Evolution vs. Creation
The debate on the origin of the universe has hotted up in recent years, as doubt is cast on the widely held theory of evolution. I can only touch on this subject here, but if you want to look into this issue further, visit www.answersingenesis.org or http://www.creationresearch.net/ they are really good sites.
So, two beliefs: one that says "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis1: 1) and another that says "In the beginning, some gases that came from nowhere exploded, expanded over millions and millions of years and came together to form simple life, which has gradually mutated over further millions of years until the present day, where the process continues" (or words to that effect).
Unfortunately for evolutionists the whole big bang theory goes against established laws of science: the second law of thermodynamics states that energy remains constant. You can't make something out of nothing. In a world where everything had a beginning and an end, the concept of eternity is mind-boggling. And the idea of an explosion creating something doesn't make sense either: if an explosion went off in a junkyard, would you expect a jumbo jet to come out of it? Of course not! Bangs, whether they're big or not cause destruction and chaos, not an ordered universe. Did you know that if the earths axis was even the tiniest bit different to wha iot actually is, the universe would cease to exist?! A simple pen obviously has a creator, someone who made it. How much more does this vast and beautiful universe speak of a massively powerful creator: "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands."
The evolutionary "tree of life" is pretty inconclusive too- the trilobite, a weird invertebrate had compound eyes like a fly; even we humans only have simple eyes! And no link has been conclusively made between any of the supposed species. Birds are supposed to be evolved out of reptiles; their wings mutating from frayed reptile scales (feel free to laugh in disbelief)! The bird's honeycombed hollow bones are supposed to come from reptiles' solid bones! Birds have a completely different respiratory system to reptiles. The more you study biology (which I'm not), the more you see the complexities of living organisms that point to an intelligent designer. So what if we humans share something like 97% of our genetic information with chimpanzees? We also share 57% of our genetic information with the humble cabbage!
The seriously weird coelacanth, a fish, had been found in fossils and dated as extinct a few million years ago and way down the evolutionary tree. But it was "discovered" recently again somewhere where I've forgotten and had been fished by the local people for generations!
Look at all the different breeds of dogs, from massive greyhounds to tiny Chihuahuas (or something like that!). There's a massive variety. But they're all still dogs; they haven't evolved into something else. And when new breeds of dog are bred, genetic information is lost, not added as evolution expects.
I know I'm delving into the area of ethics now but think about Nazi Germany. Nobody would doubt that the atrocities committed by that regime were sickeningly brutal and amoral. Many would also rightfully ask where God is in moments like then (something I'm going to look at in the near future). But evolution does nothing to condemn such human rights abuses; in fact, the Nazi's could condone their slaughter of millions of people as part of their plan as the "master" Aryan race to dominate the world, they were only giving nature a helping hand in their evolution into "superhumans". There is no excuse before God, for treating any people group less than another, contrary to evolution.
As I start to wander into a discussion of suffering, I will say this. The atheist, believing the total sum of the universe to be physical, should expect to have more or less all the answers to the questions he/she comes across- except maybe how many stars there are. But questions about God, suffering, emotions and so on remain unanswered. As a Christian I know God has all the answers and while he might not have revealed them all to us humans (the bible wasn't written to satisfy our endless curiosity; some things are just irrelevant to our lives and some are too big for our limited heads to get round) I can attempt to say something about the origins of the world, and as I soon will, suffering.
SUFFERING: WHY DOES GOD ALLOW IT?
This question came up on the CY weekend I (among other jesus-saves people) went on. The speaker basically said: "I don't know". God simply doesn't answer it in his word. In Jesus' day, there were 2 tragedies, a massacre, and a tower collapsing. Jesus didn't explain why God allows such things to happen; he simply said that those killed weren't any more evil than anyone else. I collared this speaker after the question time and told him this was an issue on this site (yes visitors, your name goes far and wide!) and he told me about a time when he was doing a beach mission in Douglas, IOM (this was a long time ago, he's getting on a bit!) While he was there, there was an awful tragedy- a fire in a leisure centre killed I think hundreds- my mum remembers it anyway, she was my age. He thought "Oh no, they're going to come to the open air and ask me why God allowed it to happen!" But though he could see people with injuries and crutches sort of thing, no one asked it! He couldn't explain why. And yet back home in Leeds he'd get everyone asking him that! So I don't know what to make of that, he couldn't explain.
Anyway, suffering wasn't God's doing. The first man and woman chose to go against God at the beginning and we all have followed their lead, we've all rejected God from birth. After the first man and woman chose to go against God the bible is full of suffering- almost completely until chapter 12, when God calls Abraham, revealing something of his plan for humanity:
" I will make you into a great nation [...]
All peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
Genesis 12:2-3
God was going to bless the world through the Israelites, sons of Abraham, by sending the messiah, the anointed one, so that all peoples might be saved through him:
"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD
is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the
Broken-hearted,
To proclaim freedom for the captives
And release from darkness for the
Prisoners,
To proclaim the year of the LORD's
Favour
And the day of vengeance of our God,
To comfort all who mourn."
Isaiah 61: 1-2
This was Jesus speaking 700 years before he came to earth, through the prophet Isaiah. God is going to deal with the root cause of suffering, sin, but that involves dealing with us as the source of sin. So before the "day of vengeance", when God deals with our sin is "the year of the LORD's favour. Ignore the time scales here, Jesus is talking figuratively but from the moment he came to earth he was proclaiming the year of the LORD's favour. As the apostle Paul writes to the Corinthians:
"Now is the time of God's favour, now is the day of salvation."
2 Corinthians 6:2
The whole reason God hasn't dealt with suffering yet is that we might get right with him, that Jesus might save us. That's what this site is on about.
When Jesus came to earth, John the Baptist, appointed by God to point people to Jesus said:
"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."
John 3: 36
If you don't believe in the Son God's wrath remains on you, and he will hold you accountable when he comes to judge the earth. Do you want a holy, perfect God who has the power to simply speak the world into existence to hold you to account on the day of his vengeance? Especially when God freely offers salvation through his son:
"For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
John 3:17
Does the fact God isn't going to judge those who he saves mean that they can happily sin without fearing judgement?
"By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer"
Romans 6: 2
Jesus died for our sins, when we accept his salvation, we too have died to sin. We live by his Holy Spirit, to serve him.
"Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."
Galatians 5: 24-25
Don't think either that being a Christian is easy, having God as a crutch to lean on when the times get hard:
Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worth of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me"
Matthew 10: 37-38
And don't think the Christian lives life paranoid that they're not meeting God's standards- God has set us free by his son from sin and it's consequence- death.
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life."
Romans 6: 23
Are you going to accept God's free gift of eternal life or face the wages you've earned for sin? I'm not trying to sound holier than thou, I only don't have to worry about death because Christ has set me free! God is great, he will bring an end to death, sin and suffering, but make sure that doesn't include you! Accept as your Saviour and he will lead you home to heaven.
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away"
He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practise magic arts, the idolaters and all liars- their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulpher. This is the second death."
[...] "Behold, I am coming soon!"
[...] The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!"
And let him who hears say, "Come!"
Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.
Revelation 21:1-8; 22:7, 17
Jesus may not be on earth to tell you to come and be saved but his Spirit is working in those he will call, and his "bride", the church, who have ourselves been saved because of God's great love also say "Come, and be saved without cost!" Come to Jesus and he will get rid of your cowardice, unbelief and other things getting in the way of your salvation. God has been SO merciful to me, and he will be to you if you simply come! It don't take much effort to come!
God bless you all and I urge you to come to Jesus:
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Jesus Christ
Matthew 11:28
