Designer Genes Series

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

Genesis 1:1-3 (KJV)

Darkness can make us feel uncomfortable. It’s not just literal, physical darkness that makes us squirm. But there’s spiritual and emotional and relational darkness that’s uncomfortable… and confusing.

I’ve been there. I’ve experienced the death of a dream I thought God was going to fulfill for me. I was in a spiritual and career darkness. We’ve had some significant family challenges over the years. We’ve known a kind of relational darkness. When my dad died and then Maryanne’s dad died, we knew the darkness of grief.

At times like these, you wonder, where’s God? What’s He doing? Why is my life in such a mess? What should I do next? I’m in the dark.

Maybe that’s where you are today. Right now, there are things in your life that don’t seem to make much sense. And you are wondering, “What’s going on? What’s the next step?”

This is when we need God to say, “Let there be light!” He shines His light inot your darkness as Creator. Our faith says, “If He is Creator, then He’s creating something good for you out of your darkness.” Or, to it another way: There is a Designer who defeats your darkness and He has a design for your life.

Designer Genes

We’re going to see how He has designed your genetic code along with everything else.

In this series, we’re going to seek to ask and answer some questions – deep questions – profound questions. God wants our questions. He says, “Bring it on! Ask Me your toughest questions.” So we’re asking questions about creation, resurrection, and the Bible. The implications play out powerfully.

Today, we’ll talk about evolution. We hear about two types.

Micro evolution. Within particular species of plants and animals, change happens. No one disagrees with that. Micro evolution.

Macro evolution. This is where the controversy lies. This is where the wheels begin to fall off.

This theory of macro-evolution gained prominence in 1859 when Charles Darwin wrote “On the Origin of Species.” He said that all life is the product of undirected, un-designed, unintelligent natural selection. That the universe had the appearance of design without a designer. The theory of evolution became intellectually “in.”

So, some people believe we are cosmic accidents. If we believe that, we’ll be tempted to do life that way. If there is no Creator God, there’s no right or wrong. If we are the by-products of chance, then there’s no purpose.

Now, most evolutionists and atheists are law-abiding citizens. But every now and then, someone takes evolutionary thought down a tragic path. Jeffrey Dahmer was a real life Hannibal Lector – a murderer. He said that early on he decided that there is no God, only evolution. In an interview with Stone Phillips on Dateline, he said, “If a person doesn’t think there is a God to be accountable to, then what’s the point of trying to modify your behavior? I always believed the theory of evolution as truth, that we all just came from the slime. When we… died, that was it, there is nothing.” So he concluded, “I do what brings me pleasure.”

Again, most evolutionists and atheists are respectable. But many would say that the theory of godless evolution has helped to corrode the character of our culture.

Evolution points to a “survival of the fittest” and “might makes right” approach to life. So, I can do what I want. There’s no reason to treat anyone else with a shred of dignity because there is no right or wrong and no consequences. That’s a logical conclusion if we’re just cosmic accidents.

Bit other people believe that we are tailor made in the image of God. If that’s true then we have guardrails to live by and a purpose to live for. We have a life worth living and a love worth finding. If it’s true, then there is a Designer who will defeat your darkness and He has a design for your life.

This past week, I processed a lot of information. We just want to hit a few high points this weekend. And I’m challenging you to come up with your own evaluation of the data. How you feel about this matters. What you believe about this counts.

It doesn’t make sense to me for you just to hear from some pastor about evolution vs. creation. So, I’ve invited some scientists to help me with this topic. I want you to meet…

Chris Williams – PhD in biochemistry from Ohio State University.