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Can Christians Believe in Evolution? (Part 2)

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Can Christians Believe in Evolution? (Part 2)

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This is Part 2 examining whether God permits Christians to believe evolution. We learned in Part 1 that millions now profess Christ—and evolution.

Many call themselves “New Testament Christians,” not recognizing the New Testament was built on the foundation of the Old. Both stand or fall together. Is the Genesis account a metaphor the New Testament does not support? Did God individually form the first couple or did human beings gradually evolve? We also learned that Jesus and the apostles spoke constantly of people and events in Genesis.

When people think of religion, they seldom link it to science. Some even consider these polar opposites—and that they can never mix. Christians should have no problem believing true science. Many scientific theories have been tested and proven—and are considered laws. These proven disciplines of science have caused many of the world’s Christians to assume that evolution underwent the same scrutiny when it did not. Therefore, most carelessly assume they should believe the evolutionary idea. This includes the world’s most powerful and influential religious figures. But it need not include you!

This final part brings more New Testament proof that Christians cannot believe evolution. Human opinions are worthless. My duty is to tell you what God says in the plainest verses—including ones that others fear to present. What remains to be seen is powerful.

Same Authority

Jesus Christ was the God of the Old Testament (read I Corinthians 10:4). You will see this momentarily, including that He was the One who created everything. It was Christ who inspired the Creation account. He would never undermine Genesis. Part 1 showed that Jesus and His disciples constantly spoke of Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel and the devil—all found at the beginning of the Bible.

We left off in Part 1 looking at one verse after another on this topic. We pick up with more, starting in Matthew. Here is how Jesus answered a question about marriage. Read carefully: “Have you not read, that [God] which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they two shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder” (19:4-6).

Marriage derives its authority from Creation—God made them at the beginning male and female.

Mark’s account is even plainer: “From the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; and they two shall be one flesh: so then they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder” (10:6-9). This reference to the Creation is plain. Incidentally, so is God’s definition of marriage—from the beginning. A man is to cleave to his wife—and leave “father and mother” to do this—not father and father or mother and mother.

When people reject the Creation account they also throw out God’s definition of marriage. The same God who brings authority to the book of Genesis regarding how He created all life on Earth brings the same authority to how He created—how He defined—the institution of marriage. Marriage is His institution. No human being has authority to either “sunder” marriage between a man and a woman, or to reinterpret God’s definition of marriage. (This is covered in more detail in our booklet The Purpose of Marriage – Ever Obsolete?)

More Verses Proving Creation

Now another reference by Jesus to Creation, this time in the context of end-time events soon to slam into all nations: “In those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created to this time, neither shall be” (Mark 13:19). How plain! The worst time of world trouble in history—also foretold by the prophets Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel—comes as something never seen before “from the beginning of creation”—“which God created.” How is Jesus’ statement true if there was no Creation?

The apostles Paul and Barnabas believed God created all life: “We…preach unto you that you should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein” (Acts 14:15). Would any suggest that Paul lied to potential disciples in Lystra about an array of things God never did? And what about Acts 17:24 where he said almost the same thing to listeners in Athens?

He wrote the Ephesians: “And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world has been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ” (3:9). Paul knew how life on Earth began. So can you. And Christ is plainly declared as the God who did the creating. When He, God—Jesus is God—discussed Genesis, He had firsthand knowledge. He knew what He was talking about!

The next passage in Colossians powerfully confirms Jesus’ role in Creation: “In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins: who is the image of the invisible God…for by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible…all things were created by Him [Jesus], and for Him [the Father]: and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist” (1:14-17). This is impossible to misunderstand!

Paul wrote this to the Romans: “We know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now” (8:22). One reason for this is that God-rejecting atheists and fearful theologians who support their bogus science have dismissed plain statements in God’s Word. Many ministers know all these verses, but will not preach them.

The apostle missed several perfect opportunities to clarify that mankind gradually evolved. Instead, he always fell back to God creating all things. Why do this—time and again? These passages cannot be exceptions to truth. If so, how would we know this? Recall that Paul said, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God…” (II Tim. 3:16). According to evolution-believing Christians, apparently not all, or even close.

Genesis Confirmed

Other passages, not related to Creation, confirm Genesis. Certain people and events were referenced over and over by Christ and New Testament writers. You will see the number of scriptures you must reject as part of God’s literal Word is enormous. Remember: We are asking whether Christians are allowed to pick and choose which parts of the Bible to accept.

The apostle Paul in Hebrews references Enoch: “By faith Enoch was translated [taken away] that he should not see death; and was not found…” (11:5). Enoch’s lineage lists descent from Adam.

Almost as many people reject Noah and the Flood as they do the Creation account. Yet Jesus compared the end of the age—now just ahead—to “the days of Noah.” Here is His stark warning to everyone: “As it was in the days of Noah [Enoch’s great-grandson], so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man [before Christ’s Return]. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:26-27). Matthew 24:37-39 repeats this.

