Pastor Robert Hammond (Revised July 6, 2018)
The Theory of Evolution proposes that that over millions of years, relatively complex life forms (including man) evolved from simpler forms of life. While this is an intriguing scientific theory, the Bible does not permit this possibility. Rather, the Bible teaches that the LORD created all forms of life as distinct, fully-developed life-forms during a literal six-day creation week.
The very first verse of the Bible identifies God as the creator of all things. Genesis1:1 states, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." The balance of that chapter details the order in which God created all things.
The language of Genesis chapter one speaks of six literal days of creation. Six times, the Bible describes the days of the creation week as being composed of an “evening and morning.” This is how Jewish people defined a single day. The LORD used this very literal language in order to rule out the possibility that he was referring to longer periods of time (i.e. millions or billions of years). This truth is plainly stated in Exodus 20:11, where we read, "For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is ..."
In Genesis chapter 1, the Bible says that all forms of life were created “after his kind.” In Genesis chapter 1, the Bible asserts eight times that God made each distinct form of life "after his kind." This phrase refutes the possibility of evolution because it refutes the possibility that one life form evolved into “another kind” of life. Rather, the Bible clearly states that each form of life was created distinctly “after his kind.”
It is worth noting that those who argue for the theory of evolution cannot point to single "change in kind," i.e. an example of one kind of animal evolving into a different kind of animal. Rather, they can only point to examples of a certain kind of animal adaptating to its environment through so-called natural selection. That's not evolution. Rather, it's the process by which specific genetic traits are amplified within a population because they help an animal to survive. For example, in snowy climates, young harp seals have snowy white coats. This genetic trait has been amplified over other colors because it helps the young seals to hide from preditors. Because more white seals survive, the genes that convey a white coat become amplified in the seal population. Note that the resulting seals are still seals! The process of natural selection has not changed the seal into another kind of animal. So, natural selection is not evolution.
In Genesis 1:26-28, the Bible teaches that the LORD created man separately from animals. We have an origin that is distinct and separate from the origin of plants, sea life and animals. Man was created at a distinct point in time (Gen. 1:26-27). And man was created separately from animals (Gen. 1:24-25) and separately from sea life and birds (fifth day of creation). And the Bible is clear that only man was created “in the image of God.” (1:26). The literal language of Genesis 1 excludes the possibility that man evolved from other forms of life.
The Bible is clear that death entered the world as a result of sin (Rom. 5:12). Therefore, if the theory of evolution is true, nothing could have died for millions (or billions) of years, i.e. nothing could have died until man evolved “far enough to sin.” This isn’t possible because the earth isn’t large enough to accommodate all of the animals that would have been produced over the millions or billions of years that evolutionist claim were required for man to evolve (i.e. to evolve to point at which he would have the capactity to form the volition to sin against God).
The Bible timeline only permits the earth to be 5,000 – 6,000 years-old. Even if we interpret the Bible timeline rather loosely, the Earth cannot be more than 10,000-years-old. Because millions of years would be required for man to evolve from simpler forms of life, scientists who endorse the theory of evolution argue that the earth must be millions (or billions) of years old. The Bible timeline simply does not permit this possibility. (And the so-called “Gap theory” is refuted by Rom. 5:12). Also note that global flood descrived in Genesis 6 - 8 explains geological observations that argue for a very old Earth. A catastrophic global flood could easily cause the earth to appear to be much older than its actual age.
keywords: creation, creationism, intelligent design