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How Evolution Undermines the Need for a Savior
by Tom Stewart
May 8, 2005
"In the beginning God created" (Genesis 1:1) is accepted by both Biblical Creationists
and Theistic Evolutionists, i.e., those who believe that God used Evolution to create
man and the universe. However, the Theistic Evolutionist must relegate the first
eleven chapters of Genesis to a less literal construction than the more literal interpretation
of Scripture by the Biblical Creationist, in hope of reconciling their understanding
of Modern Science with their comprehension of the Bible. "According
to your Faith be it unto you" (Matthew 9:29). This editorial is not an attempt to address the scientific evidence
supporting Evolution or Creation, but it is an effort to focus on the philosophy
of how Evolution undermines the need for a Savior. "How
can these things be?" (John 3:9).
Before beginning the discussion of how the underlying philosophy of Evolution undermines
the need for a Savior, several items in current events are keeping the topic of Evolution-Creation
in the public eye. For the Theistic Evolutionist, who interprets the evidence in
support of Evolution, a May 5, 2005 Earthtimes.org article, "Missing link in dinosaur evolution found"
---New Window, which describes
a new species, falcarius utahensis (half-raptor and half-herbivore), i.e., "dinosaurs
called maniraptorans, from which birds are believed to have evolved," demonstrates
the need of the Evolutionist to provide a progression from one species to another,
whether it be from dinosaur to bird or from ape to man. As a response to Evolution,
Dr. Walter Brown (1937- ) of the Center for Scientific Creation
has graciously provided an online edition of his book, In the Beginning: Compelling Evidence for Creation and the Flood
---New Window, where he attempts
to present a scientific basis for Creation, as well as to scientifically answer many
of the objections of the Evolutionists to Creation. "Through
Faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that things
which are seen were not made of things which do appear"
(Hebrews 11:3). Even now, the Kansas Board of Education has
been "taking evidence from anti-evolution scientists in a bid to rewrite the
state’s teaching standards to ensure that pupils learn alternatives to evolution
that suggest a guiding hand in the origin of life," as reported in a TimesOnline.com
May 7, 2005 article, "Scientists protest as school chiefs put Darwin on trial" ---New Window.
Does the underlying philosophy of Evolution undermine the need for a Savior? The
book, Christian Men of Science: Eleven Men Who Changed the World ---New Window, by George Mulfinger
and Julia Mulfinger Orozco, sets the scene for our answer. In demonstrating the compatibility
of True Science with the Christian Faith, the book portrays the events that led to
Dr. Walter Brown's entry into the creation movement. As a graduate of the United
States Military Academy at West Point, as well as graduating from the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology with a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, Walt Brown was more
accustomed to dealing with the scientific or applied physics solution for a problem
than a theological explanation, but this matter of Creation forced Dr. Brown to the
conclusion that Evolution undermined the need for a Savior. Both Walt and his wife
Peggy were themselves Theistic Evolutionists and knew many other fine Christians,
who also believed in Evolution. With a sense of scientific respectability and due
reverence for the Creator, "theistic evolution had been a comfortable compromise."
Not understanding Walt's newfound enthusiasm for the subject of Creation, Peggy finally
asked, "What difference does it really make?" Walt responded, "Why
do we need a savior?" "To save us from our sin" was Peggy's quizzical
reply. Summarizing his thoughts on the theological implications of Evolution, Walt
explained, "If evolution happened, death was already occurring before man evolved.
But if death came before man, and was not a consequence of Adam’s sin, then sin is
a fiction. And if sin is a fiction, then why do we need Christ to save us from our
sin?" The light turned on in Peggy's mind. She then realized that the passive
acceptance of Evolution completely "undermined the need for a savior."
If we cannot accept the Genesis account as a "factual depiction of events,"
then how could we accept the Scripture as the "ultimate authority" for
Salvation or anything else? Or, as the Apostle Paul was so eloquently led by inspiration
to say to the Romans, "Let God be true,
but every man a liar; as it is written, That Thou mightest be justified in Thy sayings,
and mightest overcome when Thou art judged" (Romans
3:4). The only scientific observation of the Beginning that has been
revealed is from the Creator Himself, and His Word is the only extant picture of
His observations. "Where wast thou when
I laid the foundations of the Earth? declare, if thou hast understanding" (Job 38:4). Our certainty about the beginning of
everything is founded upon our certainty that the "God,
that cannot lie" (Titus 1:2) has
faithfully and trustworthily represented our origins in the Genesis account of the
Scriptures. "1 God, Who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in
time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these Last Days spoken unto us by His Son, Whom
He hath appointed heir of all things, by Whom also He made the worlds" (Hebrews 1:1-2).
