Creation and Evolution. I keep reading how creation is opposite to evolution and that creation OR evolution must be the truth, but not both. Both sides of the argument, the creationists and the evolutionists, perpetuate this controversy by calling each other names and hiding deeper and deeper behind their so called ‘knowledge’. This only leads to dissent and hate, so bear with me as I explain how my simple mind explains creation and evolution from my simple understanding of the bible.
Is there a difference between creation and evolution?
Creationists say that God created man in his own image in Gen 1:26 and Gen 1:27
Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (KJV)
and the creationists are totally right!
Evolutionists say prove it! What we can prove is that when man first was, he did not have the form that we have today. So obviously we have evolved from our primal form to what we are today. As I suppose most of us have heard of Darwin and his evolution theory I will not go into that but I will limit myself to say that the evolutionists are totally right!
Here we have two different groups of people with seemingly opposite views taking stand against each other under the influence of princes and principalities (the Lords contender).
Reality is, as in most cases where there is conflict, the arguments are not totally contradicting, but only seemingly contradicting, and presented as diametrically opposed, as everything the Lords contender presents us (Gen 3:1-5).
Gen 1:26 and Gen 1:27 are about the creation of man before he was formed out of the earth, it is about the creation of the essence of man, of his spirit, which was created in the likeness of God, and as God has no earthy body, anything created in his likeness can not refer to an earthy body.
Scholars before me have all come to this same conclusion and while I mostly do not concur with the established views, in this instance they are very right indeed.
‘Image’ is a word taken from sensible things, and denotes likeness in outward form, while the material may be different. ‘Likeness’ is a more general term, indicating resemblance in any quality, external or internal. It is here explanatory of image, and seems to show that this term is to be taken in a figurative sense, to denote not a material but a spiritual conformity to God.
Albert Barnes
In our image, after our likeness – what is here said refers to his soul. This was made in the image and likeness of God. Now, as the Divine Being is infinite, he is neither limited by parts, nor definable by passions; therefore he can have no corporeal image after which he made the body of man. The image and likeness must necessarily be intellectual; his mind, his soul, must have been formed after the nature and perfections of his God.
Adam Clarke
God’s image upon man consists in these three things: – 1. In his nature and constitution, not those of his body (for God has not a body), but those of his soul. – 2. In his place and authority: Let us make man in our image, and let him have dominion. – 3. In his purity and rectitude. God’s image upon man consists in knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness, Eph_4:24; Col_3:10. He was upright, Ecc_7:29. He had an habitual conformity of all his natural powers to the whole will of God.
Matthew Henry
Yes, the creation of man is the creation of his essence, of his soul. And this is the most important part of man, the part that makes him indistinguishably different from all other animals, his soul that is connected to God, because God made Man in his image and likeness.
The Evolutionists state that man essentially developed from the primal ooze of the earth and is one of the evolutional branches of animals. Over the years his body has adapted to be the one that is the most adaptable to its surroundings.
And this evolutionist theory I can fully accept, because I can trace it back in the bible (Gen 2:7). It does not contend with the creation of man (in essence), it is just the development of the ‘matter’ or ‘form’ of man.
Gen 2:7And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (KJV)
The key here is formed, and checking out the original text it is formed like a potter. Has a potter ever created something at once, in an instant? or does he knead and adapt, continually molding until he has the perfect shape and form as he devised?
These are two separate issues, one is the creation of man in essence and the other is the making of his three dimensional form.
The importance of creation/evolution to God
Now, some will ask; why does the bible not address the evolution of the form of man in more detail giving it a more predominant place in the bible? How can you expect us to believe that one simple word out of the many is the only one devoted to the whole physical evolution of man?
To understand this we must acknowledge that the bible is a God inspired scripture and as such will emphasize the things that God finds important for us to consider, and not give great importance to things of lesser value.
And yes, as the bible goes, our eternal life is much more important and longer (everlasting!) than the ‘moment’ of time that we are in this world in these bodies, so to God, for his purpose of sanctifying us, our bodies hold little value compared to our souls, they are only a vessel like a packing box that is used to send a parcel to someone else, only used to get us through the tests of this life, in the next life our bodies are no longer needed and as this life is but a ‘shadow’ no real importance should be given to it.
The bible attests to this in;
Psalms 144:4 Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away. KJV)
Psalms 102:11 My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass.
Psalms 102:12 But thou, O LORD, shalt endure for ever; and thy remembrance unto all generations. (KJV)
Psa 109:23 I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust. (KJV)
All these Psalms concur in several things, but in this context the important one is that the days of man (his lifespan) is but a fleeting shadow. And ideally, that is also the importance we should put on it.
The importance of creation/evolution to man
But man, man is vain, our time is but a fleeting illusion but we are so vain. We cry and sometimes I get angry when things do not go well with this body of mine in this world, we will all grow old and wither away. So vain!
So of course we place the coming about of our body on a pedestal, this is very important! Anyone who truly knows us should know that! The Evolution of our body is the most important thing ever! vain.
To us the evolution theory is important because it is about OUR bodies, the first thing we see about each other and if we do not make an effort, the only thing we see about each other. And because we are vain we try to categorize people depending on their bodies, just as we do with their clothing or whatever packaging material, exactly the same.
The deception of the contender
And that is where the Lords contender sees a great chance to stir up strife and discontent, start a discussion and some trouble between men. On the one hand he has the men that are vain about their dogma and on the other hand men vain with their science that, of course, is superior to dogma, vain.
How long did men believe that Gods purpose was for us to murder one another in his name even though his commandments say “do not murder”?
How many times have scientists held up theories until proven wrong?
We will be able to prove it all and do it all (except for “the tree of life” of course). But until then I have yet to see something occur that can not be explained or predicted by the bible. And once we catch up with our science, well that is just great, then we can also explain it in our own words, but we must not forget where we first saw it, in the bible, by Gods word.
But the contender, he notices the opportunity that this vanity gives him and he pits one man against another, with no ultimate gain for man, but only so that man will suffer over trivialities in this life, commit sin and lessen his chances of eternal life. That is all the contender cares about, for his chances of eternal life are already lost.
I would so like that men could see this game for what it is.
So he spins his weave of deception, “they say God created man just like you look now in one day, they must be mad, certainly everyone can go to a museum and see that man evolved to his current state? They just want to hold back the development of mankind so they can abuse you”.
“The heretics are saying that they have a theory that explains that man did not come from God, because they do not believe in God, and their theory is geared to prove that God had nothing to do with the creation of man, and by doing so disprove the existence of God”
Fears, the fears of poor wretched little men.
So do not let yourself be misguided by the games of the contender nor the opinions of men , not even of me! Get yourself a bible, make some time, open your bible, ask God to give you the word, and then read and enjoy his word.