Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20010718.htm

BIBLE APOLOGETICS ON ORIGINS
Part II: Examining The Theistic Evolution And Special Creationism Views
  1. Introduction
    1. Evangelicals are embroiled in a debate on whether God created the universe without use of evolutionary processes (special creationism) or whether He used evolution in the creative process (theistic evolution)!
    2. We examine Scripture to determine which view is correct, and IF it makes a difference, and why!
  2. Examining The Theistic Evolution And Special Creationism Views.
    1. In examining the Theistic Evolution View, we find it gravely lacking both exegetically and theologically:
      1. The Theistic Evolution View allows for ages in creation to harmonize with secular evolution science:
        1. It holds the word, "day" in Genesis 1-2 may Biblically mean an age as in Ps. 90:4 and 2 Peter 3:8.
        2. The light for days 1-3 in Gen. 1 where there was no sun is said to have come from God's glory!
        3. It holds the land and air animals were made indirectly through evolutionary processes from the ground (Gen. 2:19) though man was made directly from the earth since his mate came from his rib, Genesis 2:20-22. Thus, all life but human life is said to have evolved from lower life forms.
      2. However, this view lacks Biblical exegetical and theological credibility as follows:
        1. The "days" in Genesis 1 are each said to consist of a "morning" and an "evening," and that qualifies the period of time involved to be a solar day of 24 hours. This does not allow for evolution!
        2. The word "first" modifying "day" in Gen. 1:5 is in the cardinal form (lit. "one") where the numerical adjectives for days 2 through 7 are in the ordinal (lit. "second, third, fourth, etc.") form. Wherever elsewhere this arrangement exists not only in Hebrew, but in all Semitic languages, it always refers to consecutive solar days within a single calendar month acc. to Kenneth Barker, Gen. Ed. of the NIV (Dallas Theological Seminary class notes). This does not allow for evolution!
        3. The phrase "of the ground" in Gen. 2:7 describing man's creation appears in Gen. 2:19 to speak of the origin of both land animals and birds. Since the creation of man had to be directly from the ground without evolution to explain how the woman originated from the man's rib, the context reveals we should view the land animal and bird creations as coming directly from the ground also.
        4. The Genesis author differed from other Ancient Near Eastern cosmogonies as he wrote a polemic against their views that life sprang spontaneously from a hero god's slaying of a creative restraining force (like a sea monster), cf. Bruce Waltke, Creation and Chaos, p. 48. Genesis 1:2b pictures a sovereign God hovering over an inanimate mass before life existed with no force against which to compete! Since the Genesis author's clear burden is to counter such evolutionary ideas in pagan cosmogonies, the idea of God's using evolution to create counters the Hebrew author's intent!
        5. Theistic Evolution counters the Bible's teaching on death, and hence the redemption of Christ! (a) For evolutionary processes to exist in Genesis 1-2, there must be the survival of the fittest. (b) However, that implies death must exist, and that before even man's creation and fall (as man was created on the sixth day). (c) However, 1 Corinthians 15:21-22, 26 teaches death is the product of sin so that in Christ's redemption, the last enemy to be destroyed is death. (d) Hence, if theistic evolution were true, Christ could not save from physical death, thus undermining His redemption!
    2. In examining the Special Creation View on origins, we find it fitting Biblical exegesis and theology:
      1. The most candid rendition of Genesis 1-2 allows only for Special Creation in consecutive solar days: it fits (a) the use of the terms "morning" and "evening" with "day," (b) the use of the cardinal and ordinal numerical adjectives modifying "day" and (c) best harmonizes the "of the ground" phrases in Gen. 2.
      2. The Sabbath day rest of Exodus 20:8-11 is based upon the creation model of "days" in Genesis 1. The rest in Exodus 20:8-11 is a solar day, implying the days of creation in Genesis 1 were also solar days.
      3. The Special Creation View alone harmonizes with Paul's theology in 1 Corinthians 15, making the redemption of Christ accomplish victory over physical death for the believer!
Lesson: Any form of evolution is incompatible with Genesis in particular and with the Bible in general.

Application: (1) If the Bible is God's TRUE Word, and if secular evolutionary scientists treat Genesis 1-2 as false, such scientists err. (2) Since ALL truth harmonizes with ITSELF, the TRUE evidences from nature on origins must harmonize with God's TRUE Word [as we show in the next lesson]!