Why is it so important to the Christian faith that Genesis 1 is true?
Here's Stephen Davey with this important reminder. Of course, when I say that, I'm certainly referring to Genesis 1. But I'm also referring to much more than that. As you keep reading past Genesis, the Bible continues to affirm and reaffirm God as the Creator.
Have you thought much about the implications of that? The Old Testament prophets, the New Testament apostles, and even Jesus himself affirmed the Genesis creation account. Were they telling the truth, or were they liars?
And if they lied, can we trust anything they said? Here's Stephen Davey with an important message. In 1808, there were cataloged at least 80 theories of man's origin. Theories that we came from seaweed, theories that we've come from ape, and even more recently, the honest theory propounded by a scientist that said that we have evolved from garbage left on this earth by some prehistoric intelligence.
Maybe that's why my kids always mess up their rooms. They've inherited that from the garbage dump they evolved from. After nearly 200 years, those scientists are now openly admitting their frustration, like Dr. Herbert Nilsen, a Swedish botanist who was also an evolutionist and still not a believer, but he wrote these words. My attempts to demonstrate evolution by experiment carried on for more than 40 years have completely failed. It may be firmly maintained that it is not possible to find nor construct new species. Deficiencies are real.
They will never be filled. The idea of an evolution rests on pure belief. You see, you are led to believe that this is based on fact and we have ours based on mere faith.
Both are based on faith. The Texas Board of Education recently wrote an article, and I'm quoting David Hawking who gave this, Teachers of undergraduate students, that's junior high and senior high, elementary, on up through college, teachers are urged to stop brainwashing their students. The article says, quote, You have legal and grave responsibility, teachers, to be truthful, honest, and to fulfill your responsibility by presenting students with the facts that evolution is unproven. It is impossible that the universal natural laws of dynamics reversed themselves to accommodate the theory of evolution. Now, if your science is like mine, at least let me go back and remind you of something that you may have learned.
I learned it best this past week by review. But one of the laws basically states that things go from good to bad. Things begin intelligent and they become dumb. Things start strong and they become weak. Look at a building.
Look at an oil painting. Look at the human body. The evolutionists would declare that those laws were reversed so that some amoeba floating in some murky puddle decided to become more intelligent. Until finally it reached its peak of intelligence and then the laws began digressing. No one would believe that, as if some amoeba wanted to become more intelligent. An article in Life magazine concerning the origin of life said that at some point, some say two billion years ago, some say a billion and a half.
You know, they play with millions of years like we do with our budget. They say what took form, science cannot specify. All that can be said is that through some agency, certain molecules acquired the ability to duplicate themselves. Imagine that. A giant molecule one day says, hey, I think I'll make another one of me. Poof.
And there's another molecule. Well, that's foolish. That's like putting a rooster in a henhouse all by himself and saying let's wait a million years and we'll get some eggs.
We just wait and be patient. No one would believe that. Let me read you one article that would fit the statement that I read by one scientist that the data we have today fits the creation model better than the evolutionary model. Biochemists, this is recent, from UCLA at Berkeley, have concluded by their study of mitochondrial DNA that if family trees, that is if your family tree and your family tree over here and your family tree back here, if they were taken indefinitely backward, if they were charted backward, that they would ultimately converge on a small group of ancients who were ancestors of us all. In other words, if we went back far enough, we'd go back to one family. Boy, that's unique, isn't it? They said this in the article. Now they think, quote, a single female is an ancestor of everyone on earth today.
Guess what they've nicknamed her? Eve. Man searches for his origins. The world wants a beginning and they search. What we have, ladies and gentlemen, in Genesis chapter one is the beginning. Now, as we approach the study, we ought to at least stop for a moment and answer three questions as to why God gave the creation account. The first reason we have the Genesis account is to encourage Israel's faith, to encourage their faith. This God, the God that claims to be their creator, is the same God that's led them into the promised land. And he says, look, follow me and you will conquer it. He better be a powerful God. Moses declares his phenomenal omnipotence. He is powerful and it bolstered their faith. Secondly, this creation account refutes the myths about origins.
As I said, they are not new. We have the Babylonian creation epics that have come down through time. We can read that back at the time of the Israelites, there were also the epics, the evolutionary theories, the theories that men were fallen gods, that somehow the gods procreated and came up with humanity. And God said, I want to set the record straight. So he refutes all the myths. Number three, to paint a portrait of God's character. You will find Genesis chapter one revealing his sovereignty, his power, his relationship with men and the world.
