Before I get started I want to define what science is. This is the definition of science from Oxford languages:
Science - the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation, experimentation, and the testing of theories against the evidence obtained.
Science is simply man discovering how the natural world (created by God) works. It is what man can learn from the natural world based on perception and observation. As a believer in the scriptures, I believe God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1) and as such, He knows better than anyone how His creation works and is put together.
I believe God has directed my life in such a way that I am able write about this. I am a member of the body of Christ, and a believer in the scriptures. I also have completed a degree in the sciences, crop and weed science was the proper name of it, but it was really a generalized plant science degree. The topics studied were biology, botany, bio chemistry and organic chemistry, soil sciences, entomology, plant pathology, genetics and others. I do not list these topics in order to brag about it, quite the contrary. Having studied all of these subjects over the course of a four year degree, many of the courses were quite rudimentary. I graduated twelve years ago, and since I do not really use my degree today, I have forgotten most of what I learned. What studying these subjects has done for me, however, is given me an appreciation for what God has allowed man to learn about His creation through observation. Learning about soil fertility and how plants react when the soil is deficient in certain nutrients, then witnessing the effects in real time is pretty cool.
Let’s get into why I am writing about science and the scriptures at all. Since becoming a member of the body of Christ, I have become increasingly concerned with how many members of the body of Christ dismiss and deny observations of the natural world that science has made. To be blunt, I believe our adversary is using this tactic to distract believers, and cause unbelievers to dismiss the truth of the evangel because believers are dismissing obvious truths about the natural world that have been observed.
I want to be clear, there are things that science claims to be true which are not. Macroevolution is the big one. I want to make sure all understand the difference between macroevolution and microevolution. The theory of macroevolution I am talking about here is the theory that all life on earth can be traced back to a single, original living organism. By traced back, I mean all life on earth evolved from this original organism; every single living organism alive today was “parented” by this original organism. Microevolution is the God given ability for organisms to adapt to their environment in small ways over time. These adaptations are genetic, and happen through natural selection, mutation or genetic drift. This microevolution is what Charles Darwin observed while studying the finches on the Galápagos Islands. Microevolution is responsible for the many different species of canines we see. People have used microevolution to their advantage to breed dogs to have certain genetic traits, and the same thing has been done with plants.
Microevolution has been observed, macroevolution has not. I do not blame the majority of scientists for pushing macroevolution, however. A scientist who has not been given faith to believe God at His word when He says He created the heavens and the earth, the stars, planets, plants, animals and humanity, has no other choice than to hypothesize on how life and the world came to be about, apart from God. (A scientist can be an unbeliever or a believer, as a scientist is simply one who studies the natural world.). The incredible statistical improbability (impossibility) of the “big bang” resulting in the complex universe and the origin of life from it is no matter, as they have no other choice if the scientist does not believe in God. They have no other way of attempting to explain the origin of the universe as we know it.
As a believer in the scriptures, I believe their is One God, the Father, out of Whom all is (1 Cor. 8:6). I believe Him when He says He created the heavens and the earth and the living things on the earth (Gen. 1-2). I believe God when He says He created each living creature according to its kind (Gen 1:24-25). I believe these verses disprove the theory of macroevolution. To believe and know these things takes faith. We were not there when God created the heavens and the earth; this truth is not observable. It takes faith, given by God to believe these statements made in scripture. This reminds me of Job 38:4 when God asks Job where he was when God founded the earth. In Job 38 and 39, God goes on to tell about His control over His creation.
I want to make something clear, the purpose of the scriptures is God making Himself known to us, making Christ known to us, and making God’s plan of salvation for believers and all humanity known to us. The purpose of the scriptures is NOT a scientific exposition of creation. There are certain things pertaining to the creation that God has seen fit to tell us, such as: He created it, out of Him all is, and God has His creation completely under His control. Why has God chosen to tell us these things? Because they aid in helping us to know and understand Him better. The scriptures do not describe the anatomy of a cell, how a plant produces energy through photosynthesis nor does it describe the structure of an atom. Compared to knowing God, Christ and the evangel, the knowledge of the principles of creation are insignificant. God gave us the scriptures to give us knowledge primarily about Himself.
That being said, the scriptures, properly understood, do not contradict with what we observe in the natural world. If something we read in scripture seems to contradict what has been observed, usually, a failure to take the context, or the absolute and relative perspective into account, or a failure to recognize a figure of speech is the culprit.
2Cor 4:2-4: "But we spurn the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor yet adulterating the word of God, but, by manifestation of the truth, commending ourselves to every man's conscience in God's sight. Now, if our evangel is covered, also, it is covered in those who are perishing, in whom the god of this eon blinds the apprehensions of the unbelieving so that the illumination of the evangel of the glory of Christ, Who is the Image of the invisible God, does not irradiate them." The god of this eon, the adversary (Satan) is blinding the apprehensions of the unbelieving, so that illumination of the evangel does not irradiate them. Our adversary wants to keep the evangel hidden, and what is his primary weapon or tool that he uses to do this? Lies. Specifically, lies about our God and Father, the Lord Jesus Christ and the evangel. Lies such as: God is monster who plans to torturously burn many for eternity, God provided a “potential” salvation through Christ, God wants to save all but just can’t override a man’s “free will”, death is really life somewhere else and the trinity, which cause stumbling blocks in understanding Christ died, Christ only died for “the elect” in exclusion of the rest of humanity, sin is still a problem even though Christ died for it, the mixing of the Evangel of the Uncircumcision and the Evangel of the Circumcision, as well as others.
