The Difficulties of Theistic Evolution

By Dan Gatlin

   Astronomer Carl Sagan once pronounced, “Evolution is a fact, not a theory. It is a fact.”  Of course, this was only his opinion.  No one was present at creation, so anything we believe is a matter of faith.  The Christian’s belief in the literal creation account is based on faith, as the Hebrew writer said, “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” (Heb. 11:3). Creation is also a part of the faith! Make no mistake, those who deny the creation account (or who desire to change it) have departed from the faith. Let’s also remember that the evolutionist (whether atheist or theist) bases his belief in evolution on faith.  He claims to have science to support his view, but the use of scientific facts are subject to interpretation.

  As Christians our faith is based on God’s word (Rom. 10:17), not the foolish speculations of man.  While the theory of evolution continues to evolve, God’s word remains the same (Jude 3).  We do not have the option of interpreting God’s word through the theories and philosophies of our day.  “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ” (Col. 2:8).  Evolution is a human philosophy that is “not according to Christ” and it can “cheat” us of our salvation.

  In recent years, there has been an attempt by some in the church to interject the theory of evolution into the account of creation (Gen. 1 & 2).  They believe that the creation account must not be interpreted literally, but that each day represented tens or hundreds of millions of years.  But the simple fact is that theory of evolution and the account of creation in Genesis 1 are mutually exclusive.  Both cannot be true!   

Theistic Evolutionists Must Change God’s Word

  There are at least two changes that theistic evolutionists must make to Genesis 1 in order to maintain their theory.  First, Genesis 1:9-13 describes the creation of plant life and fruit-bearing trees.  Verse 13 tells us that this happened on the third day.  In Genesis 1:14-19 we read that God created the sun, moon, and stars.  This occurred on the fourth day.  If evolution is true and if each day represents millions of years, then the scriptures cannot be true!  Plants cannot grow without sunlight, yet plants were created before the sun.  For those who take the literal account of Genesis 1 this poses no problem.  Plants can survive a day without sunlight (though it should be noted that light was created on the first day).  But for the theistic evolutionist, this poses a great problem.  Plants cannot survive, or even exist, without the sun.  Rather than letting go of their theory, they will choose to alter God’s word.  They must say that days three and four are backward, and should be reversed.

  The second change that theistic evolutionists must make is the very thing that is emphasized throughout Genesis 1: that each life form produces “according to its kind.”  This is said of plant life (vs. 11-12), of fish and birds (v. 21), of living creatures, cattle, creeping things, and beasts of the earth (vs. 24-25).  One kind does not produce another.  By definition, the theory of general evolution requires that one kind, over millions of years, produces another kind.  The theistic evolutionists do not simply change the order of the text, they must deny its truth. 

  And what of man?  Who (or what) were the parents of Adam and Eve?  Did they come from monkeys?  Many theistic evolutionists deny that Adam actually existed.  They believe the first 10 chapters of Genesis should not be interpreted literally (a myth).  But the genealogy in Luke 3 traces Jesus all the way back to Adam who is said to be “the son of God,” not “the son of monkey.”  Luke understood the account of creation to be literal, and he teaches that man was created directly by God.

 Theistic Evolution Makes God a Deceiver

  Several “deceptions” have already been mentioned: God said “day” when He really meant “age,”  He said that all life would produce “according to its kind” when one kind really produces another, He said that He created man when man really evolved.  Moses continued the deception when he wrote, “For in six days the Lord your God made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day.  Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it” (Ex. 20:11).  Isaiah misled us when he wrote, “I have declared the former things from the beginning; they went forth from my mouth, and I caused them to hear it.  Suddenly I did them, and they came to pass” (Isa. 48:3).  Paul continued the deception when he said, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:20).  Paul leaves us with the impression that there was someone to see God’s newly created world, when, according to the evolutionist, it was actually 100’s of millions of years old by the time man appeared.

  Theistic evolutionists argue that God is a deceiver if the literal interpretation is accepted.  One line of reasoning argues against the apparent age of the universe.  For example, a “light year” is the distance light travels in one year, approximately 6 trillion miles.  Most of the stars we see (in the form of galaxies) are billions of light years away.  We are told that the starlight we now see originated billions of years ago, and their light is only now reaching earth.  (Believers in the creation account understand that God created the universe with apparent age.  Just as in the day Adam was created he appeared to be an adult.)  The evolutionist argues that for God to create the earth with such apparent age would be deceptive on His part.  The creation itself leads man to conclude that the universe is billions of years old.

  It should be noted that no one disputes the speed of light or the size of the universe.  Those are provable scientific facts.  However, facts are subject to interpretation, and each of us choose which interpretation to believe.  The theistic evolutionist chooses to alter and reject portions of God’s word to fit his preconceived ideas.  To him, the theory of evolution comes first, and scriptures must conform to the theory.  To the believer in the literal creation account, God’s word is infallible and unalterable.  Scientific facts must be interpreted so as not to conflict with the word. 

  Theistic evolutionists believe that God has misled man for 3,500 years by giving us the creation account.  Only through human wisdom and the scientific discoveries of the last 150 years was man able to detect how the universe was truly brought into existence.  Such thoughts are the height of human arrogance.

 Literal Creation Is A Part of The Faith

  Many would like portray the battle over evolution as a battle of two differing opinions of equal weight.  Evolutionists like to think that ultimately it makes little difference to our salvation.  Such is not so!  It is a battle over two different faiths: one an ancient faith that has stood the test of time and the assaults of man.  The other, a new faith founded on human theories.

  What we believe about creation is a part of the faith that affects our understanding of both Old and New Testaments.  Consider the following New Testament passages:

   “But from the beginning of creation, God ‘made them male and female’” (Mk 10:6).  Here, Jesus is teaching on marriage and takes us back to “the beginning of creation.”  To alter the account of creation is the alter the words of Jesus.  For the believer in the Genesis account this poses no problem since creation lasted less than a week.  For the theistic evolutionist, man was not created at “the beginning of creation,” but 100’s of millions years later at the end of creation.

   “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:20).  Paul says that man has witnessed God’s “invisible attributes” “since the creation of the world.”  But the evolutionist must alter this New Testament teaching to fit his theory.

 Conclusion

  Let’s not be misled by those who would try to insert modern human wisdom into divine revelation.  God’s word has stood unaltered for thousands of years and will endure through this assault.    “Let God be true but every man a liar” (Rom. 3:4).