Genesis 1:1-2, Genesis 2:3, Exodus 20:11, Isaiah 40:28, Isaiah 45:9, Psalm 33:6
Summary: In a foolish attempt to placate the world, some believers have devised alternative theories of how we came into existence apart from the supernatural and historical account presented in Genesis 1-2.
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always BE READY TO GIVE A DEFENSE to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed” (1 Peter 3:15-16, NKJV).
Over the centuries, brethren in Christ have gone to their deaths boldly proclaiming the truth of the Gospel, not caring what the world thought of them, nor did they bow to the threats of tyrants and terror that lasted for but a moment, only to enter into the joy of their LORD (Matthew 25:21, 23; Acts 4:12, 20; 2 Timothy 4:6-8). Compare the bravery of past saints to the tepidness of the modern “believer,” who proclaims that they “follow” Jesus yet are biblically ignorant and easily intimidated by the pressures of an unbelieving, hostile world that hates and reviles anything to do with the God of the Bible.
Young people who are not grounded in the defense of the Christian faith will lose what “faith” they claim to have the first year of entering the secular universities and by professors who do everything possible to destroy whatever belief these young people might have in God. Christian apologists such as Dr. Frank Turek, Josh McDowell, J. Warner Wallace, Ken Ham, and others testify to this fact on their websites and in their respective books and articles.
Two areas that skeptics tend to focus upon in their goal of attempting to rid the world of faith and belief are the existence of God and the reliability of the Bible, especially when it comes to the account of creation as presented in Genesis.
As skepticism against the Bible accelerated over the past two hundred or more years, Christians had few viable defenses for creation apart from Scripture. When Darwin published his “Origin of the Species” in 1859 that introduced the evolutionary theory, the Christian church was caught “off guard.” Instead of challenging it and defining science as “thinking God’s thoughts after Him,” the church decided to withdraw from science altogether along with studies in related fields of interest and decided instead to “circle the wagons,” damning anything that reeked of progress or scientific advancement that, in turn, could have been used for the glory of God.
The motion picture industry, medicine, astronomy, biology, chemistry, and other scientific fields were left open for the world to obtain and frequently use for less than noble purposes. Only recently has the Christian world seen the error of its ways and attempted to reclaim what should have been in our possession in the first place. Our attempts to “correct the course” has almost degenerated into a scene of “too little, too late.”
One problem in playing scientific “catch-up” over the years has been the attempt of some believers in the field of science to placate the world and compromise on what the Bible clearly teaches about our origins. We are letting the world dictate to us the terms on which they “might be open” to another theory other than mere evolutionary biology to explain why we are here. But for some reason, we “shake in our boots” and cower away from the truth that is posted in the first chapters of Genesis.
Are we soldiers of the LORD or deserters from the ranks of true belief and faith in God?
There are believers who are still not afraid to run into the smoke of battle and rescue the perishing in spite of education, ideology, or degrees. Two of these “fighters for the faith” are Dr. Ergun Caner and the late Dr. Ed Hindson, who wrote the book The Popular Encyclopedia of Apologetics (Harvest House, 2008). One section of the book deals with “Theories of Creation” as alternatives to what is recorded in Genesis. These “theories” are: (1) Theistic Evolution; (2) The “Gap” Theory; (3) The “Day/Age” Theory, and (4) Progressive Creation.
Although each theory is different enough to warrant individual attention, all four alternatives share a fundamental point of agreement. Each one teaches that the biblical record in Genesis 1 should not be interpreted literally, but rather they attempt to reconcile supernatural revelation with materialistic naturalism (evolution).
Each of these theories will be defined and examined in the area of science and Scripture, and each theory has problems with both. This is part of the ammunition needed to fight the darkness of the world and the devil that envelops it, and to bring the light of the Gospel and its absolute truth to the hearts and minds of those around us before it is too late.
We will start next time with a look at the theory of theistic evolution. Have your armor on and your sword sharpened (Ephesians 6:10-18).
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