Creation Theories And Lessons

Is there a purpose for the creation narratives? With so many theories, what lessons can we learn?

Creation Theories

Let’s first examine a few of the many creation theories and some of their strengths and weaknesses

1. Godless Evolution claims to be honest with geology and biology, but denies ubiquitous forensic evidence of God’s existence and treats theories as fact.

2. Theistic Evolution tries to harmonize scientific theories, but puts too much trust in fallible, ever-changing human theories, and calls parts of the Bible myth.

3. The Day-Age Theory speculates that creation days were ages, possibly millions of years. It ignores any scientific evidence of a young earth and the definition “evening and morning.”

4. The Gap Theory postulates a gap of millions of years between Genesis 1:1 and 2, to harmonize popular geology. The Holy Spirit did renew the face of the waters (Psalms 104:30). But, this theory puts death before Adam, contradicting Romans 5:14.

5. A Polemic Theory sees Genesis 1 as an attack upon pagan gods. But, Hebrew experts disagree.

6. Augustine’s Allegory Theory explains some puzzles, but Jesus described a young earth perspective (Mark 10:6, Mark 13:19-20, Luke 11:50-51), and treated the Hebrew Scriptures like history not allegory (Matthew 19:3-6; Mark 10:3-9; Luke 11:50-51; Matthew 24:38-39; John 3:14; John 6:32-33, 49; Luke 17:28-32; Matthew 10:15; Luke 4:25-27; Matthew 12:40-41) as did the church.

7. The Majestic Prose Theory sees Genesis as stylized history or a festive overture, such as days 1, 2, 3 being parallel to days 4, 5, 6. Hebrew scholars disagree.

8. Intelligent Design (The Teleological Argument) challenges a scientific weakness, deliberately ignoring forensic, evidence-based methods when it comes to the existence of God. But, some intelligent design advocates ignore the Bible.

9. Young Earth Theories are supported by many Hebrew scholars and those scientists who say that there is evidence for a literal 6 days of creation. This is the explanation that best fits the account. Are there still questions? Yes, there probably always will be. For instance, how do you explain a young earth and visible light coming from stars millions of light years away? There are some interesting theories, but few solid answers.

How do we live in community with other Christians who lean many different ways regarding creation? We are called to peace. Christians all believe that God created everything. It is important to stay humble, and realize that in our lifetimes we will most likely not have all the answers.

Faith is not blind, but takes the best available evidence and draws conclusions, some tentative, some dogmatic. Faith and science both see in part and draw conclusions about what we don’t know based upon what we do know (Hebrews 11:1).

Creation Lessons

So, what are some important lessons from the various creation narratives throughout the Bible?

Romans 1 claims that the evidence for God is ubiquitous, but atheists suppress the truth in unrighteousness, motivated by a long list of human evils.

Jesus said that the scripture cannot be broken (John 10:35). Paul claimed that all scripture is God breathed (2 Timothy 3:16) including Genesis. Peter wrote that no prophecy of scripture was of human will, but from God (2 Peter 1:20-21).

Genesis 2 teaches us that sin begins with temptation. When we begin to think that disobeying God looks pleasant to the eyes and desirable to make one wise, we are in trouble.

In Job 38-42 God presents the ultimate forensic challenge. It is a teleological (intelligent design) masterpiece. Where were we when God made the universe! Who is a puny man to tell anyone how God created all things!

Psalm 104 expresses God’s love for living creatures. While God is omnipresent, God is not His creation. He created all things and He is knowable personally.

John 1 presents a different side to the creation story. The Word, who is equal in substance to God (John 10:30; Philippians 2:6), but eternally submits to Him as Father (John 20:17; I Peter 3:21-22), became flesh.

God’s Word is powerful. He simply spoke and all those things came into being. When we read the Bible as God’s Word, it is also powerful in our lives.

God is powerful. We cannot fathom a being who created such an incredibly large and complex universe. We easily forget how powerful God is.

Creation was “very good'' (Genesis 1:31). Our world is filled with bad things like war, crime, oppression and hate. It is also filled with good things, the things that God created. Creation is God’s goodness made glaringly obvious to us.

In creating a day of rest, God teaches us wisdom. Rather than continually rushing around working ourselves to a frazzle, we should take time out to rest and meditate on the work that is finished.

God created us as male and female, as equals in His image (Genesis 1:27), but for different purposes. We are happiest when we do what we were created for. When we abuse each other or confuse gender roles, we ruin our families and weaken human society. The answer is not rejecting God’s created intent for men and women, nor rejecting the authority of Holy Scripture, but returning to it.

Do you choose to side with the skeptics or have a change of heart and mind and believe the good news of God’s reign? You decide!