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38th Street Church of Christ 3904 38th Street NW Canton, Ohio 44718 330-492-5523 Fax: 330-493-7119 |
“Science And The Bible: |
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I. Introduction.
A. The Bible tells us that humanity had a specific beginning
point, and that human beings were created, by God, with
intelligence, the capability to make decisions, and the
ability to reproduce.1. It is clear from archeological evidence that past
generations, certainly in ancient times, had no
concept of a theory of evolution. They, too,
believed in life having an origination point (all
life – vegetation; animal; human), but saw it as the
work of their particular “gods.” No archeological
finds have yet even hinted that early humans
believed they developed from some lower orders, or
forms, of life.2. The Bible tells us the physical, human, body was
made from “. . . the dust of the ground . . .”
(Genesis 2:7; 3:19; Psalm 103:14). The same 16 or
17 chemical elements found in the soil of the earth’s
surface are those found in the human body.3. And, the Bible tells us that God not only gave
people a physical form, but He also gave human-
kind a spiritual nature (Genesis 1:26-29). When,
then, did mankind, if it evolved, develop such a
nature, one that compelled worship and enabled us
to be able to worship? Do other animals have such
a nature? Have you ever seen an animal worship
some supernatural, higher spiritual being? Why do
the most “primitive” of people have their “gods?”
Does this suggest – in fact, affirm, that mankind
was created with just such a nature, and that human
beings are different from other forms of life on
earth, not just physically, but spiritually?B. Even physical science confirms a difference between the
“flesh” of people, and of beasts, fish, and birds
(I Corinthians 15:39: “All flesh is not the same flesh, but
there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals,
another of fish, and another of birds.”) In this statement,
the Bible is scientifically accurate.1. Scientists, today, are aware of the cytoplasm and
nuclei of cells, by which the four kinds of “flesh”
can be distinguished. Paul, centuries before,
mentions four categories of “flesh” also. How did
he know this, except by divine revelation, as ancient
science did not know it through observation or
testing.2. The Bible also teaches us that plant life and animal
life, including human beings, reproduces itself
“after its kind.” (Genesis 1:11-12; 21; 25; 4:1-2;
5:3). This, of course, was observable from ancient
times, but it leaves absolutely no room for the
process of evolution. Every creature, from the
beginning, reproduced itself, not developed into
some different form – outside of the natural process
of adaptation and change that is observable in
nature.3. What is true in one specie kingdom is true in others.
If a human being and an ape are so-related, as
evolutionists might contend, why is it that a human
being cannot take a blood transfusion from an ape?
Isn’t a person, according to evolutionary theory,
“after it’s [the ape’s] kind?” In fact, the two
species are so vastly different, even “flesh wise”,
that to give a person a blood transfusion from an
ape would kill him or her. The blood would simply
coagulate and clog the arteries and veins – or send
such clots to vital organs to cause stroke, or heart
attack.II. The Logic Of Biblical Creation.
A. God instructed the first human beings to: “. . . ‘Be fruitful
and multiply; . . .’ ” (Genesis 1:28). The male and female
of the human species was to reproduce itself. Look at
Psalm 139:13-16 (READ).1. There is absolutely nothing in these verses that
contradict the scientific view of embryonic
development. In fact, science confirms that, in
embryonic development, there is life – otherwise
how could there be any growth?2. Ecclesiastes 11:5: “As you do not know what is the
way of the wind, or how the bones grow in the
womb of her who is with child, so you do not know
the works of God who makes everything.”B. Not only is the Bible scientifically accurate on the matter of
the formation, and birth, of human beings, it’s also
scientifically accurate about death.1. Life came first, when God took the inanimate
physical form, made from “The dust of the ground”,
and “breathed” into it the “breath of life.”
(Genesis 2:7).2. Death reverses this; the spiritual nature, the spiritual
person (Genesis 1:26-27) leaves the physical form
(Psalm 104:29: “You take away their breath, they
die and return to their dust.”). God has wondrously
made us (Psalm 139:14). Even in death, nature
takes over to begin the decomposition of the
physical body (Ecclesiastes 12:7: “Then the dust
will return to the earth as it was, . . .”).C. If evolution, as a theory or origins, is true, then living
matter originated from non-living matter. In fact, life
cannot reproduce itself except by life (or, from that which
is living) because it reproduces after its “own kind.”
People are different from other animals (although they
don’t always act this way). How do you account for the
differences? Science can “dissect” a person and an animal
and find similarities between the two. But, there are
distinct differences that a theory of evolution cannot
account for. Consider:1. Articulate speech
2. Invention
3. The human body
4. Moral nature and conscience
5. Legacy
(See the brief elaboration on these in
“Appendix A”)6. The scientist cannot refute the facts that these
characteristics and qualities distinguish people from
other animals.D. There is, still, that nagging question: “If all things were
created by God, who, or what, created God?” Where did
God originate? Don’t all things have a beginning?1. Yes, all things we know of. All things we are
familiar with, and can relate to. But, God Himself
tells us there is that which cannot be known to us
(Deut. 29:29). It is questionable that our minds
could understand certain things, especially spiritual
things, even if God revealed them to us. Our point
of reference is the physical world and we under-
stand things based upon that point of reference.2. It is on questions like the one just mentioned that
our faith must be relied upon, to accept what God
says as truth (II Corinthians 5:7).3. God is life inherent, within Himself. There are two
types of life: transmitted (the creature) and deity
(the Creator). The Creator is self-existent, eternal.