In fact, Genesis chapter one will refer to God no less than 32 times in one chapter. Now, as we study this chapter, let's divide it into two sections. First of all, the length of days and secondly, the activity found in each day. First of all, the length of days. Was a day here referred to in Genesis chapter one, a literal 24 hour solar day? All these events, do they follow one after the other as day follows night and night follows day?
The theorist would suggest that these are not to be taken literally. The word day represents age. It could mean a million years so that a day does not refer to 24 hours, but millions or perhaps billions of years. And people, by the way, in churches and there are many men who preach, would say to you that it is possible to have one foot in Genesis and get one foot in evolution. It's called theistic evolution that God began and then over a process of millions of years, things would evolve. So it's very important that we understand, is this six 24 hour days or did God give us millions of years for each day to evolve? What is recorded here in Genesis chapter one? Let me give you, for the sake of your notes, three reasons why I believe that these are literal 24 hour days and I might add without any gaps. Number one, each day has an evening and a morning. You'll notice as you read through, look at verse five, and there was evening and there was morning one day. Verse eight, there was evening and there was morning a second day.
And this is common Hebrew phraseology for a literal solar day. Now, wasn't it even kind of foolish that we would take the time to declare such obvious truth? Men and women, as you study the Bible and we're beginning our study through the entire Bible in the book of Genesis, it is clear to us that God wrote what he meant. If he didn't write what he meant, how will we ever know what he means? So it's as simple as reading the account for yourself.
But let's find further proof. Secondly, each day is accompanied by a number. Do you notice as I read in the evening, in the morning, one day or the first day, the second day? Any time and every time you find the word day, yom in the Hebrew, accompanied by a numerical adjective, it always refers to a literal day.
It is never figurative. And then thirdly, I want you to look at two additional passages. Chapter two, verse one and two. You notice how he summarizes all the acts of creation? Some would say there's a gap between verses one and two, and the reason that I do not hold to that is because verse one says, thus the heavens and the earth, that is the activity of chapter one, verse one.
They were completed and all their hosts, and by the seventh day, God completed his word. Look over at Exodus chapter 20, verses nine to 11. You know, these are the commandments.
Well, you probably didn't realize that they are proof of the creation as well. Look at verses nine, 10 and 11 of chapter 20. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God in it, you shall not do any work.
You or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. Verse 11, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that's in them, and he rested on the seventh day. You see, it's conclusive.
It's comprehensive. God did everything that he did in seven or six literal days and he rested on the seventh. That is as clear as scripture.
Now, let's note the activity of each day. Day one begins with verses one to five. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth, and the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the water. Then God said, let there be light, and there was light, and God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness, and God called the light day, and the darkness he called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. Let me give you three things that occurred on the first day. Number one, light was created.
Not bodies that would give off light or reflect light, but simply light. Secondly, God divided light from darkness. He drew the boundaries. God divided light from darkness. Thirdly, God named the light day and the darkness night. I couldn't help but notice as I read this chapter that God not only created objects, things, creatures, and later mankind, but he also created a vocabulary. This is the first time we come up with words that are found in Genesis chapter one.
And you and I use them all the time, whether you believe in creation or not. Boy, it's a beautiful day today. Oh, tomorrow means Monday morning. Is it dark yet?
What are we having for supper this evening? If you go through this chapter, you'll find the words such as light, darkness, day, evening, morning, water, heavens, the dry land, sea, earth, vegetation, seed, trees, plants, fruit, cattle. All these words were created. Everyone in this world borrows heavily from the Genesis account, whether you believe in it or not.
Day number two, verses six to eight. Then God said, let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters and let it separate the water from the water. And God made the expanse or the firmament and separated the waters which were below and the firmament or the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse and it was so. And God called the expanse or firmament heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. Now God will create the firmament.
And he does that by dividing water. And there is then the creation of the firmament whereby God creates the heaven. And this is the first heaven. This is where the birds fly and the clouds float by.
That is the expanse. So the water below covering the surface of the earth, the heaven, and then he creates a body of water above, according to the text, a vaporous canopy. And this allowed for two things.
