The Beginning

 In The Beginning

I am not opposed to scientific analysis of the earth’s features. True science presents no problem for my faith, because my faith is based on the evidence of the resurrection of Jesus, and the knowledge of how He has worked in my life. Truth has no fear of examination. 

For the record, I know that living things change and adapt to their environment. I am glad for students to study zoology, botany, and etymology. Everyone who looks around and observes nature knows that living things are ever changing. 

The bible teaches that the creation is changing, growing old, and that one day it will be destroyed (Isa 51:6; Ps 102:25-27). Scientists agree. The bible teaches that mankind has changed through the years. Before the flood, people lived more than seven hundred years. After the flood, life spans shortened dramatically. This is evidence of the change in environment on the earth following the flood. Catastrophic events are now  a favored scientific explanation for changes in life on the earth.

Living things do change with time. Radiation and chemicals do cause genetic mutations that adversely affect living organisms. Environment does effect the survival and reproduction of differing genetic characteristics among living things. 

But mutations never produced life, because mutations cause changes in living organisms. Only after life is created can there be mutations. And selection and survival of the fittest in changing environments by different kinds of living things never produced a single living organism. It only modified already existing life. Likewise genetic manipulation of plants and animals today does not produce life. It only modifies existing life forms.

Life is ever changing, but life never began by chance. Chance does not produce design and exact order. Natural systems produce random patterns and infinite variety, but never exact order and design. Look at the stones in a stream bed, and you see the result of the random effect of abrasion and erosion. What we see is infinite variations, not exact design. If we found a cat’s eye marble in a stream bed, would we think it was the result of nature? Of course we would recognize it as being designed and formed by human hands. Can you honestly think that a tree happened by chance?

The evidence of design and order in the universe requires that thoughtful people recognize that there is a designer. As the psalmist says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.” (Ps 19:1, NKJ) As the glory of the universe has unfolded with recent advances in astronomy, we all have wondered at the marvelous design and complexity of the creation. As we have come to understand the requirements for life to exist on this earth, we should be awed by the miraculous design of our planet. Many complex factors working together are required to support life. 

Yes, for the record, I believe that living things change and adapt to their environment by natural processes. But that does not explain how life began. God is the only explanation I know for the design and order of creation. God made the heavens and the earth, and all living things after their kind. He made them mature at the time of his creation. Adam was mature. The animals were mature.  And the trees were made ready to produce fruit and nuts. The earth was made bearing the evidence of maturity, formed by the power of God. 

We can study the evidence of how the earth and living things are today.  Learning to understand and appreciate life and geology are good and useful. But we must stop allowing our tax money being used to teach our children lies about the origin of life and the universe. Evolution is not a scientific explanation of the origin of life or the universe, because there is no proof offered, nor even a reasonable supposition. 

Back in the old days, scientists grew a lot of maggots while trying to prove spontaneous generation of life. They are more sophisticated now, just stating their propositions, and showing no embarrassment that they can offer no proof. They might just as well go back to growing maggots.