The apostle Peter referenced Noah: “…the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water” (I Pet. 3:20). Also, God “spared not the old world [the ancient world from Adam to Noah], but saved Noah the eighth…preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly” (II Pet. 2:5).

Noah, the ark, and the Flood appear in Genesis immediately after the Creation account and Adam’s lineage. Why are we allowed to reject the first five chapters of this book while believing chapter 6 and beyond regarding the Flood? We cannot.

Jesus further confirmed Genesis when speaking of Abraham. The Pharisees claimed descent from Abraham—and Jesus agreed, saying, “I know that you are Abraham’s seed” (John 8:37). Jesus acknowledged this patriarch did exist, and by extension that his life story starting in Genesis 12 was real. He also spoke of Isaac and Jacob: “There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you [the Pharisees] shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out” (Luke 13:28).

Paul wrote of the patriarchs: “By faith he [Abraham] sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise” (Heb. 11:9). He also wrote: “By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac…his only begotten son…By faith Jacob, when he was a dying [only those who first live can die], blessed both the sons of Joseph…” (vs. 17, 21).

Just in Galatians, Paul mentions Abraham and Isaac many times. The apostle James added, “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac…?” (James 2:21).

Peter also mentions Abraham’s wife Sarah: “Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters you are, as long as you do well…” (I Pet. 3:6). If Sarah never lived, no woman reading this has a chance to be her daughter. She did live!

Pause and consider what you are reading. These people are all found in the book of Genesis and in the early chapters!

Sodom and Gomorrah

Jesus also referred to Lot and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, recorded in Genesis: “Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:28-29). He also stated: “Remember Lot’s wife” (vs. 32).

Do not let today’s normal societal conditions fool you as they will many. Time is short! Matthew records: “It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city [He was referring to]” (10:15). Jesus talked about Sodom and Gomorrah because He knew these cities existed. He did not spiritualize them away as myths. It was Jesus, as the God of the Old Testament, who destroyed them!

As the nations of the world mirror Sodom and Gomorrah more with each passing day, such passages grow in importance to any thinking reader. But many simply do not, and will not, care about these passages—these great truths—because the stark language God uses is not “intellectual” enough for them. He does not speak as though He is sufficiently “enlightened” to modern views about love, dignity and inclusion. Poor God. To so many who profess to follow Him, He is just lost in the past, unable to separate fact from fiction so He can progress with an advancing society.

Speaking of our modern nations, Paul wrote: “As Isaiah said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth [hosts] had left us a seed, we had been as Sodom, and been made like unto Gomorrah” (Rom. 9:29).

Peter added: “Turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an example unto those that after should live ungodly; and delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation [meaning filthy conduct] of the wicked” (II Pet. 2:6-7).

The apostle Jude recorded: “Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal [meaning permanent] fire” (1:7).

How can things that never happened be examples of what not to do? How can destruction that never happened herald what will happen again? Such warnings would be based on fraud! Of course, increasingly, politicians and judges seem to believe these what-should-be deeply sobering examples never occurred—and that Peter, Paul, Jude and Jesus Himself were all scaremongers who at best exaggerated, and at worst invented stories to make a point.

These passages alone confirm a widely rejected Old Testament event—the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Either this event happened or the New Testament writers were uninspired liars—Jesus included! Be careful what you believe. I have been to the ruins of Sodom and held the ashes and burnt rocks that crumble in your hand. Lot was a real person, and Sodom and Gomorrah were real cities! So says God. This includes His explanation of why He destroyed them. Ponder this. And ponder how it validates the Bible’s first book.

Notice what the deacon Stephen said about Joseph before he was killed: “The patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him” (Acts 7:9), and, “…Joseph’s kindred was made known unto Pharaoh. Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him…” (vs. 13-14).

Moses, who wrote Genesis, is mentioned 80 times in the New Testament alone! Some examples: “Moses said, Honor your father and your mother…” (Mark 7:10); “The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:17); “Jesus said to them…Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven” (John 6:32); “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead” (Luke 16:31). Millions believe Moses existed but do not believe what he wrote. Christians—not just Jews—are to believe the words of Moses.

Christ Is the Creator

Countless more examples could be given. Each would add its own additional strength. The New Testament without the Old would be a building with no foundation—and no support. No wonder Christ and the apostles quoted Moses so often.

The apostle John underscored that Jesus Christ is the Creator—the Lord—the God—of the Genesis account. Notice: “In the beginning was the Word [Jesus Christ], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made” (John 1:1-3). All things—including Adam and Eve—means all things. And “without Him was not anything made that was made” means what it says! You must decide if this is true or false—if you should believe God or scientists.

The book of Genesis opens declaring, “In the beginning God created the heaven[s] and the earth” (1:1). Psalms records: “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth…Let all the earth fear the Lord…For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and [the earth] stood fast” (33:6, 8-9). Thinking of all you have heard so far, I ask: Do you believe this? Do you fear God? Make yourself answer yes or no.