Let me give you those two things. God created then the conditions for paradise. The conditions for paradise. Because with this canopy of water above, all the harmful rays of the sun can't reach earth. Because of this greenhouse effect, what you have is a world that is a tropical region. The temperatures are constant and warm. There isn't any need for clothing.
In fact, after the fall, they would wear clothing not because of cold temperatures, but because of loss of innocence. What you have then is a worldwide fertile region where the grasses would grow and the fruit trees flourish. It was paradise. And it will one day be paradise again. The absence of seasons, constantly warm.
That will mean a whole lot more to you and I a month or two from now than it may mean to us right now. But it also not only created the conditions for paradise, but it created the potential for judgment. The potential for judgment. Man's rebellion reached its horrible climax. God said to Noah, build an ark.
Why? Because I'm going to flood the earth. This is of course after the dry land has appeared and mankind has flourished. Where is he going to get the water from? To flood the earth. I've read this past week that if all of the clouds surrounding this globe were to drop all of the rain that they carried, and that water were spread evenly around this globe, it would only be as deep as about an inch and a half. Now, where is God going to get the water from so that the water covers the face of the earth and in fact is 15 cubits above the highest mountain?
That's a few gallons of water. Well, we find in Genesis the account given in chapter 8 that God nudges the vapor above, collapsing it, and water then deluges planet earth. This thing that was created by God to allow fertile paradise living will now be that which he would use to judge planet earth.
So he has created this planet with the ability to produce and provide enjoyment but also to destroy and to kill. Well, there's another judgment coming. Would you turn to 2 Peter chapter 3? I want you to see a pattern that God has established. Verse 3, the first judgment was water. This passage will tell us that the second judgment will be by fire.
Verse 3, know this first of all, that in the last days, mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts and saying, where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation. For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God, the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water through which the world at that time was destroyed. You notice how he used the water that he created to destroy the world. Verse 7, but the present heavens and earth by his word are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. How is God going to destroy the present heaven and the earth?
Why, I think he's going to nudge what he's already created and fire will burn earth to a cinder. Now, I'm pretty much out of my field when I deal with scientific fact or mathematical fact. I didn't do too well in math and when I got to college, they looked at my records and they said, you need to repeat math.
So they put me in a bonehead course, we called it, for all the boneheads and I studied math and barely squeaked by out of there. But I've been reminded over this past week of several things. The first is that the earth, and this will explain, I think, how God will destroy the world by fire. 74% of the earth's surface is covered with water. Now, water is the liquid form of H2O, I can remember that. And that would be one atom of oxygen and two atoms hydrogen. Now, if Christ would remove his sustaining hand, because we've discovered in Colossians chapter 1 verses 17 and 18, that by Christ all things consist, literally all things hold together. That includes the molecules and the atoms. What if God took his hand away? And the simple molecule or the simple atom of water, what if that were split so that hydrogen were split from oxygen? All water, 74%, covering the face of this earth and all the water vapor in the air would instantly turn to flammable gas. And all it would take is one little spark somewhere on planet earth and a fireball would destroy this planet inside and out.
You know what I think? I think a pattern is here. That God has created this earth with the ability to provide for life, but he has also reserved it for judgment because of sin. Day 3, back in Genesis chapter 1, verses 9 to 13. Then God said, let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place and let the dry land appear and it was so. And God called the dry land earth and the gathering of the waters he called seas and God saw that it was good. Then God said, let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them on earth and it was so. And the earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind and trees bearing fruit with seed in them after their kind and God saw that it was good in the evening and the morning, a third day. You notice there's no mention of oceans. I think perhaps that's a remnant of the flood.
There are two key phrases in this text that I want you to underline or note. The first key phrase is the phrase bearing fruit. And I think what he is saying obviously is the trees were created mature. When God created anything on planet earth, he created it in its mature state. When he created man and woman, he created them mature. It wasn't little baby Adam and little baby Eve.
They were adults. When God created or snapped into existence a fruit tree. It was already bearing fruit, its present tense.
And I think it's important to note that when God created this planet, it was in its mature state. The second phrase that I want you to notice is after its kind. The word kind is the word phylum.
That means a direct line of descent within a group. Why is this important? Because he is telling us that a peach tree will always have peaches. Monkeys will always have monkeys. There is no such thing as a half beast, half man. God created this universe to reproduce after its kind.
Day four. Then God said let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth and it was so. And God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He made the stars also and God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth and to govern the day and night and to separate the light from the darkness.