Of course, the Theistic Evolutionist would maintain that the scientific evidence
supports Evolution and that Genesis 1-11 should not be interpreted literally, but
less rigorously and more figuratively. However, let us Scripturally examine the logic
of Dr. Brown's explanation to his wife Peggy to see how Evolution undermines the
need for a Savior. "What saith the Scripture?" (Romans 4:3). The gist of Dr. Brown's reasoning
was either: (1) If Evolution is true, then death was already present before man evolved,
or (2) If Creation is true, then death did not take place until man had sinned.
"For the wages of sin is death; but
the gift of God is Eternal Life through Jesus Christ our LORD"
(Romans 6:23). What did the Genesis account describe? The Creator
promised Adam death, if he disobeyed, i.e., "But
of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the
day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Genesis
2:17). The Genesis account does not describe death until after
man sinned. Following Adam and Eve's sinful disobedience of the LORD's commandment,
Scripture records the introduction of physical suffering and death: (1) sorrow, i.e.,
"Unto the woman He said, I will greatly
multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children" (Genesis 3:16), (2) labour, i.e., "Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat
of it all the days of thy life" (Genesis 3:17), (3) murder, i.e., "And Cain
talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that
Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him" (Genesis
4:8), and (4) the new, normal Genealogy of Death, i.e., "And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred
and thirty years: and he died" (Genesis 5:5). We now accept as normal a world of pain, sorrow, suffering, and death,
all because our First Parents sinned. "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" (Romans 5:12). It is the emphatic statement of the New Testament that "sin entered into the world, and death by sin." And, why should sin precede either physical death or spiritual death? The
Creator is the Head of the Moral Government of the Universe, i.e., Christ is "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS" (Revelation 19:16). His rule is the Law of Love,
i.e., "37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with
all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it,
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" (Matthew
22:37-39). Sin or transgression in His Government is to violate or
break the Law of Love, i.e., "Whosoever
committeth sin transgresseth also the Law: for sin is the transgression of the Law" (1John 3:4). The penalty or punishment for sin is
to earn the wage of death, i.e., the "wages
of sin is death" (Romans 6:23).
Since Adam lived to the age of 930 years old, he must have immediately died
a spiritual death, when he sinned. And, he evidently began the physical process of
dying that resulted in his final physical death at the age of 930. So, death
is always the necessary consequence of sin, while sin is not necessarily the
consequence of death. "The soul that sinneth,
it shall die" (Ezekiel 18:20).
Notice that Dr. Brown accepted the literal interpretation or concept of the Bible
that the wage, result, or consequence of sin is death-- the "wages of sin is death" (Romans
6:23). From the vantage of accepting the plain statements of Scripture,
e.g., "Thy Word is Truth" (John 17:17), he correctly looked at the context
of the Genesis account of Creation to see if the Scriptural evidence indicated the
presence of death before Adam and Eve sinned. You will notice everything that God
created, i.e., "it was good" (Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25) or "it was very good" (Genesis
1:31), and that death and its consequences of pain in childbearing
(Genesis 3:16) and sorrow in earning a living (Genesis
3:17) were not enumerated until after Adam and Eve had
clearly sinned. "And when the woman saw
that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree
to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave
also unto her husband with her; and he did eat" (Genesis
3:6). Sin then has become man's chief problem, necessitating man to
come under God's judgment and wrath. "For
the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness
of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness" (Romans
1:18). Dr. Brown correctly reasoned that the Theistic Evolution
rejection of the Creationist scenario of Creation-man-sin-death was tantamount to
weakening or undermining the need for a Savior, if the penalty of death was already
being executed before man had even violated the Law of Love. Instead,
it is clear that God could not have wisely done more or differently than what He
has done in His dealings with man, i.e., "1 Now will I sing to my Wellbeloved
a song of my Beloved touching His vineyard. My Wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very
fruitful hill: 2 And
He fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest
vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and
He looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. 3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem,
and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt Me and My vineyard.
4 What could have been done more to My vineyard,
that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes,
brought it forth wild grapes?" (Isaiah 5:1-4). How sincere would be God's offer to save us, if His penalty of death
was already sentenced and put into effect upon Innocent Adam and Eve, even before
their Original Sin? "That be far from
Thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the
righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from Thee: Shall not the Judge of
All the Earth do right?" (Genesis 18:25).
