Welcome to Science, Scripture, and Salvation, a radio ministry of the Institute for Creation Research. In this program, we want to encourage you in your Christian faith by showing how scientific evidence supports the Bible, particularly the Genesis account. The book of Genesis lays the foundation for all matters addressed in the rest of the Bible. The nature of God, His sovereignty in creation, man's purpose, sin, marriage, family, and why we need a Savior are all introduced and explained in Genesis. When we see that the first and most foundational book of the Bible can be trusted in all matters, including science, it builds confidence in the rest of the inspired word all the way to Revelation.
On today's show, we'll be joined by Brian Thomas, science writer with the Institute for Creation Research. Here's Brian Thomas. Here at the Institute for Creation Research, we talk about recent creation. And the reason we talk about it is because that's what the Bible straightforwardly teaches. Six days God created everything.
Exodus 2011 says, For in six days the Lord created the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything that's in them. And he rested on the seventh day. That's the basis for our literal work week.
So God was clear about what he said, six days, and and if you add up the genealogical information, you get about six thousand years ago. But this really, really does not fit with our culture.
So we come against as Christians who want to believe every word of Scripture, we come against a lot of Push back and our friends and neighbors and even our parents and relatives say, You can't believe in that.
Well I want to encourage you today with reasons 2. Believe in recent creation. Three main reasons why recent creation really matters, because some say it doesn't even matter. Why even talk about it? Let's just avoid the whole subject.
Well, the first reason why we do think it matters and why we do need to talk about it is because when Christians believe in recent creation, They show a complete confidence in all the Bible.
So a Christian is someone who's like literally a little Christ.
So that means they're a Christ follower.
So they live the way Christ wants them to live and we believe the things Christ believed. The Lord Jesus himself quoted Genesis 1. He quoted from Genesis 2 and Mark 10:6. He believed these things as history. He took a straightforward historical approach to early Genesis chapters.
Who are we to stop thinking about early Genesis. The way Jesus did. I mean, he was God. He knows it all. He created it all.
He was there in the beginning, according to John 1 and other scriptures. And so, the first reason, again, is that we show complete confidence in all the Bible. That's a good thing. We don't have to therefore go around and say, oh, well, you should believe certain parts of the Bible. you know, the Jesus parts, but don't worry about that Genesis stuff.
Whenever we come with that approach, what's the first question a thinking person would ask us?
Well, they might ask us, on what basis do we accept certain miracles like the resurrection? but reject other miracles in the Bible, like creation or the flood. See, there is no objective or scientific way to accept certain miracles and reject others. If you follow what the Bible says and the way it plainly teaches in one area as though it's historical, Jesus. historically attested miracles Then we have to follow the same pattern and agree with the Bible's description of miracles in other areas.
Imagine talking with a car salesman. He's a good guy, he's a car salesman, and you say, I'm looking at this car. Can you show me the owner's manual? He goes, Sure, I'll show it to you. He pulls out the owner's manual to this possible new car you might want to buy, and he says, Well, actually, about this manual to this car you want to buy, we only believe the last chapters of it.
The first chapters of this car manual that describe the engine, specs, and other fundamental features of this car. We're not sure who wrote that and not sure if it's exactly accurate, but go ahead and buy the car from me anyway. I mean, what are you going to do? You're going to say, if you're not sure about this whole document that describes this whole car, I don't know if I want to buy this.
So. When we believe the whole Bible including recent creation. all the miracles that are in it. then we are behaving with logical consistency, and we're following the pattern of Jesus and what He taught and believed as a Christian should.
Now a second reason why recent creation really matters and matters really to the gospel. has to do with the timing of death. And sin. Death and sin The Bible describes the importance of this in different places, including Romans five, verse twelve. It says Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread To all men Because all sinned.
Now this is very clear about Genesis history. He's referencing Through one man, this is Paul in the New Testament. Just as through one man, sin entered the world.
Well, who's that one man? Obviously it's Adam. What books of the Bible do we learn about Adam and his sin? It's Genesis. first chapters Talks about Adam, and in chapter 3, we see the consequences of Adam and Eve's sin.
And then Romans 5:12 says that death came through sin. And yet, the world tells us, through its empty philosophy, that death has been around for millions of years before man even came about.
Well, that of course destroys the foundation for the gospel. When we come back, I'll give you just the last reason why recent creation matters to the gospel. It's time for a short break. Stay with us. From sharks to butterflies, bats to orangutans, we can't help but marvel at the stunning and amusing creatures God has made.
If you and your kids enjoy learning about animals, then you'll love our book, Guide to Animals, with its beautiful full-color images and fascinating facts. Published by the Institute for Creation Research, Guide to Animals provides answers to many popular questions about the animal kingdom. How do chameleons change colors? How do jellyfish live without a brain? And what happened to the dinosaurs and other extinct animals?