And God saw that it was good and there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day. See the evolutionists would declare an old earth because they would say you see that star out there? We know that's 30 or 3 million light years away.
So it would take 3 million light years to reach its ray from that star to planet earth. But if God created everything mature, that means when he created the star, he also created the trail of light so that it was immediately reaching planet earth so we could still in fact have a young earth. I think there are other reasons that God created the lights than just giving light.
Let me give you two. First of all is constant illustrations and the word Jesus Christ is always referred to as the light of the world, the son of righteousness. Christians are also lights. Would you look at a fascinating passage of scripture? Philippians chapter 2 verse 14 and look at what Paul says about the believer.
Philippians chapter 2 verse 14. He's writing to the church in Philippi and he says, All things without grumbling or disputing, that you may prove yourself to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights. The literal could be translated reflective lights. You appear as reflective lights in the world. We reflect the light of the sun, s-o-n. And I think the stars and the moon of heaven remind us that we reflect the light of Jesus Christ. But I also think they're not only given as constant illustrations but as constant reminders. And I think they're reminders of coming paradise where Revelations chapters 21 and 22 tell us that one day we will not need the moon, the sun, the stars, because the light of God's glory and presence will pervade heaven and the new earth.
And every time we look up we can think that one day we will never need them again because it will be the light of God that will light our world. Day 5 verses 20 to 23. And then God said, Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens. And God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves with which the waters swarmed after their kind and every winged bird after its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them saying, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters and the seas and let birds multiply on the earth. And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day. And these as well provide fantastic illustrations for the believer.
Look at the bird. It illustrates God's care according to Matthew chapter 6 for you and for me. Solomon will tell us to go to the animal kingdom and learn wisdom by their activity. But I think we are to learn something else from the animal kingdom when you look up Job chapter 12. That's the book just before Psalms. Job chapter 12 beginning with verse 7. Man speculates about origins.
Man is searching for beginnings. Job says, But now, verse 7, ask the beasts and let them teach you. And the birds of the heavens, let them tell you. Oh, speak to the earth and let it teach you and let the fish of the sea declare to you who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this.
Boy, how clear that is. In whose hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind. If a fish could speak, he'd tell you you were created by the hand of God. If a bird could tell or speak, he would speak to you of God's hand in creating you. If the animals even know, why is man, the one who has been given the logical reasoning faculty, declaring something else.
Even the animals know better than that. In fact, Darwin even admitted that the human eye was so complex that he wondered if he should even believe his theory of evolution. He couldn't even figure out the eye.
It was so complex. John Wesley, writing of God's display of power in creating the world said that God created the heavens and the earth and he didn't even half try. I've read where people of old wrote three words above their doorways in Latin. Nicie Dominus Frustra translated, without God, frustration. Is it any wonder that man today is frustrated in his attempts to discover his origin because he's doing it without God? Is it any wonder that man and woman, young people are frustrated in trying to find a fulfilling life?
Why? Because they are doing it without God. You know, when I think of evolution as chapter one of Genesis so comparably combats, I think of the tragedy of what this is teaching the young people of this country as to their worth. What kind of value do you have if your ancestor is an amoeba from some murky puddle? What kind of worth do you have if you go back far enough, and if your great, great, great ancestor is an ape?
No wonder man is frustrated. My friends, you learn value and worth when you discover by faith that you have been created by a loving God who created you in his own image. That is fulfillment.
I can only end with one application from studying chapter one and that is this. If God is indeed our Creator, He has every right, every ability to be our Savior. My friends, God is your Designer, but He wants to be your Redeemer. That's important truth for today, isn't it? God is the Creator.
Because He made the universe, it belongs to Him and He has a rightful claim over it. Thanks for tuning in to Wisdom for the Heart. We're in a series from our vintage Wisdom collection called Origins. It's a series Stephen Davey preached back in 1988, and the truth resonates just as strongly today.
We have a companion study guide to this series, a workbook that's also called Origins, located at wisdomonline.org. You can also call us for information and we can help you over the phone. Our phone number is 866-48-BIBLE. That's 866-48-BIBLE or 866-482-4253. We're in the office each weekday until 4.30 p.m., and we'd be delighted to speak with you. We'll continue through this series next time, so join us here on Wisdom for the Heart. Thank you.