If God unfairly penalized man with the penalty of death, even before Adam and
Eve had committed their Original Sin, how could that breed confidence in the Justice
of God? And yet, the very foundation of man's acceptability with God is based
upon man being able to trust God. "But
without Faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe
that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6). God's conduct and character must
be beyond reproach. And, they are. Christ, Who is the "Wisdom of God" (1Corinthians
1:24), hates the evil way and perverse mouth. "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy,
and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate" (Proverbs
8:13). If God did not rigorously police His Kingdom, then it would
not be true that "every transgression
and disobedience received a just recompence of reward"
(Hebrews 2:2). God has fairly warned us all, "Be sure your sin will find you out"
(Numbers 32:23).
There are still many scientific issues that puzzle both the Theistic Evolutionists
and the Biblical Creationists, which can be better addressed as scientific tools
and opportunities become available. Dr. Walter Brown has dedicated himself to advocating
and demonstrating the viability of Scientific Creation-- as demonstrated by his Hydroplate
Theory, which establishes a catastrophic flood as the defining geological event of
the Earth. Of course, without Dr. Brown's foundational appreciation of the Word of
God in the issue of Creation and his desire to promote the cause of Christ, his admirable
scientific explanation could only be for him (at best) "wood,
hay, stubble" (1Corinthians 3:12);
but, of course, "we are persuaded better
things of" (Hebrews 6:9) him. Today,
to be a Creationist does not necessarily imply a strong, Biblical belief basis; nonetheless,
Scientific Creation supports and confirms the Faithfulness of God to man as revealed
in the Genesis account. "Wherefore let
them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to
Him in well doing, as unto a Faithful Creator" (1Peter
4:19). If the God of Love so faithfully provided an Earthly Paradise
in the Garden of Eden to Adam and Eve, then why shouldn't we trust such a Faithful
Creator? Even more astounding is the realization that the Almighty God willingly
forgave and covered our Sinful First Parents-- the LORD God made "coats of skins, and clothed them"
(Genesis 3:22)-- making possible their acceptance with Him
again, i.e., "without shedding of blood
is no remission" (Hebrews 9:22).
The great wonder of having a Savior such as Jesus Christ is that we need Him so much! "The next day John seeth Jesus
coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of
the world" (John 1:29). Jesus is
the "Desire of All Nations" (Haggai 2:7) and the "Altogether
Lovely" (Song of Solomon 5:16) One.
"Wherefore also it is contained in the Scripture,
Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth
on Him shall not be confounded" (1Peter 2:6). All of this is based upon the understanding that it was our sin that
caused our condition of death and not His "premature execution" of the
penalty of death that brought upon us all the misery and suffering in the world.
"For every man shall bear his own burden" (Galatians 6:5). Instead, our God should be greatly
praised for the Wisdom and Power of His Creative Acts. "1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the
LORD from the heavens: praise Him in the heights. 2 Praise ye Him, all His angels: praise ye Him, all His hosts. 3 Praise ye Him, sun and moon: praise
Him, all ye stars of light. 4 Praise
Him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. 5 Let them praise the name of the
LORD: for He commanded, and they were created. 6 He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: He hath
made a decree which shall not pass. 7 Praise the LORD from the Earth, ye dragons, and all deeps: 8 Fire, and hail; snow, and vapours;
stormy wind fulfilling His Word: 9 Mountains,
and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars: 10 Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl: 11 Kings of the Earth, and all people;
princes, and all judges of the Earth: 12 Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children:
13 Let them praise the name of the LORD: for
His name alone is excellent; His glory is above the Earth and Heaven. 14 He also exalteth the horn of His
people, the praise of all His Saints; even of the children of Israel, a people near
unto Him. Praise ye the LORD" (Psalm 148:1-14).
Maranatha!
[For a greater appreciation of the Scripture, which gives us a more sure understanding
of the Beginning, you are invited to read "Seven Reasons Why I Believe the Bible is the Word of God" ---New
Window by Dr. Ian R. K. Paisley. Also,
our editorial, "Survival
of the Fittest" ---New Window,
attempts to Scripturally discuss the Natural Selection or Survival of the Fittest
"mechanism" that "drives Darwin's Theory of Evolution" in contrast
to "God as the agent of change."]
.
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