God has always been, for deity – true deity – has no
beginning and no end (Exodus 3:14: “. . . ‘I AM
WHO I AM.’ . . .”; Psalm 90:2: “Before the
mountains were brought forth, or ever You had
formed [lit. “gave birth to”] the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.”).E. The choice is very clear: either the origin of the earth, and
its environs, and life upon the earth can be understood by a
continuing natural process (evolution), or by a completed
supernatural process (creation). These are the options.1. If you accept evolution as the source of origins, and
it is a continuing natural process, such creation
could, and should, still be going on now. Life
forms do alter over a period of time (adaptation),
but there is no evidence of vertical evolution taking
place now, where simpler life forms change to more
complex life forms. Scientists do not even claim
such processes are going on now.2. In all of recorded history (c. 7,000 years), no one
has set down the process of natural evolution of any
kind of creature (living or non-living) into a more
complex form.3. In fact, the vertical changes that have been
observed, and recorded, all seem to go in the wrong
direction: stars explode; comets and meteorites
disintegrate, life deteriorates; eventually every
living thing dies.4. Even pre-historic changes tell a story of extinction,
not evolution. What the fossil record lacks is the
transitional forms that would be evident if evolution
were a fact. No fossils have ever been found with
half-scales, half-feathers, half-legs, half-wings, or
any such transitional forms.F. So, we are left with the other option, creation as an
explanation of origins. Science confirms this.
(see “Appendix B”)III. Conclusion.
A. In spite of the fact that the majority of scientists cling to the
theory of evolution, there is a great deal of attention being
given to the idea of creation, or “intelligent design.” The
Bible has been proven correct in its scientific statements on
this, as on other, matters if people only allow themselves to
read it and consider it with a fair-minded approach.B. We do have the right to choose what to believe. But, an
objective look at the evidence leads one toward creation as
fact, not fable.(APPENDIX “A”)
Articulate Speech. How is it that we can frame words and put them together in intelligent speech? Speech vocalizes thoughts. Animals communicate through sound. But, they cannot spell, write, translate, make
articulate addresses. Only people can.Invention. Technology; inventive genius. These are what people do. Animals and birds have dens and nests, but they are always structured the same. Only people create different styles of habitations: (Genesis 11:6).
Humankind learned skills and developed them (Genesis 4:21-22).The Human Body. The human race is of one blood (Acts 17:26). True science confirms this. The science of morphology shows humans to be vastly different from animals.
People stand erect – they were made to look up (Psalm 12:1). Animals look down and around.
Other differences lie in body structure (like opposable thumbs for grasping).
Moral Nature And Conscience. Only human beings can break moral law – or know moral beauty. Animals neither sin, nor do they practice virtue. They are not immoral, they are amoral. Being able to break moral law and know moral beauty also involves the conscience – the guilt mechanism of our moral nature.
Legacy. People leave lasting impressions, memorials, influences. Animals are remembered (at least, by their owners), but leave no great legacies. The influences of people carry on from generation to generation.
(APPENDIX “B”)
The First Law Of Thermodynamics says matter and/or energy are remaining constant. While forms may alter, like begets like.
The Second Law Of Thermodynamics says that the quality of any system – its usefulness, its complexity, its information value, always tends to decrease. In living organisms, true vertical changes go downward, not upward. Mutations cause deterioration, individuals die, species become extinct – all move us to a conclusion of a primal creation, and a Creator. You cannot have one without the other.
“Whether most people believe it or not, the creation account in Genesis is God’s record of His creation. Jesus Christ also taught this truth, so surely any true Christian should believe it. This account does not
allow even the possibility of evolution, since everything was created separately and reproduces “after its kind” (Genesis 1:24), and since, after six days of creating and making things, God ‘rested from all his work’
(Genesis 2:3) and so is no longer using processes which create things, as theistic evolutionists believe. Instead, He is now ‘upholding all things’ (Hebrews 1:3) through His law of conservation – the First Law.The entrance of sin into the world brought a disordering principle into the Creator’s perfect creation in the forms of God’s curse on the whole creation - the principle of decay and death – the Second Law (Genesis 3:17-19; Romans 8:22). Thus, the natural laws now governing the processes of the universe are not laws of origins and development, as evolution requires, but a conservation and decay, in accordance with the truth of primeval special creation.
When the Bible is banned as a sectarian book, the field is left wide open for the purely unscientific theory of evolution. If scientific methods of experimentation and documentation were applied to evolution, it would die.”
- Robert T. Boyd, “Boyd’s Handbook Of Practical Apologetics”, p. 434.