Genesis states that God created all life on Earth—plant, animal and human—birds, land animals, and sea creatures after their kind. (Read Genesis 1:20-25.) “After their kind” means God set distinctions between animal groups and between all animals and humans. Human beings are different. The account states: “God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them” (1:27), and, “The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (2:7). This cannot be spiritualized away as any kind of picture of evolution.

Every living thing on Earth was created by God. Human beings were formed in the image and likeness of their Creator. Genesis 1:31 states God created man at a specific point—the sixth day. (While man has existed for 6,000 years, Earth has for billions of years. This was covered in my World to Come series proving God’s existence titled Does God Exist?—Many Absolute Proofs! (Part 1).)

If the Creation account was not literal, then it must be a metaphor, allegory or nice story. Were this true, how many other biblical accounts are similarly fictional—including accounts of Jesus’ own life? And how would we know which are which?

Faith Is Required

Most know Christ spoke in parables. Few know why. They are not for the purpose of illustration. Notice: “The disciples…said to Him, Why speak You unto them [the masses] in parables? He answered…them, Because it is given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given…Because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand” (Matt. 13:10-11, 13). Jesus said He used parables to hide His meaning from those He was not calling—those to whom it was “not given” to understand. Millions today “see but see not,” “hear but hear not,” and “do not understand.”

Here is the point. This Personal is not to those who cannot understand. We will see why God did this with some. This article is to those who are “given” to understand by God. Others will not care.

Which are you?

Ironically, it is a parable that tells you, “Whosoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock” (Matt. 7:24). The test is whether you act on Jesus’ words—His sayings.

The apostle Paul wrote, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6). Let’s see how coming to and seeking God involves faith in His Word—as it is written.

First recall from Part 1 that Jesus declared, “Your word is truth” (John 17:17). He spoke this before any of the New Testament was written. He called the Old Testament record true—the truth! Be careful of calling it something else because powerful religious figures do.

Now recall Proverbs: “Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust [their faith] in Him. Add you not unto His words [by calling them mere stories or representations], lest He reprove you, and you be found a liar” (30:5-6). Do you trust God that His Word is true—pure? Or have you allowed confused, atheistic scientists to cast doubt on the Bible? Remember, without faith you cannot please God.

Hebrews 6:18 speaks of another impossibility: It is “impossible for God to lie.” Men do, and sometimes often, but not God—ever!—else how would men be able to trust Him? And without faith—trust—a person cannot please Him.

The Bible is an all or nothing proposition—with no middle ground to stand on. Either you believe every word, or you might as well throw out the entire Book! Anyone who says otherwise is a liar—period. I did not say this, and you do not have to call them liars—God does it for us! And to disbelieve God is to say He is lying.

The position that God did not create Adam—that Adam did not exist—makes Peter, Paul, James, Jude, John and even Jesus Himself into liars—men who tampered with God’s Word. Worse, if evolution is true, these men and God Himself said things that were patently false and called them truth. How destructive would this be to faith?

Let’s visit Romans 1 (covered in my World to Come series proving God exists). Paul identified the real problem with modern scientists and evolutionists. First notice this: “For the invisible things of [God] from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse…Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools…[and] changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creation more than the Creator…and even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind [the margin says void of judgment]” (vs. 20, 22, 25, 28).

God says He gave those who reject Him minds void of judgment. They can see certain facts but cannot come to right conclusions. Such people are deeply confused—ignore them.

A powerful New Testament warning about the perilous last days just before Christ’s Return speaks of men who are “ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (II Tim. 3:7). Recall a final time Moses’ central importance and that he recorded Genesis. Now read with yourself in mind: “As Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest [made obvious] unto all men…” (vs. 8-9).

This is scheduled to happen soon.

Facing a Choice

The God of the Bible presents Himself as a God who does great miracles. The Creation week involved many miracles. Many today cannot grasp things so “unscientific.” Instead of looking for the truth of the Creator—described in His divinely revealed Book—science has chosen confusion, suppositions and deceit, with millions of ministers and parishioners following blindly. Jesus warned, “…if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into the ditch” (Matt. 15:14). He also taught that any who practice the traditions of men—evolution has become its own traditional Christian belief—worship Him in vain—meaning they are already in the ditch.

No matter how powerful a person who tells you otherwise and claims to speak for Christ, it is utterly vain to worship Jesus while believing evolution instead of scores of scriptures to the contrary.

Examine your beliefs and analyze why you hold them. The Bible record is clear. The New Testament underscores the Old Testament and Creation. Jesus and the apostles were neither confused nor deceived! They knew what they were talking about!

Jesus’ listeners saw He spoke with authority. So do I! Speaking truth and facts allows this. And we do this on every subject. Where the Bible is plain, so are we. Think. If you are going to be persecuted for your beliefs, would you not rather be persecuted in the true Church, learning from ministers who speak with authority because they stand on truth? (And if you can prove that Creation is true, you can prove which is the true Church. Concerning this, here is a free book you can request: Where Is the True Church? – and Its Incredible History!)

You face a choice: Believe confused, Bible-rejecting scientists, and the weak ministers who agree with them—or believe God, and that He created all life as He said. Believing both is not possible.

You must choose!


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