Guide to Animals shows how everything that can slither, crawl, soar, or swim displays the handiwork of God. Order your copy of Guide to Animals from the Institute for Creation Research by calling 800-628-7640 or visiting icr.org. That's 800-628-7640 or visiting icr.org. Welcome back to Science, Scripture, and Salvation, a radio ministry of the Institute for Creation Research. Here's Brian Thomas.
So we're talking about why recent creation is relevant. Why does it even matter? Do you remember the Romans Road? I think recent creation ties into the Romans road.
Some Christians say, Well, I'm a New Testament Christian, and I believe the gospel, I believe the Romans road. And it's true, we need to trust Christ, and it does not say, the Scripture does not say that you have to trust Christ and believe in recent creation in order to be saved. No, no, no, no. You just have to trust Christ. But logically, what is this gospel based on?
And it finds its beginnings, its logical underpinnings, In Genesis, and specifically the recent creation history that Genesis teaches.
So let's go through the four stops of the Romans road. The first stop in the Romans road is Romans 3.23. And we remember it says that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Now, what is sin? It's an unpopular word, but it's a necessary spiritual word. meaning breaking God's law. I mean, when you break God's law, you sin. When you break a moral code, you just became a sinner.
When you break God's moral code, where does that come from? Where does the idea of a law come from? Guess what? Recent creation with Genesis. Chapter 1 as actual history gives us the first Moral law.
It says, But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat.
So we have a law, it's dispensed, and then these people, the first people, broke that very first law, and that's where sin came from.
So in order for us to understand the concept of sin, We go back to recent creation in Genesis. The second stop on the Romans' road says For the wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life, In Christ Jesus our Lord. Death refers to separation. Genesis three records the origin of death.
When the real Adam and Eve disobeyed God, His justice demanded the death penalty. But according to evolutionary history, man did not descend from Adam and Eve, but evolved from animal ancestors that had been living and dying for billions of years.
So those who believe this man made version of history see no Adam in their past, and they struggle to understand the last Adam, Jesus.
Now the next stop in the Romans road says, But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. This says that although our crimes against God earned death, God the Father sentenced His own Son in our place.
So we have this substitution Well Genesis 3, 15. If we take it like it's history, like we should, there we have a promise to help. through a descendant of Eve.
So this descendant of Eve would help us, and we learn later that that help came with Jesus Christ's birth.
So his life? Death and resurrection provided a way to escape and Everlasting death, just as the Lord long ago provided an ark as the escape from death from Noah's flood.
So only eight people believed God's message of coming judgment, and they entered the ark to be saved. And get this, Matthew, Luke, Hebrews, First Peter, Second Peter, all refer to Noah as a real person. You know, referring to Noah and his flood as a historical event. Plus, Jesus descended from Adam through Noah, according to Luke 3, the genealogy there.
Now, if Jesus did not descend from Adam and then through Noah as a historical person, In other words, we have evangelical, quote-unquote, evangelical Christians today saying, Adam was not real. We actually descended from a population of hominids, blah, blah, blah.
Now if that's the case. Then how could Christ's payment apply to any of Adam's descendants?
So in other words, if Jesus did not descend from Adam, then how could his payment be effective?
So the foundation for the Gospel hinges on literal, historical, recent creation with humans descending from Adam. Uh where are we? We're on the Romans' road. Uh he paid our death penalty. Right?
He defeated death with his resurrection.
So even though our sins have earned eternal separation from God, the Lord Jesus can now save all those who trust in him. It says this. Remember the next stop in the Romans road, that if you confess with your mouth The Lord Jesus and the Lord. and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Of course, Romans 10, 9 and 10. Where do we first learn the benefit of believing God? Of course it's in Genesis. Abraham believed in the Lord, Genesis 15, verse 6, and he accounted it to him for righteousness.
So, God's glory, God's law. man's sin, a death penalty, a way of escape, Believing in God's word, all these historical events that are foundational to the gospel, all tightly linked. to Genesis history.
So we have three big reasons why Genesis and specifically recent creation really matters to the gospel. Number one, it shows that we have complete confidence in the whole Bible. Number two, it gives us a foundation for death after sin, death as a result of sin. And number three, it gives us the underpinnings for the gospel itself. Thank you for joining us on Science, Scripture, and Salvation, a radio ministry of the Institute for Creation Research.
That's all the time we have for our program today, but we would love to connect with you through our website at icr.org. For over 45 years, ICR has equipped believers with evidence of the Bible's accuracy and authority by showing how science supports the Genesis creation account. Our scientists research the evidence for creation and communicate their findings through books, articles, DVD series, and conferences. Please visit our website at icr.org for more information about the latest scientific discoveries, to subscribe to our free magazine and devotional, and to locate Our next creation conference at a venue near you. All of this and more at icr.org.
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