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I believe that the world came about by the process of evolution. However, I still consider myself a Christian. Does it really matter how God made the world?
Creation matters
It is wonderful to hear that you believe in Jesus. As Christians we treasure what Jesus did for us. As our substitute, he suffered the consequences of all human sin and evil. Then he rose from the dead, giving us the assurance of life and resurrection.
But we cannot keep those ideas separate from all other ideas the Scriptures tell us. If the creation account in God’s Word is not true, then it will not be long before Satan whispers in your ear, “Can you really believe in Jesus?”
The story of evolution
The story of evolution is an explanation of the origins of the universe, our world, and humans without God. It is a mixture of fact and speculation that has a ring of truth. It’s understandable that some would believe the story, including some Christians.
So let’s do a little exploring. Some, like you, do not believe evolution excludes God. But the evolution story assumes that there is no need for a Creator God. For the ardent evolutionist, everything must be explained as naturally occurring processes. That is a fundamental concept of science, and it has given us great blessings in medicine and technology. It is important to all research, including research on the COVID-19 virus. One simply cannot do research depending on a miracle.
The story of evolution assumes that current observable processes never changed. We can’t prove that, but evolutionists assume it is true. The changes necessary for the processes of nature to bring about life as we know it require long periods of time—another assumption. But when dealing with forces of nature billions of years ago, that stretches the scientific model beyond its capacity without these assumptions.
Evolution suggests that somewhere in the process things had to happen that would bring about life from what is not life. It is difficult to imagine that our human bodies came from inanimate elements. For example, the average heart will beat 2.5 billion times over the course of a lifetime. Our eyes have 130 million light receptors. Our bodies contain 100,000 miles of nerve fibers. The neurons in our brains send trillions of signals every day. All this came about, but for evolutionists God cannot be the explanation.
Creator or processes of nature?
If what God tells us in the Bible about creation must be rejected, then so many other ideas must also be rejected. No universal flood, as God describes it in Genesis, ever happened. The virgin birth defies the laws of nature. The miracles of Jesus were only embellishments of his disciples; they did not really occur. Did the resurrection of Jesus even happen?
So what do we believe? That life and its complexity came from a Creator or from the processes of nature? Scripture comes from God, who was there in the beginning. He knows. So “by faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible” (Hebrews 11:3).
Why? Consider everything else God tells us. The same God who created the world entered this world two thousand years ago to save it by living for you and dying on a cross to save you. One day soon, he will return to bring us a new heaven and a new earth. God, who made the world and saved the world, will one day come back to restore this world. I choose to believe what he says—all of it.
Ask a question at forwardinchrist.net/submit.
Author: David Scharf
Volume 107, Number 08
Issue: August 2020
- Q&A: What would Jesus think about all the different Christian denominations?
- Q&A: Are there times when it is okay to lie?
- Q&A: What advice does the Bible have for single people?
- Q&A: How do I know I am elected by God?
- Q&A: Why is Pontius Pilate immortalized in our creeds?
- Q&A: How does remembering my baptism help with the guilt I carry?
- Q&A: Do parts of the Bible teach works righteousness?
- Q&A: How can I overcome my struggle with lust and pornography?
- Q&A: How should I help my child struggling with same-sex attraction?
- Q&A: Should Christians pray to saints?
- Q&A: Is anger sinful?
- Q&A: How can parents encourage adult children who wander from the faith?
- Q&A: Does the doxology belong in the Lord’s Prayer?
- Q&A: Is God fair?
- Q&A: When we pray, “Your kingdom come,” what are we praying for?
- Q&A: How can I better manage what God has given me this year so that I glorify him?
- Q&A: What are ways to glorify God besides singing in church?
- Q&A: I have no special gifts, and I mess up all the time. Does God really need me?
- Q&A: How do I overcome the feeling that my life has no purpose and I don’t make a difference?
- Q&A: My friend died and was not a professing Christian. What do I say to the family?
- Q&A: How can my mother and I forgive my father for being unfaithful and causing my parents to divorce?
- Q&A: Why were demon possession, gifts of healing, and gifts of tongues more prevalent in biblical times?
- Q&A: Is Christianity the only religion that gives the certainty of heaven?
- Q&A: If people go to hell, isn’t it their fault because God gave them free will and they rejected him?
- Q&A: Why are the 40 days between Jesus’ resurrection and his ascension important for the disciples and for us?
- Q&A: Can you explain Jesus’ words to the wailing women he met on his way to be crucified?
- Q&A: What if spouses don’t “love” each other anymore?
- Q&A: Is it wrong to have a cross with Jesus’ body on it?
- Q&A: Is our time of grace really unchangeable?
- Q&A: I know that we are saved by grace apart from works, but how can it be that easy?
- Q&A: Are there degrees of glory in heaven as a reward for good works?
- Q&A: Do Lutherans take the Bible literally and teach millennialism?
- Q&A: Are there different interpretations of the Bible?
- Q&A: How can we be sure the Bible includes what God originally gave us?
- Q&A: Why does it seem like Christianity is so negative?
- Q&A: How can I explain how Jesus’ resurrection is possible and if the Bible is reliable?
- Q&A: Is it okay to live together if we are planning to get married?
- Q&A: How is the Bible God’s Word?
- Q&A: Were we “created to make a difference”?
- Q&A: Am I being judgmental if I point out someone’s sin?
- Q&A: Do I need to read the Bible to have a relationship with God?
- Q&A: Can a Christian vote for a political candidate who supports abortion?
- Q&A: Does God really care?
- Q&A: Does it really matter how God made the world?
- Q&A: Does God send people to hell?
- Q&A: Is death natural?
- Q&A: How can I forgive and forget?
- Q&A: Does God help those who help themselves?
- Q&A: How can we say that the Old Testament God is the same as the New Testament God?
- Q&A: Is Jesus the only way to get to heaven?
- Q&A: Doesn’t God want me to be happy?
- Light for our path: Does God hate us?
- Light for our path: What kind of comfort can you give someone when a loved one commits suicide?
- Light for our path: What does a submissive wife in a Christian marriage look like?
- Light for our path: Is it a sin to want to die from a terminal illness?
- Light for our path: What advice can you give about applauding in church?
- Light for our path: Can you please explain Matthew 5:20?
- Light for our path: What is karma?
- Light for our path: Can the devil personally be tempting me and a lot of other people at exactly the same time?
- Light for our path: Does the word Easter refer to Ishtar, the Babylonian fertility goddess?
- Light for our path: What role does emotion play in contrition?
- Light for our path: What does the white stone in Revelation 2:17 mean?
- Light for our path: Is the cross symbol now anti-Christian?
- Light for our path: Were Joseph and Mary engaged or married when Joseph learned of Mary’s pregnancy?
