Genesis and Theistic Evolution
Theistic evolution is an approach to harmonize popular evolution and Scripture. This approach teaches that God is some First-cause, i.e., he set the universe in motion and allowed evolution to take place. God did not personally “create” all life. Rather, he allowed life as we know it to evolve. This theory teaches that at some point man had evolved to what he is today. At this point God created the spirit and placed it in man. It was at this point that man was a human and no longer an animal.
Man is faced with three options as to how life appeared on the planet.
- Atheistic evolution. This view teaches that life evolved from non-living material. Undoubtedly, this is the most popular view among scientists.
- Theistic evolution.
- Creation. God created living organisms through the power of his word. This is the view presented in Scripture. It can be demonstrated to be true through both science and Scripture.
Biblical Proofs Against Theistic Evolution
Genesis presents God as speaking animals into existence. Genesis 1:21, 25. “God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Gen. 1:27). In this short verse, the Bible says three times that God created mankind. This verse does not say that God allowed humankind to evolve.
There is nothing in these verses which would cause one to take them symbolically. There is a rule in biblical interpretation which says that one should understand a passage literally unless there is evidence to take it otherwise. These verses do not present any evidence that they should be taken symbolically. Some say since the Bible ends symbolically (Revelation) it must begin symbolically. Just because the Bible ends symbolically has nothing to do with how it should begin. Revelation “sounds” symbolic, but Genesis just doesn’t “sound” that way. No one would believe in theistic evolution from these verses were it not for popular scientific belief. One cannot arrive at this conclusion merely by reading Genesis.
Mankind was made in the image of God. Genesis 1:26-27. In some way, man is like God. This God-like image cannot come from animals; the Bible doesn’t teach that animals are made in the image of God. The Bible does not say that man is made in the image of animals. He is made in the image of God.
The New Testament endorses the idea that God created man.
- Matthew 19:4. These are the words of the Lord Jesus himself. Surely no Christian would accuse Jesus of being mistaken when he spoke concerning the origins of man.
- Acts 17:26. Paul was a man who had diligently studied the Old Testament, and he was a man who spoke these words through inspiration. If God had allowed man to evolve, certainly Paul and/or Jesus would have said so.
Scientific Proofs Against Theistic Evolution
We need to remember that evolution is a THEORY; it has not been proven. In fact, evolution cannot be proven.
Fossils are not transitional. If evolution did in fact occur, we would expect fossils to show signs of transition. The fossils should show one species developing into another species. However, this does not occur; in fact, fossils appear fully developed. In his Origin of Species, Charles Darwin himself called this fact “a very obvious difficulty” (Darwin, 312-313).
Variation within animals does not prove theistic (or atheistic) evolution. Some point to different variations to prove evolution. For example, a zeonkey is the product of a jenny (a female donkey) and a zebra. The offspring of a cow and a buffalo is known as a catcall. Different breeds of dogs could have very well come from just one pair. In fact, there are at least 150 distinct kinds of human beings.
However, these are variations within kinds. Who can say that a jenny and a zebra are not of the same kind? Who is to say that a cow and a buffalo are not of the same kind? Who can say that human beings are not all of the same kind?
These variations do not lead to evolution. The work of one scientist (Gregor J. Mendel) showed that only limited variation could occur and this variation did not lead to a new species. If one is breeding, there is only a certain number of variation he can bring about. The list is not endless. No matter how much variation is brought about, this variation never leads to a new species.
Mutations do not prove evolution. Some say that mutations occurred in species and these mutations were passed onto offspring and thus resulted in evolution. However, no mutation has been demonstrated to make “an animal more complicated or bring any new structure into existence” (Gleason Archer, Survey of Old Testament Introduction, 205). One evolutionist (I. Manton) commented, “The fundamental causes of evolution on the grand scale, as it has occurred through geological time and in the fashioning of the great groups of animals and plants, cannot yet be described or explained” (Quoted in Archer, 205).
Embryos do not prove evolution. The human embryo goes through distinct stages. At one stage the embryo looks as though it has fish gills. Evolutionists say this points back to a time when our ancestors were fish. These embryos also have a tail that is said to resemble those of animals.
However, these beliefs overlook important information. The “gills” of an embryo are never used as gills at any point of development. The “tail” is nothing more than the spine and legs developing.
Certain animals make it very difficult to believe in any form of evolution. There are many such animals, but only two will be considered here.
- Termites show that God created all creatures. Termites have small parasites in their intestinal tracts which allow them to digest wood. Experiments have been performed which heated the termites. The heating did not kill the termites, but it did kill the parasites. The termites died from starvation in ten to twenty days, because they could not digest wood.Neither of these organisms can live apart. The termite needs the parasite; the parasite needs the termite. If evolutionists are correct, these organisms would have had to evolve together.
- The bombardier beetle shows that no form of evolution took place. When faced with an enemy, this beetle squirts a lethal combination of two chemicals. These two chemicals explode when they are mixed. The chemicals are stored in the animal with a chemical inhibitor that makes them harmless. When the beetle releases the chemicals, an anti-inhibitor is used to cause the mixture to explode. If the development of this beetle were the result of evolution, the beetle would have likely blasted itself out of existence. That, however, did not happen.
This lesson was originally delivered by Dr. Justin Imel, Sr. as part of a Vacation Bible School at the Owingsville church of Christ in Owingsville, Kentucky.