everything came about is nobody X nothing = everything.
When Charles Darwin came along, we see that he was a theology student who loved to study nature. Soon, he abandoned theology to exclusively study nature. For five years, he traveled the world on his famous ship, the H.M.S. Beagle. He would go and find different living things in various spots. They would be similar, yet just diverse enough to show a noticeable difference. At that time, Christians had always thought that God created everything just alike. Yet, Darwin saw slight differences in the same bird. He came to the conclusion that they all must have had some sort of common ancestor.
Darwin was right --- if a population of certain types of animals get divided (say by mountains) and those living conditions are different, over time the offspring who have the better traits will survive. Yet, where Darwin went wrong was he took too big of a leap --- he felt they would grow new organs and ultimately organisms. Yet, there has not been one shred of evidence to support this type of evolution.
Yet, when he came up with his theory of evolution (called Natural Selection), he began with the presupposition, I will believe in God, just not the God of the Bible. Up until that point, all the great scientists studied biology, astronomy, chemistry, anatomy, and all others because they wanted to see Gods creation and to praise Him for His marvelous works.
Yet, people began to believe that mans reason alone would be sufficient to bring all the advances of a perfect world to bear --- thus they grew weary of Gods laws and His definition of sin and that they would be accountable to Him. To them, this was outdated and a superstition. Religion was developed by those who needed a type of survival value. Yet, there is no God that directs the course of nature or history.
And its no wonder that so many in our culture are down. If evolution is true, then there is no one in control of anything. We are here floating on this ball in the universe with no one higher than ourselves. Yet, if the Bible is true, that means that God is in control, He is the Ruler of all, and also there is another implication.
<>2. With creation, everything happened by Divine design.
With evolution, everything happened by random chance.</b>
By the fact that God created all things, we also see that God had a specific design in doing so. He chose to take six literal days to make all there is. Some who have taken science classes in public school say that these days were not necessarily literal days like we have them. They may have been longer (like the different eras that Darwinism advocates). Yet we must remember that everytime the word day is used in the Scriptures and it is accompanied by a number (second day, third day, etc.) it is a literal 24-hour day. And God was specific by saying after each days work that the evening and the morning were the nth day (1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31).
But we also see that God had a pattern for creation. In verse 2, we see that the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters (1:2), meaning that water is the basic element by which all of creation was fashioned. Then in day one, God made light; day two God made what is called the firmament (which separated the water in the heavens from the water in the earth --- what we now know at the atmosphere and the heavens in which man looks up); day three, God made land and vegetation
Days four, five, and six are the days in which the light, the sky/heavens, and the land took more definite shape. Day four was the sun and moon to govern the day and the night. Day five was when God made the animals in the sky and sea (to go with day twos water in the oceans and sky); day six, God made the animals and mankind which dwelt on the land. There is a distinct pattern by which God made everything.
Some say, Well, if God was God, then He could have made it in a split second. True, God could have. Others say, Well, creation is too complex, God could not have created it in six days --- it had to take time. Well, to me this shows how marvelous God is in creating everything and doing so perfectly. What power He has to accomplish this! And He did so merely by speaking it into existence.
Those who say that there is no one in control (no God) believe that everything happens by random chance. That things just happened. Enough molecules came together some place in outer space billions of years ago, caused an explosion sending everything into space where it ultimately settled and began to take shape on its own. This has become such a common teaching in our public schools that we may take this teaching at face value. Yet, there are some problems with it that even scientists are now beginning to see.
First, there is a Law called the Second Law of Thermodynamics. This is a process by which matter, without outside intervention, goes from order to chaos. Think about your house: if you do not clean your house, does your house get cleaner? No, it gets dirtier, dustier, cluttered --- a mess! In fact, this law observes the fact that the useable energy in the universe is becoming less and less. Ultimately there would be no available energy left. Stemming from this fact we find that the most probable state for any natural system is one of disorder. All natural systems degenerate when left to themselves.
Now, evolution claims that life is evolving or moving upwards. Yet, this Law (a Law that has been proven) says that life is moving downwards or decaying. Has Darwinism been proven? It hasnt been yet, thats why its still in the theory stages --- plus it cannot be because no one lives millions of years to see everything happen. Yet, the Second Law of Thermodynamics has been proven, because it has been under enough testing to be shown that it is correct.
Plus, its biblical. Whether talking about matter or our souls, they will decay without outside intervention from our Redeemer God. Colossians 1:16-17 says, For by him (meaning God the Son) all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--- all things were created through Him and for Him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Not only do we see Christs deity (He is God!) but we also see that He is the Creator and the one who keeps everything together. Doesnt this make more sense than saying that something happened that goes against the very Laws of nature that God put in place?
Also, this business of chance. John MacArthur in his book A Battle for the Beginning said it well when he said, Chance is not a force, it is the result of a mathematical probability. When you have a two sided coin that will be flipped, there is a 50-50 chance it will be either heads or tails. Yet chance does not cause it, it is merely the effect. There is no effect without a cause. MacArthur continues:
Someone once estimated that the number of genetic factors involved in the evolution of a tapeworm from an amoeba would be comparable to placing a monkey in a room with a typewriter and allowing him to strike the keys at random until he accidentally produced a perfectly spelled and perfectly punctuated transcript of Hamlets soliloquy. And the odds of getting all the mutations necessary to evolve a starfish from a one-celled creature is comparable to asking a hundred blind people to make ten random moves each with five Rubiks Cubes, and finding all five cubes perfectly solved at the end of the process. The odds that all earths life forms evolving from a single cell are, in a word, impossible.
Frankly, having an Intelligent Designer (the God of the Bible) behind all creation and it moving toward a purpose that meets His will and way --- that is much more plausible to me than any other theory out there.
<b>3. With creation, we see that we are accountable to God.
With evolution, we are only accountable to ourselves.</b>
When a preacher preached on Genesis 1:1, one long-time member of his church was greatly convicted and said, If thats true that In the beginning, God, then I am in deep trouble. Why? He realized that if God was in the beginning before time, is above time, created time and all it contains, and created Him, that means He will be held accountable to God.
And the Scriptures are clear that there will be an appointed time for judgment before God. Acts 17:30-31 says, Now [God] commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given us assurance to all by raising him from the dead. When Christ rose from the dead, it showed that all will have to give an account for what they have done with Him. Every word, every thought, every deed will come under scrutiny.
Do you see now why some embrace evolution so much? With no God, there is no accountability; with no accountability, then there is no truth; with no truth, one can set their own standard. And thats where we find ourselves today: anything goes and no boundaries.
Yet, it seems this mindset is leaving many people empty. Do we wonder why Dr. Phil and Dr. Laura and Judge Judy are so popular? They are popular because they hold people accountable for their actions. They do not accept the excuse that it was someone elses fault or that they are not responsible for themselves. They are and these people dont let them get away with pushing their responsibility on others.
Conclusion
Do you believe the Creation account in Genesis 1-2? If so, then you know that God is in control, has a purpose (which is to lead those He chooses unto salvation), and that we will be held accountable. Where are you --- believing in a Sovereign Creator or random chance --- or somewhere in-between? Ultimately, it deals with your belief in Gods Word as totally true and pure. And since God is able to create the universe, He is able to make things new in your heart. And that is through the Creator/Redeemer Jesus Christ who died on the cross for our sins.
Why does Genesis 1:1 matter? Ultimately, it means everything.
