Creation/Evolution: Does it Matter?

What comfort can we have from a belief system that maintains that we are the result of hundreds of millions of years of illness, pain, suffering and death – for this is what evolution teaches. This is in contrast with the Biblical teaching that death is the result of Adam’s sin, and that one day all illness, pain, suffering and death will be done away with.

by Dr Monty White, of Cardiff, Wales.

This question, "Does it matter?" is often asked by people when they hear about creation/evolution. But it does matter! There are some serious theological issues raised by the creation/evolution question, as we shall see.

Most people appear to have an inbuilt desire to know about their origins. The reason I say this is because there is an increasing number of people that have an interest in tracing their family tree. We all want to know from whom we have descended and if we are related to anyone famous or even royalty. In passing, I will share with you that the only famous connection that I have found in my family tree is that some of my forefathers in the Eighteenth Century were married by the Rev Augustus Toplady in the parish church of Broadhembury in Devon.

However, most of us want to know about our ultimate origins. We want to know where everything came from. How many times have you looked up into a starry sky and wondered how it all began, where it all came from and where you fit into it all? Not surprisingly, the Bible answers these questions – the Bible teaches that the Lord God Almighty created the physical universe including all the stars and this same God offers to you to become part of His new creation.

The Bible is an amazing book! If only people bothered to read it they would find the answer to the many questions that they have about origins. The organisation of which I am the Chief Executive (Answers in Genesis [UK/Europe]) has this name because we believe that the answers to many of the questions that people ask are found in the very first section of this remarkable book – in the book of Genesis. Questions such as:

Where did the Universe come from?
The answer’s in Genesis!
Who or what made everything?
The answer’s in Genesis!
How long did it take God to create everything?
The answer’s in Genesis!
Why is there marriage?
The answer’s in Genesis!
Why do we wear clothes?
The answer’s in Genesis!
Why do we have fossils?
The answer’s in Genesis!
Why do we speak different languages?
The answer’s in Genesis!
Why is there death and suffering?
The answer’s in Genesis!

Is it any wonder then that this book that explains to us the origin of sin and death and that points us towards God’s promised remedy – the Lord Jesus Christ – is one of the most attacked books in the Bible? The Devil knows that if people are in error about origins, then they will be in error about that which follows. This is why it is vitally important for us to know what the Bible teaches about origins. This is why the creation/evolution question does matter.

Although many people in our land give the impression that all is well with their life, polls tell a different story. Many people today are taking anti-depressants, and the consumption of drugs, alcohol, as well as cannabis etc., continues to rise. Why is this? I believe that one of the reasons is that people have turned their back on the Creator and have accepted, instead, an evolutionary belief system. What comfort can be given by such a belief system that maintains that "In the beginning there was nothing and it exploded"? This belief system teaches that we are the result of a cosmic accident and that death has always been with us and always will be. No wonder there is so much depression if people believe they are the result of a cosmic accident with no purpose in this world. Contrast this with the Biblical world-view – that we are the pinnacle of God’s creation, made in His image and likeness living on an Earth that was specially created by God for us.

What comfort can we have from a belief system that maintains that we are the result of hundreds of millions of years of illness, pain, suffering and death – for this is what evolution teaches. This is in contrast with the Biblical teaching that death is the result of Adam’s sin, and that one day all illness, pain, suffering and death will be done away with. According to the Bible, death is only a temporary aspect of history.

It is by considering the point raised in this last paragraph that the real theological problems associated with the creation/evolution issue emerge. The Bible teaches quite plainly in Genesis, and also in the books of Romans and the First Letter to the Corinthians, that death is the result of man’s action; that it is temporary; and that one day there will come a time when there will be no more death. The victory over death is the result of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. I love the way that John Owen summarised this as the death of death in the death of Christ.

But if you reject the Biblical account of creation and the early history of the world, then you have a real problem with Adam. The answer to the question "Who was Adam?" really does show you what you believe about origins. If in your belief system Adam was not a literal man, the first man, then there are some interesting repercussions in the New Testament when Adam is mentioned. If you do not believe in a literal historical Adam, then you do not believe that death is the result of Adam’s sin. If this is so, then you have some real theological problems. Consider, for example, 1 Corinthians 15:22 which states "As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." If you really do not accept a literal Adam, but believe that Adam is a myth or a legend, then you have to read this verse as As in a myth all die or As in a legend all die. This is not what the Bible teaches – it teaches that Adam was the first man, a literal man, made in God’s image and likeness.

What comfort is there in a belief system that teaches that we humans are just animals – no better and no worse than any other animal? The implications of such a belief system are far reaching. It leads to abortion – human life is considered to be no different from that of an animal. Killing an unwanted puppy or kitten is not considered to be sinful – and by the same argument, neither is killing an unwanted unborn baby. Have you noticed how the pro-abortionists never use the term "baby", but always use the word "foetus"? But it does not stop here. Killing an old sick, yet loved, pet is considered an action that relieves the animal of suffering. This is the same argument that is used about euthanasia. No thought is given about the sanctity of human life; no thought is given to the fact that such an act is breaking the sixth commandment; and no thought is given to what awaits the soul of the person who has been put to death.

The creation/evolution question does then have some important ramifications, not only on your theology, but also on your belief system and also on your views about the type of society in which we live.

Our Inheritance, Spring 2003, 17 High Street, Polegate, East Sussex, BN26 5AA