What and whom does the adversary primarily use to disseminate these lies? Religion and religious people, primarily Christianity and Christians: 2Cor 11:13-15: "For such are false apostles, fraudulent workers, being transfigured into apostles of Christ. And no marvel, for Satan himself is being transfigured into a messenger of light. It is no great thing, then, if his servants also are being transfigured as dispensers of righteousness -- whose consummation shall be according to their acts." Satan has been working on and spreading these lies since the apostle Paul was alive, we can be sure he had a hand in this: 2Tim 1:15: "Of this you are aware, that all those in the province of Asia were turned from me, of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes." Lies about God, Christ, and the evangel are the tools being used by the adversary, then and now. In Galatians we read about the use of a “different evangel which is no evangel at all”: Gal 1:6-7: "I am marveling that thus, swiftly, you are transferred from that which calls you in the grace of Christ, to a different evangel, which is not another, except it be that some who are disturbing you want also to distort the evangel of Christ." A different evangel was being spread, a false evangel, but it had the appearance of “good news”, which is what the word evangel means. Satan himself is being transfigured into a messenger of light, and his servants are transfigured as dispensers of righteousness. The “good news” of Christianity is a façade, a false front, a white washed tomb.
The theory of macroevolution is not Satan’s primary tool for turning people away from the evangel, it is a side effect of it. Let us not put the cart before the horse. The lies about God, Christ and the evangel are the most necessary of being exposed. I do not blame anyone who has been told about the false god of Christianity (who is either cruel, powerless or both) and denies that God created the heavens and the earth and all living things. To the nations, Christ crucified is stupidity (1 Cor 1:23) and since to most people, their exposure to God has been the god of Christianity, they believe that he is stupid and weak.
When members of the body of Christ deny observable and confirmed discoveries that science has made, it hurts our testimony and puts a damper on our evangelism. If we tell an unbeliever something is false, when it has been observed to be true, why in the world would they believe us when we tell them about the evangel of the Grace of God? The evangel takes faith to be believed, as it cannot be observed. Heb 11:1: "Now faith is an assumption of what is being expected, a conviction concerning matters which are not being observed;" (Absolutely, God gives faith to all who believe the evangel. He uses heralds to share the evangel so that those chosen and called will hear and believe, Rom 10:14. We are not fatalists, so we share the evangel, even though we know all is of God.) Why would someone believe something that cannot be observed, when the one sharing unobservable truth denies what can be observed? Can you see how this could be used as a tool of the adversary?
What I have witnessed as being the drive for members of the body of Christ to deny observed and confirmed discoveries is a belief that scripture denies these discoveries. But as I said above, a misunderstanding of scripture through failing to take the absolute and relative perspectives into account, the context, or a failure to recognize a figure of speech is the reason for believing scripture is saying something contrary to what has been discovered. These scriptures are often cited in support of certain causes that, at their core are rooted in the desire to not be subject to the civil authorities, which is the opposite of what Paul tells us our disposition should be as members of the body of Christ (Romans 13:1-7). These causes that I have heard about and run into, have fallen into two categories: untrue and unimportant, or simply unimportant. I believe this is why Paul wrote and prayed this for the Philippians: Phil 1:9-11: "And this I am praying, that your love may be superabounding still more and more in realization and all sensibility, for you to be testing what things are of consequence, that you may be sincere and no stumbling block for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that is through Jesus Christ for the glory and laud of God." Compared to God, Christ, and the evangel, these causes are of no consequence and are often stumbling blocks for us and those who may be believing the evangel. Paul entreats us to be sensible and to test what things are of consequence, and to do this in superabounding love.
In Titus, Paul entreats the supervisor (1:8), aged men (2:2), aged women (2:5), young men (2:6), and us (2:12) to be sane. The Concordant definition of sane is to be of a safe disposition, God wants us to have sound minds. God wants us to think things through. Let us remember the definition of science above, it really is nothing more than man learning about and studying the natural world. As believers, we know God created all, and man is merely discovering what God has created. Science is not the enemy of the evangel. The lies about God, Christ and the evangel are.
Am I denying that macroevolution is a lie and that Satan has used it to turn people from God? No, but it is the cart behind the horse of much more heinous lies being perpetrated by religion. A quick google search told me that there are an estimated 2.2 billion Christians in the world. The majority of these Christians probably believe God created the heavens and the earth. Satan seems contented to allow Christians to believe the truth that God created the universe and everything in it, because he has hidden the true God from them with his lies. Christianity does not know the living God, who is the Saviour of all mankind (1 Timothy 4:10) and thus worships idols. Again, what is Satan’s primary tool in keeping people in the dark as to the evangel? It is the lies about God, Christ and the evangel itself.
Psalm 19:1 “The heavens are recounting the glory of El, And the atmosphere is telling the work of His hands.” Frankly, creation itself is enough witness that it was created by an intelligent (understatement) being. But the lies about God, perpetrated by the adversary through Christianity, are stronger in their effect of causing many to dismiss God, than the witness of creation is for God. These lies are what need to be exposed by the body of Christ. As members of the body of Christ, let us test what is of consequence, and stand for those truths.
1Tim 6:20-21: "O Timothy, that which is committed to you, guard, turning aside from the profane prattlings and antipathies of falsely named "knowledge," which some are professing. As to the faith, they swerve. Grace be with you! Amen!"
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All scripture references are from the Concordant Literal New Testament or Old Testament unless noted otherwise.
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